President Trump has broken his silence over the renewed fighting in Iran, talking to reporters and writing on Truth Social while reiterating previous comments about destroying the country, as the IRI reported that they've launched a counterattack.
Fox Correspondent Trey Yingst said, "I just spoke with President Trump who indicated that if the Iranians respond to these US strikes against their country, 'they'll be hit much harder ... if it goes a third time, they're going to be totally wiped out as a country.'"
Meanwhile, reports from Iran say the IRGC has launched a "decisive operation" against U.S. allies in the region. The Tasnim news agency says a "decisive operation by Iran's armed forces in response to the US enemy has begun. The US bases and interests in the region are being targeted by Iranian missiles and drones."
Earlier today, United States Central Command has announced additional strikes targeting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Iran's military wing, inside Iran, following Iranian "attempted attacks" against commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump wrote on Truth Social ater the U.S. began strikes that, "The United States is, as we speak, striking Iranian Targets near the Strait of Hormuz. The strikes are large and powerful, and in retaliation for the Iranians' failed attempt at adding sea mines to the Strait, which currently has no mines (They have been completely removed or detonated!), and the Iranians shooting eight missiles, all successfully knocked down, at our Military Base in Jordan."
Trump continued, "If the failed Nation of Iran retaliates for this very justified attack, they will be hit again at a much harder and higher level, but it will not be the biggest attack of them all, that is waiting in the wings and, when it is over, there will be very little left of the Islamic Republic of Iran! President DONALD J. TRUMP."
Explosions have been reported in Iranian port cities including Bandar Abbas, Sirik, and on Qeshm Island, according to Iranian media.
This marks the second occasion in two days that the U.S. has launched strikes against the Islamic Republic of Iran, or IRI, following a period of relative calm described as a "ceasefire," which was meant to pave the way for more lasting peace talks.
The U.S. military has attempted to characterize the renewed military action as restricted in scope, reports the Express US.
Central Command said in a statement on X on Monday that its attacks on Iranian targets on Sunday were specifically aimed at stopping IRGC forces from deploying additional mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
"U.S. forces took limited, precise action against IRGC minelaying forces posing an imminent threat in the Strait of Hormuz," Central Command stated. "In essence, Iran created the threat and the U.S. military eliminated it to protect civilian mariners, commercial shipping, and the free flow of global commerce."
On Sunday, the U.S. military announced it had targeted rocket launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran retaliated by firing missiles at U.S. installations in Jordan, which were successfully intercepted, while the United Arab Emirates reported neutralizing an Iranian drone over its territorial waters.
President Donald Trump acknowledged on Monday that additional military action could be required.
The resurgence in hostilities also follows Trump's apparent shift last month toward an economic pressure campaign against Iran through sanctions, with the president vowing an "economic D-Day" against a nation that has endured nearly five decades of severe American sanctions.
The Trump administration maintained that it was only a question of time before hitting the right economic target would push Tehran to its breaking point.
However, U.S. stockpiles of advanced weaponry have been steadily depleting, and the conflict has grown increasingly unpopular among the American public, potentially leaving Republicans exposed heading into November's midterm elections.
Late Sunday night, Iran launched missiles at a U.S. base in Jordan, describing the attack as retaliation for U.S. strikes against Iranian military assets. Washington maintained those targets had been preparing to lay mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
Tehran claimed the U.S. strikes resulted in two fatalities and left several others injured.
Iran additionally launched multiple missiles and a drone toward the United Arab Emirates, though no damage was reported.
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