US President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday, September 1, that US forces are currently striking targets near the Strait of Hormuz. He warned that if Iran responds, the US will carry out even harsher strikes against the Islamic Republic.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: “The United States is right now hitting Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz.” Describing the strikes as “big and powerful,” he stated that the operation was launched in response to Iran’s attempts to lay naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz and its firing of eight missiles toward a US military base in Jordan.
Trump noted that all eight Iranian missiles aimed at the US base in Jordan were intercepted and destroyed. Jordan had also previously reported intercepting eight missiles in its airspace.
He added that there are currently no naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz, stating that existing mines have been “completely cleared or detonated.”
Trump went on to threaten that if Iran takes retaliatory action in response to the US strikes, it will face attacks that are “much harder and broader in scope.”
Referring to a larger strike that he said has not yet been executed, Trump wrote that this attack is “waiting in the wings,” and that once it is carried out, “very little will be left of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
These remarks follow an announcement by US Central Command (CENTCOM) stating that US forces began striking IRGC targets in Iran at 7:30 PM Tehran time on Tuesday. CENTCOM stated that the strikes were executed in reaction to recent IRGC attempts to target commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and US forces stationed in the region.
Axios also reported that the new US strikes are part of a plan reviewed in recent days by Trump and senior administration officials to conduct limited strikes in the Strait of Hormuz region. The stated goal of the plan is to prevent Iran from restoring its radar and missile capabilities used to attack shipping.
Coinciding with the announcement of US strikes, Tasnim News Agency reported multiple explosions across southern Iran. The media outlet reported six blasts in Konarak, eight along the southern coast of Qeshm, and sounds of explosions in parts of Bandar Abbas and Sirik.
A senior military source told Tasnim that Iran’s armed forces will “definitely” respond to the US strikes and that this retaliation will be “multiplied fold.” According to the source, US interests and bases in the region will be targeted “swiftly.”
Meanwhile, US embassies in Jerusalem, Doha, and Amman issued fresh security alerts, warning of the complex security environment in the Middle East and the potential for unpredictable escalation. They urged American citizens to exercise heightened vigilance and prepare for possible flight cancellations, airspace closures, and travel disruptions.