President Donald Trump warned Iran will “get a beating” after the country launched a surprise ballistic missile attack on U.S. forces in the Middle East on July 28, shattering a multi-day pause in fighting and reigniting tensions in the region.
“We’ll be hitting them hard. They’re going to get a beating,” Trump told Fox News on Wednesday morning. “We’re going to beat the fucking shit out of them,” he added, according to the network.
U.S. Central Command said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired multiple ballistic missiles at American military installations in the region late Tuesday stateside, targeting a U.S. base in Jordan and Centcom’s regional headquarters. All missiles were successfully intercepted, the military command said, with Trump noting that U.S. forces had just minutes to shoot down the incoming weapons.
The attack marked a dramatic reversal after Trump had paused U.S. strikes on Iran on July 25 to create space for negotiations. Iran had signaled it would halt its own attacks as long as the U.S. refrained from striking, according to Reuters reporting citing a senior Iranian official. That fragile calm lasted just days.
Trump said negotiations would continue despite the renewed violence. “We’re going to let them keep talking,” he told reporters in the Oval Office Wednesday afternoon, adding “it’s our turn to hit them. They know it’s coming.”
The escalation followed weeks of intense fighting that began in early July after an earlier ceasefire, agreed in April, collapsed. Trump had declared that initial ceasefire “over” on July 8, citing Iranian attacks, and the U.S. launched more than 80 strikes over 13 consecutive nights before pausing on July 25. The New York Times reported that Trump had set aside plans to escalate further due to concerns over depleting stockpiles of Patriot interceptors and other air defense munitions in the Middle East, though Trump dismissed those concerns.
In response to the ballistic missile attack and separate Iranian drone strikes, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia jointly struck Iran-backed militant groups in Iraq on Tuesday, targeting what Centcom described as “multiple terrorist logistics and weapons sites” in the eastern part of the country. Iraq’s Iran-backed Shia militia groups said at least 20 of their members were killed and 32 wounded in the assault.
The renewed fighting sent oil markets surging. Brent crude, the international benchmark, climbed 7.9 percent to $90.74 on Wednesday following Trump’s remarks, according to the Financial Times. The spike reflected investor concerns that the escalating conflict could disrupt global oil supplies, particularly through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint that Iran has repeatedly threatened to close.
Trump credited the Patriot air-defense system with intercepting Iran’s ballistic missiles. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps said its aerospace force had targeted the U.S. air base and Centcom’s regional headquarters with “several ballistic missiles,” and said Wednesday that “resistance will continue” as long as threats against Iran persist and the U.S. military’s actions against Iranian interests continue.
The cycle of escalation reflects the fragility of the broader conflict. The U.S.-Iran war, which began in February 2026 with U.S. and Israeli strikes that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, has repeatedly moved between intense fighting and diplomatic pauses, each breakdown pushing the region closer to a wider conflagration involving Saudi Arabia, Iraq-based militias, and Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Sources
- CNBC — Trump’s statement on hitting Iran hard, details of the ballistic missile attack and interception, oil market reaction, and background on munitions stockpile concerns
- USA Today — Trump’s vow to beat Iran, timing of the attack at 5:45 p.m. ET on July 28, confirmation that all missiles were intercepted, details of Trump’s ceasefire pause on July 25, and background on the April ceasefire and July 8 collapse
- Financial Times — Trump’s direct quotes to Fox News, Brent crude price surge to $90.74 (up 7.9%), details of U.S.-Saudi joint strikes on Iraq-based militias, casualty figures for Iraqi militia groups, Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps statement, and context on the February 2026 U.S.-Israeli strikes that killed Ali Khamenei
- Reuters — Iranian signal that it would halt attacks as long as U.S. refrained from striking
- The New York Times — Trump’s decision to pause strikes due to concerns over Patriot interceptor stockpile depletion
