President Donald Trump promised a powerful response Wednesday after American forces intercepted a surprise Iranian ballistic missile attack targeting U.S. troops in Jordan.
“We’re going to beat the f—— s— out of them,” Trump told Fox News.
“We’ll be hitting them hard,” the president added. “They’re going to get a beating.”
Trump said American personnel had only minutes to react after Iran launched the overnight barrage. He described reviewing video of U.S. troops calling out coordinates in real time as they worked to destroy the incoming missiles.
Iran said it targeted American military facilities in Jordan, while the Jordanian military reported intercepting five Iranian missiles. U.S. Central Command said all missiles launched against American forces were successfully stopped and that personnel remained at a “high state of readiness.” No American casualties were immediately reported.
The attack shattered several days of relative calm that had raised hopes for renewed diplomacy between Washington and Tehran.
Trump had recently paused U.S. strikes to give negotiations “a little bit of room,” but Wednesday’s attack appears to have put the administration back on a war footing.
The missile barrage came amid a separate round of U.S.-Saudi strikes against Iran-backed militias operating in Iraq.
According to U.S. Central Command, American and Saudi fighter jets targeted multiple weapons and logistics sites across eastern Iraq. CENTCOM said the strikes followed more than 30 drone attacks directed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps during the previous 72 hours.
“The IRGC and its terrorist proxies must cease these attacks to avoid further U.S. military response,” the command warned.
Trump called the militias a “cancer on the world” and told Fox News that the strikes were coordinated with the Iraqi government.
That account was disputed publicly by Iraqi officials, who condemned the operation as a violation of the country’s sovereignty. Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces, an umbrella organization containing several Iran-aligned Shiite factions, said at least 20 fighters were killed and 32 others were wounded.
CENTCOM said Iran-backed militias attempted more than 600 attacks against American citizens and facilities in Iraq between February and April alone.
The Saudi government said its participation followed repeated drone attacks against the kingdom’s oil infrastructure. Riyadh has emphasized that it does not want a larger confrontation but will respond to attacks against Saudi territory.
The sudden escalation comes one day after Trump held a nearly 90-minute meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt characterized the meeting as “positive and productive,” while Trump said the two leaders discussed “many important subjects.” Iran’s nuclear program and the continuing regional conflict were reportedly central to the talks.
Despite the overnight military crisis, Trump is not currently scheduled to travel outside Washington on Wednesday.
The president will remain at the White House, where he is scheduled to receive his intelligence briefing and greet Montana State University’s national championship football team. At 3 p.m., he will make a public announcement alongside the secretary of transportation.
Trump will then hold two closed policy meetings before participating in evening tele-rallies supporting Kansas gubernatorial candidate Ty Masterson and Wisconsin congressional candidate Michael Alfonso, according to the president’s published schedule.
