President Donald Trump stated on Monday, August 31, that the United States would respond to Iranian attacks against American targets in the Middle East, according to a 'Fox News' journalist. The bombings were, in turn, a response to the US offensive against an island in the Strait of Hormuz, the first episode of military aggression in a month.

First modification: 09/01/2026 - 01:11

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US President Donald Trump threatened on Monday, August 31, to hit Iran "hard" after the two adversaries exchanged attacks for the first time in weeks. Meanwhile, his Treasury secretary promised to maintain a pressure campaign aimed at paralyzing Tehran's economy.

After six months of war, the enemies remain in a negotiating stalemate: Iran keeps the strategic Strait of Hormuz closed and the United States persists in its naval counter-blockade of Iranian ports.

On Sunday, the United States carried out strikes against an Iranian island in the Strait of Hormuz, to which Tehran quickly responded by hitting American military targets in the Middle East.

This exchange stoked fears of a return to full-scale hostilities, and the US president vowed to respond.

"We're going to hit them hard," Trump said, according to a Fox News reporter who spoke with him briefly. "There will be an answer."

The United States claimed it had attacked Iranian rocket launcher positions on Larak Island to prevent Tehran from placing mines in that important shipping route.

Iran responded with missile and drone attacks aimed at Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, claiming they were targeting US forces present in those countries. However, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called for dialogue later that Monday.

"We continue to strive to find a way of agreement and understanding, and we believe that continuing the war is not in our interest or in that of the region," he declared at a summit in Kyrgyzstan, adding that "the solution to current problems is dialogue and also cooperation."

Read alsoWar in Iran: US attacks the island of Larak, near Hormuz; Tehran launches offensive on bases in Jordan

State media reported that three people were killed in the US strike on Larak and several others were wounded.

Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard said the ballistic missile attack targeting two air bases in Jordan caused "serious damage."

However, Trump told 'Fox' that all missiles launched against US forces had been shot down, except for one that was determined to pose no threat. The Jordanian Army maintained that it had intercepted eight missiles, without specifying their origin.

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Iran also claimed it had attacked US personnel at a United Arab Emirates air base and shot down a US drone over the Strait of Hormuz.

Abu Dhabi claimed to have intercepted a drone over the country's waters, but said reports that the Al Minhad air base had been the target of an attack were "unfounded."

The Revolutionary Guard said it had shot down a second US drone over the Strait of Hormuz on Monday afternoon; and the central command of the Iranian armed forces reiterated the warning to its neighbors in the region not to allow Washington to use their territory to carry out attacks.

Read alsoUS irritates Europeans by inviting Russian minister to G20 meeting

"We will continue to exert economic pressure"

The exchange of fire occurred after weeks of relative calm, in which the Trump Administration has recently taken a turn toward "economic warfare."

Earlier on Monday, Trump had called Iran a "failed nation," saying on social media that its military was decimated, its finances were crumbling "and its leadership is in total disarray."

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent pledged to keep up economic pressure.

"We are going to continue to apply pressure, and we have already had very positive conversations about it," Bessent told reporters at a G-20 meeting in North Carolina.

He said the turning point in the pressure campaign could come "in a matter of weeks or months."

Iran is also exerting economic pressure by blocking the Strait of Hormuz, roiling global markets and raising prices for American voters in a year of closely contested midterm elections.

A fifth of the world's oil transited the strait before the war, which was sparked by a surprise wave of US and Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28.

Also read Trump vs. Iran: thousands of deaths, stagnation and economic asphyxiation, six months that shake the world

The high point of the Strait of Hormuz

Even though traffic remains restricted six months later, Trump has claimed his Navy has "full control" of the strait, and Washington announced last week that it had completed the removal of explosives from the waterway.

Iran, however, insists that it controls the sea route. The Revolutionary Guard said Monday that a "rogue" oil tanker caught fire near the strait after hitting two mines while trying to transit an "illegal route."

The US military called this claim "disinformation" and stated: "No ship has struck mines in the Strait of Hormuz."

Mediators have been trying to negotiate an end to the war for months, but an earlier truce and memorandum of understanding failed.

Sporadic attacks resumed but eventually subsided, with the last US assault on Iran taking place on July 29.

A spokesman for UN Secretary General António Guterres described the latest exchange of fire as "very regrettable" after weeks of calm, and urged a return to diplomatic channels.

Iran has recently been trying to pressure the adversary to return to the previous deal, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi telling state television on Monday that "the solution is totally clear and simple: the United States must return to its commitments."

"In that case, everything can get back on track," he said.

Read alsoIran promises "another defeat" for the United States after its economic attack

With AFP

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