President Donald Trump issued a written statement Tuesday evening detailing ongoing US strikes on Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz, citing Iran's failed attempt to lay naval mines in the strait and the launch of eight missiles at a US base in Jordan, all of which were intercepted. Trump warned that any Iranian retaliation would draw heavier strikes and that a larger attack remains pending, threatening 'very little of the Islamic Republic of Iran' would remain.
President Donald Trump issued a formal written statement at 20:33 Jerusalem time, confirming that the United States is conducting "extensive and powerful" strikes on Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz. The statement, published by the President's account and reported by Asaf Rozentzweig (N12), detailed specific provocations: Iran's "failed attempt to lay naval mines" in the strait and the launch of eight missiles at a US base in Jordan, all of which were intercepted. Trump warned that any Iranian retaliation would be met with strikes of "much heavier force," and that a larger attack remains "waiting on the lines" which, when concluded, would leave "very little of the Islamic Republic of Iran."
The statement caps a rapid escalation that unfolded over the course of an hour. At 19:21 Jerusalem, The Zioneer first reported, based on a senior US official, that US forces were striking Iranian targets near the strait in response to attacks on vessels — with explosions reported in Bandar Abbas, Qeshm Island, Sirik, Chabahar, and Konarak. Minutes later, CENTCOM officially confirmed the strikes, stating they were in response to attacks on commercial ships. Trump then issued a series of verbal statements through the media, each escalating the rhetoric: first confirming the strikes, then detailing the failed mine attempt and intercepted missiles, and finally issuing his formal written statement at 20:33. The corroboration moved from an anonymous US official, to an official command statement, to the President's own account.
The strikes are part of a broader US campaign against Iranian military infrastructure that began early Sunday. As The Zioneer reported on Sunday, US aircraft struck missile depots, drone storage facilities, and coastal radar installations, following Iranian attacks on merchant vessels in the strait and the downing of a US Apache helicopter. On Wednesday last week, Trump declared that any future Iranian attack on a vessel would trigger US strikes on bridges or power plants, including near Tehran.
No details on the scope of the current strikes, specific targets hit, or casualties — on either side — have been released. It also remains unclear whether Iran will retaliate and how, despite the President's explicit threat of a much larger US response.
15 developments
- DevelopingTrump warns Iran of 'much worse' strikes if Hormuz shipping attacks continue
- StrongTrump says Iran struck a merchant ship in the Strait of Hormuz, US intercepted three drones
- DevelopingTrump: each Iran strike on Hormuz vessels will trigger US bombing of a bridge or power plant, including near Tehran
- ConfirmedTrump warns Iran: US will strike any nuclear site, retaliate 10-fold if Hormuz attacks continue
Source and signal
- Open-source intake