After the U.S. and Iran traded strikes for the first time in a month, President Donald Trump is threatening to hit Iran “hard” as renewed fighting raises the prospect of further U.S. military action.
In an interview with Fox News Monday, Trump vowed there would be “a response” after Iran retaliated for U.S. strikes with an attack on American forces in Jordan.
The U.S. strikes targeted Iranian rocket launchers near Larak Island after American officials said they posed a threat to forces in the region.
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But when asked laster in the Oval Office whether the U.S. was headed back to full-scale war, Trump said the response did not need to be that extensive.
“It’s very limited. Look, they’re a failed nation. Yeah. They’re a failed nation,” he said. “They’ve got 350% inflation. They have no currency. They’re not paying their soldiers. Their leaders are largely dead. Their Navy is gone, their Air Force is gone, their surveillance equipment is almost entirely gone. That doesn’t mean we won’t smack them. We’ll see what happens.”
Trump reiterated those claims in a post on Truth Social Monday night, declaring, “Iran is officially a Failed Nation.”
Two tankers struck near Strait of Hormuz
Two crude oil tankers were struck by projectiles Monday night while traveling through southern shipping lanes near the Strait of Homruz that the Trump administration has touted as open and safe.
The Greece-based maritime risk organization Marisks said a South Korean-owned tanker was hit just minutes after a Saudi-flagged vessel, suggesting “a coordinated or closely related series of attacks rather than isolated events.”
Marisks said the attacks undermine claims that the Omani corridor offers ships a reliably safer passage than the route Iran has demanded they use, according to CBS News.
Oil prices rise again
The renewed fighting is also pushing oil prices higher for a second straight day.
Both major benchmarks were up more than 2% Tuesday morning, with Brent crude above $92 a barrel and U.S. crude around $88.
Trump is set to meet with oil refining executives Tuesday to discuss ways to combat rising gas prices.
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