Trump: We will strike Iran with force and teach it a harsh lesson

US President Donald Trump vowed to launch new strikes against Iran after the US and Jordanian militaries announced they had intercepted missiles fired by Tehran toward Jordanian territory. “We will hit Iran hard and let them keep talking,” he said. In remarks to US network Fox News, he described Iran-backed militias as “the cancer of the world” and added, “I am considering issuing additional warnings to Iran’s proxies.”

Trump threatened that the United States would teach Iran a harsh lesson following the attack on US forces in Jordan, describing it as “a surprise attack in which our forces had only minutes to shoot down the Iranian missiles.”

Commenting on the announcement by Saudi Arabia and US Central Command (CENTCOM) of coordinated strikes against targets linked to Iran-backed militias and related to attempts to attack Saudi oil facilities, Trump said the attack on militias in Iraq was carried out in coordination with the Iraqi government.

Saudi analyst and security researcher Hisham Al-Ghanim told Agence France-Presse that “Tehran is now using its network of proxies to maintain its influence while the diplomatic track captures international attention. Proxy warfare is a continuation of direct war by other means.”

Meanwhile, the US Treasury Department announced the issuance of “new sanctions against entities linked to Iran.” It stated that it had taken additional measures to prevent Iran from exploiting the Strait of Hormuz as a source of revenue to support its collapsing economy. The sanctions include two companies playing a pivotal role in a scheme that forces ships to purchase maritime insurance to transit the strait.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent pledged not to allow “Iran to hold global trade hostage or use international shipping to fund the Revolutionary Guard,” emphasizing that “Iran is in dire need of liquidity amid an economic collapse and inflation rates exceeding 100%.” The US president had previously warned Tehran against reaching an agreement.

Commenting on the sanctions, the US State Department said it “supports US Navy efforts to impose a blockade on Iranian ports and coasts.” It added in a statement, “We will work with allies to diplomatically and economically isolate Iran until it ceases its destabilizing behavior and to ensure it cannot hold international trade hostage to fund its activities.”

Trump also told Fox News: “If Iran does not make an agreement with us, I will return and finish the job, but rebuilding will take them a very long time. It will take many years to rebuild. It is better to reach an agreement than to destroy the rest of the country.” He added: “We may be in the midst of wonderful talks, and then Iran comes and says we are not talking or that we have not discussed the nuclear file. I am emphasizing: We are in a very strong position vis-à-vis Iran, and I can destroy most of Iran’s bridges in less than one hour.”