The U.S. military conducted strikes against Iran for the first time in weeks, and Iran retaliated, as the war between the countries surpassed six months.
President Trump called the campaign “very limited” but didn’t rule out further action, calling Iran a “failed nation.”
“Their navy is gone. Their air force is gone. Their surveillance equipment is almost entirely gone. That doesn't mean we won't smack ‘em. We'll see what happens,” Trump said.
U.S. Central Command told Scripps News that Iran was preparing to launch sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz Sunday when the U.S. military took action, striking two Iranian launchers on Larak Island in the strait, which is called “limited, precise action.” It came just days after U.S. forces announced it cleared the shipping lanes of mines.
Iran retaliated overnight, launching ballistic missiles it says in the direction of U.S. forces in Jordan and the UAE, according to Iranian state media.
"Test our will once more, and pay a heavier price. Retaliation is coming; JUST RUN!" the head of the national security commission of Iran's parliament posted on social media Sunday.
There were no impacts on U.S. forces and all missiles were intercepted, according to a U.S. official.
A spokesman for U.S. Central Command told Scripps News the U.S. military is monitoring the area closely and remains prepared to protect the free flow of commerce through this essential waterway.
Trump told Fox News the US would respond and is going to “hit them hard,” according to the outlet, and on Truth Social appeared to threaten Kharg Island once more.
“I think that he's sending a message to the Iranians, look, we know that they continue to shoot at commercial shipping. We continue to have a lot of tools at our disposal to prevent them from doing so or at least cut down on them from going so,” Vice President JD Vance said.
“The President retains all options at his disposal. The Iranians want to make a deal, but they are always a day late and a dollar short,” a White House official told Scripps News.
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The weekend action marks a change from the past week, in which the U.S. was focusing on increased economic pressure on Iran. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told the Associated Press that new sanctions on banks that help with Iranian financial transactions are part of that effort.
Meanwhile, the latest military action could impact oil and gas prices to close out a month that will set records in the U.S. According to AAA, gasoline prices have never been above $4 a gallon as a national average every day in the month of August prior to this year.
The average remained above $4 a gallon Monday, while Brent crude oil rose more than 2 percent, topping $90 a barrel.
“We have the Strait of Hormuz in extremely good shape. You know, we're taking over many, many ships got through last night, as you know, with the Navy's assistance, and we've been averaging 30 ships a night. That's a lot, and a lot of oil is coming out. That's why you haven't seen the price of oil go like they thought it might have to go,” Trump said.
Iran is not the only factor that could impact what Americans pay at the pump. On social media, President Trump announced his intention for a new oil deal involving Venezuela's oil Trump said will give the US control of more than 65 billion barrels.
"One of the things I am going to do with the Venezuelan Oil is fill up the Strategic National Reserves," President Trump said.
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Currently, the nation's strategic reserve is at its lowest levels since the early 1980s, a development that has rattled energy markets.
The 25 year agreement calls for the development of 17 strategic fields, Acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez said.
“I think it's going to be have a tremendous impact. It's going to ultimately prices are going to come down. Now, will it before? Will it happen before the election? I can't tell you that, but I think people are very smart. They know we had to go into Iran. It only went up because of Iran. We had to go into Iran. We had to make sure they don't have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said.
Trump is expected to meet with refiners and distributors Tuesday according to a White House official “to discuss ways to expand the United States’ refining capacity, with the ultimate goal of lowering gasoline prices for American consumers.”
