Trump Warns of Additional Strikes on Iran, Raising Fears of Renewed War After a Month

[Financial News New York = Reporter Lee Byung-chul]U.S. President Donald Trump warned of further military action against Iran after its attack on a U.S. military base, saying the United States would "hit them hard." The month-long military lull between the United States and Iran has now been broken, raising the possibility that the six-month-old war could once again escalate.
On the 31st local time, Trump told Fox News in connection with Iran's retaliatory attack that "there will be a response" and added, "We're going to hit them hard." It was the first direct exchange of attacks between the United States and Iran in more than a month.
The latest clash began the previous day, when the U.S. military struck Iran's Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. forces hit two Iranian rocket launch sites on the island. CENTCOM said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was preparing to launch rockets equipped with mines into the Strait of Hormuz, describing the strike as a "limited and precise operation."
Iran immediately retaliated. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired ballistic missiles at two U.S. bases in Jordan where American troops are stationed. Trump said most of the missiles launched by Iran were intercepted by U.S. air defenses.
Trump made clear that the United States would respond militarily again to Iran's retaliation. With the sequence of the U.S. strike on Larak Island, Iran's revenge attack on U.S. bases, and Washington's warning of additional strikes, the military lull that had held for the past month has effectively ended.
Iran also showed no sign of backing down. A senior Iranian official warned that every time the United States attacks, Tehran will respond with a reaction "tens of times stronger." The official said the strike on Larak Island showed that "no target in the region is beyond Tehran's reach."
Still, both sides appear cautious about allowing the conflict to expand into a full-scale war. CENTCOM emphasized that the strike on Larak Island was a limited operation, while a senior Iranian official described the clash as a "limited and controlled standoff" between the United States and Iran.
The concern is that Trump's formal warning of additional strikes has increased the chance that these limited clashes could again spiral into full-scale war. For Trump, especially with the United States midterm elections approaching in November, a prolonged war with Iran would carry political and economic costs. As the conflict enters its sixth month of stalemate, talks between Washington and Tehran have also effectively stalled.
Trump said Iran wants negotiations, but he remained skeptical about the prospects for a deal. "They really want to meet badly," he said, adding, "I don't know if I can trust a deal with them."

[email protected] Reporter Lee Byung-chul Reporter