WASHINGTON – The US military said it had launched a new wave of strikes against Iranian targets, following a threat from US President Donald Trump to retaliate forcibly for a recent attack.

“US forces began launching strikes against Iran at 8pm Eastern Time on July 29 (8am Singapore time on July 30). The strikes are a powerful response to July 28’s attempted Iranian attacks on US forces based in the Middle East,” US Central Command said in a post on social media platform X.

The US and Iran had paused an exchange of strikes at the end of last week in an effort to further diplomatic talks and bring an end to the months-long war.

Yet, that lull ended in dramatic fashion on the night of July 28 when Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps carried out a surprise assault, firing multiple ballistic missiles at a US military base in Jordan.

US officials said all of the incoming missiles were intercepted, but the attack sent oil prices soaring as markets feared a return to all-out war.

“We’re going to be hitting them very hard because it’s our turn to hit them,” Trump told reporters at the White House on the afternoon of July 29. “They know what’s coming. They’re asking us not to do it.”

The resumption of hostilities had come just hours after Trump claimed Washington and Tehran were making progress in discussions and that he preferred a deal with Iran rather than ordering more strikes.

Trump struck a fiery tone on the morning of July 29 after Iran’s overnight attacks, telling a Fox News reporter in a phone interview that he intended to hit back “hard”.

Instead of winding down, the Iran war appears to be expanding.

The US and Saudi Arabia struck Iran-backed militias in Iraq on July 28, after Riyadh said it had countered drones launched by Iraqi groups targeting its oil facilities. Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen have also attacked vessels in the Red Sea.

On July 29, fires broke out aboard two liquefied natural gas vessels at the Egyptian port of Damietta, with a security firm saying the vessels had been struck by drones.

Oil prices had eased during the brief detente but rose again earlier on July 29 after Trump’s threats.

The latest US response threatens to unravel recent efforts to prevent the Middle East conflict from broadening and offered a stark demonstration of how both sides are ready to resort to force. Trump has repeatedly claimed that the US and Iran were close to a deal even as Tehran has denied it was engaged in active talks with Washington.

A prolonged conflict also poses political risks for Trump, whose Republican Party faces an uphill fight to retain control of Congress in November midterm elections. The election will largely hinge on the economy, with voters giving Trump poor marks on his handling of the issue.

The war brought a sharp increase in gas prices as shipping through the energy-crucial Strait of Hormuz was effectively blocked. The strait remains largely closed with few ships passing through.

Meanwhile, Centcom said earlier on July 29 that US forces “continue to strictly enforce the US blockade against Iran”. BLOOMBERG

US launches fresh strikes against Iran as war escalates again