The Japan Times - Trump vows to hit back 'hard' after first exchange of fire with Iran in weeks

After six months of war, the foes remain at an impasse, with Iran keeping the strategic Strait of Hormuz closed and the US persisting with a naval counter-blockade of Iran.

Late Sunday, the United States said it had carried out strikes on an Iranian island in the Strait of Hormuz, with Tehran quickly retaliating by attacking US military targets in the Middle East.

The exchange raised fears of a return to major hostilities, with the US president vowing to respond.

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

The United States said it attacked Iranian rocket launchers on the island of Larak to prevent Tehran planting mines in the key shipping lane.

Iran responded by with missile and drone attacks aimed at Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, saying they targeted US forces there, but President Masoud Pezeshkian later on Monday called for dialogue.

"We continue to strive for a path of agreement and understanding, and we believe that continuing the war is neither in our interest, nor in the interest of the region," he said at a summit in Kyrgyzstan, adding "the solution to the existing problems is dialogue and cooperation".

State media reported that two people were killed in the US attack on Larak, with several others wounded.

Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards, the ideological arm of its military, said the ballistic missile attack on two US air bases in Jordan caused "heavy damage".

Jordan's army said it had intercepted eight missiles, without stating their origin. Trump also told Fox that all the missiles fired at US forces had been shot down, except for one that was determined not to pose a threat.

Iran also said it targeted US personnel at an air base in the UAE and shot down an American drone over Hormuz.

Abu Dhabi said it intercepted a drone over the country's waters, but dismissed claims that Al Minhad Air Base had been targeted as "baseless".

The exchange of fire came after weeks of relative calm, with the Trump administration recently pivoting to "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 their leadership is in total disarray and incapable of properly representing the country".

- Hormuz flashpoint -

The two sides are still vying for control of the Strait of Hormuz, with Tehran having blocked the passage of commercial ships since the war began, attacking vessels that seek to cross.

One-fifth of the world's oil passed through the strait before the war, which was triggered by a surprise wave of US and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28.

Despite traffic remaining throttled six months on, Trump has claimed the US navy has "total control" of the strait and has even called it US territory, with Washington last week announcing it had completed clearing explosives from the waterway.

Iran, however, insists it is in charge of the sealane. The Revolutionary Guards said Monday a "rogue" oil tanker caught fire near the strait after it hit two mines while attempting to transit an "illegal route".

The US military called the claim "disinformation", saying: "No ships have hit mines in the Strait of Hormuz."

Mediators have tried for months to broker an end to the war, but an earlier truce and memorandum of understanding fell apart.

Sporadic attacks resumed, but ultimately tapered off, with the US last striking Iran on July 29, after having attacked Iran for 13 consecutive nights earlier that month.

With diplomacy stalled, Iran's foreign minister on Monday accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of tricking Washington into going to war.

"In Hebrew, Netanyahu openly crows that he suckered the US administration into a war on Iran on behalf of Israel," Abbas Araghchi wrote on X. "In English, he praises POTUS' leadership. Serpent."

burs-axn/smw

T.Maeda--JT