President Donald Trump said the United States will respond forcefully to Iranian attacks on U.S. forces, as the two countries exchanged fire for the first time in a month over the weekend.
In a Fox News interview aired Monday, Trump vowed to escalate military action, saying, “We’re going to hit them hard,” according to a UPI report. The comments came after Iran launched a strike on U.S. bases in Jordan, following U.S. military strikes on Iranian troops on Larak Island on Sunday.
U.S. strikes on Iranian mining operations
U.S. Central Command said in a social media post Sunday that it conducted “limited” action against Iranian forces that were planting mines in the Strait of Hormuz. The command said the Iranian military was “observed preparing to launch rockets with sea mines” into the strategic waterway.
Iran warned it would respond to the U.S. strikes, and by Monday morning, Jordan’s military reported intercepting at least eight missiles. Iran also launched drones over an air base in the United Arab Emirates and at least one over its waters, warning that it was targeting locations “where helicopters and troops of the child-killing American military” are stationed.
Oil prices rise as tensions spike
With fighting between the United States and Iran escalating again, global oil prices are climbing. Brent crude, the international benchmark, rose 3% on Monday morning to $91 per barrel, according to the UPI report. That followed a slight decline in prices last week, which had offered some relief to the oil market.
The Strait of Hormuz, a vital chokepoint for global oil shipments, has seen about 15 ships per day travel through it over the past week. Before the war, the route carried millions of barrels of oil daily and was one of the key thoroughfares in the Middle East oil trade.
The renewed hostilities mark the most significant direct confrontation between U.S. and Iranian forces in a month, raising concerns about broader regional conflict and further disruption to energy supplies.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/news/trump-says-u-s-to-hit-iran-hard-after-sides-exchange-fire/