President Donald Trump on Monday vowed to retaliate against Iran following the latest attack on a U.S. base in Jordan, marking a return to military action after weeks of relative calm.
“We’re going to hit them hard. There will be a response,” Trump told Fox News reporter Trey Yingst in a phone call Monday morning.
The attack came after a U.S. airstrike on Iranian rocket launchers, breaking a monthlong halt in fighting.
Trump said nearly all of the missiles fired at the U.S. base were intercepted by American air defense systems. One missile was determined not to pose a threat to anything significant, he said, so U.S. forces allowed it to pass through the airspace.
Trump also said Iran wants to meet with the United States “so badly,” but he questioned whether Tehran could be trusted to reach a deal.
The president separately lashed out at Iran in a Monday morning Truth Social post, declaring the country a “Failed Nation.”
“Iran is officially a Failed Nation. IT IS DEAD!” Trump wrote. “They have no Navy, they have no Air Force, they have no currency, they are not paying their soldiers or police, Inflation is at 300%, and their leadership is in total disarray and incapable of properly representing the country.”
“The only thing they have is FAKE NEWS from the USA, a willingness to kill their protesters (now over 100,000 people dead. They must be tried for war crimes against humanity!), and a good line of ‘BULLSHIT,’” he added.
Iran on Monday also fired a drone toward the United Arab Emirates. The UAE Defense Ministry said it was intercepted over its territorial waters.
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The latest strikes come as the Trump administration has shifted its focus toward economic pressure on Tehran.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent last week announced what he called an “economic D-Day,” threatening secondary sanctions against companies and countries that continue doing business with Iran.