‘Very Little Left Of Iran If…’, Says Trump As Tehran Launches Missiles, Drones

US strikes on Iranian targets opened a fresh phase of hostilities on Tuesday with direct military action. Iranian semi-official outlets reported that Tehran replied with missiles and drones while local officials said a US strike hit a wedding house, leaving five dead and dozens injured.

US Central Command said the fresh strikes followed what it described as Iranian efforts to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and US personnel in the region. Donald Trump wrote on social media that if Iran retaliates, “they will be hit again at a much harder and higher level, but it will not be the biggest attack of them all, that is waiting in the wings.”

The wider Middle East picture worsened at the same time. The US refreshed a travel warning for the region. Iran said it was coordinating with Oman on a shipping-management plan for the Strait of Hormuz. The UN nuclear watchdog said it still could not inspect Iranian sites affected by the June 2025 war. Israel said it had held a senior Hamas security figure in Gaza. Yemen said an Islamic State spokesperson had been killed. The British military reported two ship attacks near the strait.

“If the failed Nation of Iran retaliates for this very justified attack, they will be hit again at a much harder and higher level, but it will not be the biggest attack of them all, that is waiting in the wings and, when it is over, there will be very little left of the Islamic Republic of Iran!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The US president also claimed that Washington was in “almost total control” of the key maritime route, while adding that the Iranian economy was “collapsing” due to America's sanctions and “economic D-day” approach to the war.

Hormuz Shipping Tensions

On Sunday, US forces struck rocket launchers on Larak Island in the waterway. Iran then fired missiles at US sites in Jordan, but they were intercepted, and the United Arab Emirates said it had intercepted an Iranian drone over its own waters.

Negotiations are continuing in parallel. Iran has also been working with Oman on a framework to manage shipping through the strait, though it is not clear whether Washington would accept the idea. Other Gulf states have said the strait should reopen without conditions.

Maritime dangers persist across regional waterways. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre reported two strikes against commercial vessels near the Strait of Hormuz. Three projectiles struck an oil tanker exiting the Persian Gulf east of Oman on Monday, alongside another encounter that day “involving a tanker and military forces” off the Omani coast. No group acknowledged responsibility for either attack.

Second Round Strikes

The exchange intensified on Tuesday. The US and Iran traded fire after Tehran launched missiles and drones in response to another round of US strikes. Tasnim news agency reported that Iranian forces had launched a “decisive operation” against US bases across the region.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has warned the United States that Iran and the “Resistance Front” have “unforgettable lessons” for Washington, as US and Iranian forces exchange fresh strikes.

The IRGC said the latest fighting had “only tightened the lock on the Strait of Hormuz,” according to state broadcaster IRIB. Explosions were also reported over Aqaba in southern Jordan late Tuesday as Iran said it was answering the US strikes.

Trump separately backed the US action on social media. “If the failed Nation of Iran retaliates for this very justified attack, they will be hit again at a much harder and higher level,” he wrote.

US Central Command described the strikes as “limited” and “precise”, saying they targeted IRGC forces linked to alleged minelaying preparations near the Strait of Hormuz. Those Tuesday attacks came after Sunday’s US strikes, which ended a month without direct military action. On Sunday, Central Command said American forces hit Iranian rocket launchers that were preparing to deploy sea mines into the strait.

Iranian officials said one strike hit a house in Kuhestak, in Hormozgan province, where a wedding was underway. The Iranian Red Crescent said four people, including a child, were killed and more than 50 were wounded. The earlier local account carried by India Today had put the toll at five dead and dozens injured.

State television in Iran also said US strikes hit a fishmeal factory on Qeshm Island, a fishing pier and a Ports and Maritime Organization tower in Sirik. It added that a projectile landed outside Jiroft Airport in Kerman province, causing no casualties or damage to airport infrastructure. Explosions were also reported in several southern coastal areas, including Bandar Abbas and Qeshm Island.

Tehran also threatened a stronger response. Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff and joint military command warned of what they called “crushing and devastating blows” against the United States. Iran had already responded on Sunday by firing missiles at US sites in Jordan. Those missiles were intercepted, and the UAE said it stopped an Iranian drone over its waters.

The stakes are global. Roughly 20% of the world’s oil normally passes through the Strait of Hormuz.

Ceasefire And Oil Prices Surge

Earlier Tuesday, Pezeshkian said Tehran was ready to return to an interim ceasefire deal if Washington did the same.

“If the U.S. returns to its commitments in the memorandum of understanding, the Islamic Republic of Iran will immediately reciprocate,” Iranian state media quoted Pezeshkian as saying.

The June agreement called for an immediate ceasefire and a 60-day negotiating window aimed at a broader settlement. That deal later unravelled, with sporadic fighting continuing around the Strait of Hormuz. In recent weeks, Trump had seemed to favour economic pressure on Iran instead, relying more heavily on sanctions to push Tehran towards concessions.

Markets have already moved. Crude oil price ascends after fresh US strikes, WTI above $91/bbl, Brent above $96/bbl. Crude was up about 7% for the week before Tuesday’s strikes and had risen more than 50% this year. In the US, the average price of regular gasoline was about $4.10 a gallon, according to AAA, versus $3.19 a year earlier.