U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One on his way to Michigan, U.S., on July 27, 2026.
Evan Vucci | Reuters
President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he would order a heavy attack on Iran in retaliation for Iran’s overnight “surprise attack” that prompted a multi-day lull in fighting in the Middle East.
“We’re going to hit them hard. They’re going to get hit,” Trump told a Fox News reporter.
“We’re going to take down the motherfucker inside of them,” Trump added, according to Fox.
U.S. Central Command said Iran targeted U.S. forces in the Middle East with ballistic missiles late Tuesday, reigniting tensions in the region after the warring sides briefly halted fighting.
Centcom said in a post on X that the attack came from Iran, but that all of the missiles were intercepted. “The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attempted a surprise attack on U.S. forces based in the Middle East, launching multiple ballistic missiles from Iran.”
President Trump told Fox on Wednesday morning that the U.S. military had just minutes to shoot down the incoming missile.
The U.S. military command did not specify the target of the missile, but Axios reported, citing U.S. officials, that the attack was aimed at a U.S. military base in Jordan.
Centcom said in a subsequent statement published in
The Saudi Ministry of Defense said the attack was carried out in coordination with Centcom, adding that the kingdom was not seeking escalation but would respond to any aggression it faced.
Riyadh earlier announced that a drone launched from Iraq by an “Iranian terrorist militia” had attempted to target oil facilities in Saudi Arabia.
The Iranian-backed Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces said in a statement late Tuesday that at least 20 of its members were killed and 32 injured in the airstrike.
Oil prices rise as fighting resumes
Tensions are rising after fighting between Washington and Tehran stopped for two days. oil Prices soared after falling for three consecutive days.
The New York Times reported that President Trump has shelved plans to escalate the war against Iran over concerns about dwindling stockpiles of Patriot interceptors and other air defense weapons in the Middle East. President Trump has denied concerns about depleting stockpiles.
Reuters reported on Sunday, citing a senior Iranian official, that Iran had indicated it would stop its attacks as long as the United States refrained from doing so.
Separately, the UK Maritime Trade Operations Center reported “suspicious activity” in the Red Sea in a post on X.
The agency reported that the tanker’s captain heard an explosion while sailing in the southern Red Sea, but did not provide further details. The incident was reported on Monday and the advisory was issued on Tuesday.
It has not been confirmed whether the reported incident was committed by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea, but it is known that the rebels claimed to have attacked two Saudi oil tankers in the region last week, prompting Saudi Arabia to retaliate against the rebels.
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea is an important export route for Saudi oil diverted from the Strait of Hormuz and a choke point for commercial shipping traffic.
Experts have warned that the closure of the Bab el-Mandeb port would clog these barrels and worsen the oil disruption caused by Iran’s attack on tankers in Hormuz.
Correction: The Iran-backed Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces said in a statement late Tuesday that at least 20 of its members were killed and 32 wounded in the airstrike. Previous versions had group names listed incorrectly.
