Trump: We will strike Iran severely in response to its attack on our forces in Jordan

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that the United States would strike Iran severely in response to its attack on U.S. forces in Jordan. In remarks to Fox News, Trump added that U.S. air defense systems intercepted all the missiles except for one, which “turned out not to hit anything important.” The U.S. president noted that “current U.S. sanctions on the Iranian regime have begun to exert strong pressure.” Trump also stated that Iran had become a “failed and dead state,” pointing out that economic pressures and the blockade imposed on its ports had contributed to weakening its ability to continue the confrontation. He added that the United States had succeeded in clearing all mines from the Strait of Hormuz with very limited assistance from other countries, affirming that Washington now controlled the strategic waterway. Trump said Iran “may pose a nuisance,” but stressed that the United States controlled the Strait of Hormuz and that all mines there had been removed, adding, “Once we win the war, we will have near-total control over the Strait of Hormuz.” In the same vein, Trump said the United States had to intervene in the Middle East to prevent Iran from acquiring and using nuclear weapons against the occupied entity, regional states, or possibly the United States itself. He warned that if Iran possessed nuclear weapons, the United States, Europe, or other regions could become potential targets, adding that the Middle East “would have almost disappeared” and Israel “would certainly have disappeared” had Tehran acquired a nuclear arsenal. Trump’s comments coincided with reports of widespread damage to Iran’s Kharg Island, one of the country’s key oil export hubs, amid escalating military and economic pressures on Tehran.