Donald Trump vows to hit Iran ‘hard’ after first exchange of fire in weeks

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President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House on August 31, 2026 | Photo Credit: AP

U.S. President Donald Trump threatened on Monday (August 31, 2026) to hit Iran “hard” after the two foes traded fire for the first time in weeks , as his Treasury secretary vowed to keep up a pressure campaign aimed at hobbling Tehran’s economy.

After six months of war, the foes remain at an impasse, with Iran keeping the strategic Strait of Hormuz closed and the U.S. persisting with a counter-blockade of Iranian ports.

On Sunday (August 30), the United States carried out strikes on an Iranian island in the Strait of Hormuz, with Tehran quickly retaliating by attacking U.S. military targets in West Asia.

The exchange raised fears of a return to major hostilities, with the U.S. President vowing to respond.

“We’re going to hit them hard,” Mr. Trump said, according to a Fox News reporter who spoke to him briefly. “There will be a response.”

The United States said it attacked Iranian rocket launchers on the island of Larak to prevent Tehran planting mines in the key shipping lane.

Iran responded with missile and drone attacks aimed at Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, saying they targeted U.S. forces there, but President Masoud Pezeshkian later on Monday called for dialogue.

“We continue to strive for a path of agreement and understanding, and we believe that continuing the war is neither in our interest, nor in the interest of the region,” he said at a summit in Kyrgyzstan, adding “the solution to the existing problems is dialogue and cooperation.”

State media reported that three people were killed in the U.S. attack Sunday on Larak, with several others wounded.

Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guards said the ballistic missile attack targeting two U.S. air bases in Jordan caused “heavy damage”.

But Mr. Trump told Fox that all the missiles fired at U.S. forces had been shot down, except for one that was determined not to pose a threat. Jordan’s army said it had intercepted eight missiles, without stating their origin.

Iran also said it targeted U.S. personnel at an air base in the UAE, and shot down an American drone over Hormuz.