US strikes ‘dozens’ of targets in Iran, hours after Trump’s expletive-laden threat

The United States military launched retaliatory strikes on dozens of Iranian targets early Thursday, hours after President Donald Trump threatened a forceful response to Iran's latest missile barrage. The operation, announced by US Central Command, struck military command centers, missile and drone facilities, and coastal surveillance sites across Iran in a two-hour campaign.

Trump's blunt warning

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday, Trump said the US was preparing to hit Iran “very hard” and that Tehran was aware of the impending strikes. In an interview with Fox News, the president used more explicit language, vowing to “beat the f---ing shit out of them.” The threats came after Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard launched ballistic missiles at Jordan’s Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, a key US military hub, according to Iranian state media. Trump claimed five Iranian rockets were intercepted and that US forces were unharmed.

Escalation across multiple fronts

The US strikes follow a period of relative calm and complicate diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the five-month conflict. The US also partnered with Saudi Arabia in a separate operation against Tehran-backed militias in Iraq, killing at least 20 fighters and six Iranian advisers. Elsewhere, drone strikes ignited fires on two natural gas vessels at Egypt’s Damietta port, though responsibility remained unclear. Egypt, a close US ally and one of the few regional countries untouched by direct military action, could see a significant widening of the conflict if Iran or its allies are implicated.

Economic and logistical fallout

The renewed hostilities sent oil prices spiking, with Brent crude rising more than 7% to $88 a barrel. Saudi Arabia accused Iraqi militias of firing drones at its oil facilities in the preceding days, a claim initially denied by an umbrella group of Iraqi militias. The fighting also raises concerns about the depletion of US stockpiles of sophisticated munitions needed to defend bases and allies. Even as mediators expressed optimism about bringing the US and Iran back to the negotiating table, an interim agreement collapsed recently due to renewed fighting in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for global energy supplies that Iranian attacks have effectively closed.

Diplomatic efforts under strain

A regional official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said mediators were “still trying with both sides” to restore calm and get a ceasefire back on track, but provided no details on progress. Trump indicated he remained open to a deal but maintained that the latest Iranian aggression required a military response. The strikes underscore the difficulty of winding down a conflict that has jolted the world economy and grown increasingly unpopular among Americans.

The US military said the strikes were a “powerful response” to Iran’s attempted attack. As the region braces for further escalation, the path to de-escalation remains uncertain, with both sides signaling resolve to continue military action while diplomatic channels remain open but fragile.