Trump vows to 'hit hard' following Iranian 'surprise' attack on U.S. forces

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(The Center Square) – The U.S. will be striking Iran, President Donald Trump told reporters Wednesday, following a “surprise” attack on U.S. forces in Jordan Tuesday evening.

“We’re going to be hitting them very hard,” said Trump. “We had five rockets shot going 8,500 miles per hour, and all five were knocked down to the ground, but they nevertheless took a shot, so it’s our turn.”

The missile attacks reportedly targeted U.S. forces at the Muwaffaq Al Salti air base in Jordan.

The U.S. paused attacks against Iran Friday after 13 consecutive days of strikes against the Islamic Republic.

Tuesday’s attack came a day after President Donald Trump claimed Iran was interested in returning to the negotiating table. He told reporters Wednesday that the group interested in continuing the talks apologized for Tuesday’s attack.

During a rally in Michigan Monday, the president said, “friendly talks are underway” with Iran but warned the U.S. could still “cripple Iran with full force.”

The president indicated to reporters Monday that the most recent rounds of strikes may have persuaded Iran to return to the negotiating table.

“We’ve pretty much destroyed their military. They want to meet, and we’re meeting. We’ll see what happens. There’s a chance we could make a deal. Without what we did, they wouldn’t even be talking to us,” Trump told reporters.

Iran publicly refuted claims Monday that it is seeking a deal.

Trump appears cautious after months of back-and-forth with the Iranian regime, which eventually led to the signing of a memorandum of understanding on June 17.

However, not long after the signing, Iran violated the agreement by refusing to open the Strait of Hormuz, including the targeting of commercial cargo ships.

The U.S. reinstated the full naval blockade on Iranian ports, putting the squeeze on the Islamic Republic’s economy, which the Trump administration estimates is costing the country between $400 million and $500 million a day in losses.

As of Wednesday afternoon, U.S. Central Command announced that 20 commercial ships have been redirected, while two have been disabled and another two boarded since the blockade went back into effect.