US President: We will launch a strong strike against Iran

Washington, Aug 31 (KUNA) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that the United States would respond to an Iranian attack launched at dawn on U.S. forces in Jordan by delivering a “strong strike.” In an interview with the U.S. Fox News network, Trump said, “We will deliver a strong strike to them,” adding that U.S. air defenses “intercepted all Iranian missiles except one, which was allowed to pass because it was not expected to hit any significant target.” He noted Iran’s desire to meet but expressed “doubt about the possibility of trusting Tehran to reach an agreement while U.S. sanctions remain in force.”

For its part, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) denied in a statement posted on the social media platform X “the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ claim that a supertanker, while transiting the southern route of the Strait of Hormuz, struck two mines and came to a complete stop.” CENTCOM affirmed that the claim was “false,” stating that “the truth is that no ships have been struck by mines in the Strait of Hormuz,” and added that “this is another attempt by the IRGC to intimidate commercial shipping traffic in the region by spreading disinformation.”

Yesterday, Sunday, CENTCOM announced it had carried out “a limited and precise strike against Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps forces that were conducting mine-laying operations and posed an imminent threat in the Strait of Hormuz.” In its statement, it pointed out that “Iran created this threat, and the U.S. military eliminated it to protect civilian mariners, commercial shipping traffic, and the free flow of global trade.” (End) R.S.R. / A.M.H.