US launches fresh round of strikes as 'powerful response' to Iran in military campaign that could last WEEKS

By STEPHEN M. LEPORE, US SENIOR REPORTER Published: 02:03, 30 July 2026 | Updated: 02:27, 30 July 2026 The United States military made good on Donald Trump's threats to hit Iran back as a response after the US had to intercept attacks from Tehran last night. US Central Command confirmed the strikes took place in the early morning hours in Iran, as CNN reported explosions were heard in several locations across southern Iran. 'US forces began launching strikes against Iran at 8 p.m. ET today. The strikes are a powerful response to yesterday's attempted Iranian attacks on U.S. forces based in the Middle East,' they wrote.  The announcement came hours after President Trump threatened to 'beat the f****** s*** out of' Iran after US troops in Jordan were attacked. '[They're] going to get a beating,' Trump told Fox News. Trump followed it up later Wednesday by threatening to slap tariffs on Iran in addition to sanctions and saying their time to be attacked was at hand. 'We're gonna be hitting them very hard because it's our turn to hit them. They know it's coming. They're asking us not to do it. It’s our turn,' Trump said.  Trump's threat of escalation on Wednesday comes the day after Iran launched ballistic missiles at US forces in Jordan in what US Central Command described as an 'attempted surprise attack.' he United States military made good on Donald Trump's threats to hit Iran back as a response after the US had to intercept attacks from Tehran last night US Central Command confirmed the strikes took place in the early morning hours in Iran  The US successfully intercepted all of the Iranian missiles, according to CENTCOM. The US, in conjunction with Saudi Arabia, struck Iranian-backed militias in Iraq last night, CENTCOM said, saying this action was retaliation for a series of drone strikes and not the missile attack in Jordan. Trump said that the US-Saudi strikes were coordinated with the Iraqi government. Before Iran's missile attack, both the regime and the US had observed a multi-day lull in the fighting, the first pause in nearly two weeks. Relative quiet on Saturday and Sunday broke a string of 13 consecutive days of fighting after the breakdown of a June memorandum of understanding signed by the US and Iran. The monthslong conflict with Iran has seen frequent pauses as the US tries to maneuver Tehran into reopening the Strait of Hormuz.  Trump has frequently threatened major escalation against Tehran, including last Thursday when he said he was considering a 'bigger than ever before' attack on the regime.  Reporting has raised questions about whether escalation in Iran could stretch too far the US's diminishing supply of some types of air defense munitions, such as Patriot missile interceptors. Earlier this week, Trump revisited the idea of striking a possible Iranian nuclear facility known as Pickaxe Mountain while rebuking Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for bringing up the site in public.