Trump vows 'very hard' strike on Iran after missile attack on US base in Jordan, joint US-Saudi raids in Iraq

Missile attack on Jordan base

On 29 July, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched what the Pentagon called a "surprise attack" with missiles targeting US positions in Jordan. Jordan's military confirmed it intercepted five missiles headed for a US base. President Trump, in an interview with Fox News, said the rockets were traveling at 8,500 km/h. "We shot down five rockets traveling at 8,500 km/h. They tried, now it's our turn," he said. He added that the attackers were "a different faction" from those the US negotiates with, and that they had already apologized, but the US would still strike "a little."

We will hit Iran very hard, because it's our turn to do so. They know it's coming, they're asking us not to do it.

Joint US-Saudi strikes in Iraq

Hours later, the United States and Saudi Arabia conducted their first joint military operation since the conflict began, striking positions of Iran-backed militias across at least seven Iraqi provinces. The strikes killed about 20 militiamen and wounded more than 30, according to reports. Baghdad condemned the action as a violation of its sovereignty, and the Kataib Hezbollah militia threatened a response. The operation marked a significant shift for Riyadh, which had spent five months trying to avoid being drawn into a regional war, urging calm and keeping communication channels open with Tehran even as Iranian drones hit its oil infrastructure.

Drone attack on US gas carrier in Egypt

In a separate incident, an unclaimed drone struck the US-owned floating gas storage unit Energos Winter at Egypt's Damietta LNG terminal. The resulting fire spread to another vessel, the GasLog Salem. No casualties were reported, but the attack added to the sense of a widening confrontation. Israeli television's i24, citing security sources, reported that the US is preparing a retaliation "bigger than anything we've seen so far."

Hormuz blockade and Saudi Red Sea coalition

The US Central Command (Centcom) said it continues to strictly enforce the blockade against Iran, having diverted 20 merchant ships, rendered two inoperative, and boarded two others as of 29 July. Centcom stressed that the Strait of Hormuz is an international waterway and the IRGC has no authority to dictate shipping routes, after the IRGC threatened and attempted to attack merchant ships and sailors. Meanwhile, Iran's deputy parliament speaker Ali Nikzad declared that the strait "will not return to its previous state," calling it a "conquest of the recent war imposed and a divine gift to the great Iranian nation."

We consider the strait a conquest of the recent war imposed and a divine gift to the great Iranian nation.

Saudi Arabia, according to Al Monitor, is preparing to launch an international coalition of about 50 countries in the Red Sea to protect maritime trade routes from Houthi attacks and prevent further disruptions through Hormuz.

Trump's tariff push and wider escalation

Trump also said he wants Congress to add tariffs on Iran to a pending Russia sanctions bill, arguing that tariffs would be more effective than sanctions alone. "I would like them to add Iran with tariffs, not just sanctions. I think it's important," he told reporters. He noted that there are no tariffs on five countries that do business with Iran. The US president left the door open to diplomacy, saying "we'll see if we can reach a deal on Iran," but his primary message was one of imminent retaliation. Israeli security sources told i24 that Iran is raising the threshold of confrontation across multiple theaters simultaneously, including threats to Azerbaijan and Ukraine, and the US response could be the broadest yet.