President Donald Trump has said that American forces struck Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz, warning Tehran against retaliation as Iran's Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) vowed to make the United States "regret" fresh attacks.
"Severe punishment awaits the aggressors; the United States will regret its new attacks," said IRGC spokesperson Hossein Mohebi in a post on X on Tuesday.
Trump, however, warned Iran not to retaliate against the latest US strikes, saying Tehran would face "much harder and higher" attacks if it hit back.
“If Iran retaliates for this very justified attack, they will be hit again at a much harder and higher level,” he said.
Trump added that a larger attack was “waiting in the wings” and claimed it would leave “very little” of Iran.
Trump described the strikes as “large and powerful” and said they were retaliation for what he called Iran’s “failed attempt” to plant sea mines in the strait.
“The United States is, as we speak, striking Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
He also cited an Iranian missile attack on a US base in Jordan, saying Iran had fired eight missiles and that they were “all successfully knocked down.”
Earlier, the US Central Command said the US military began striking IRGC targets in Iran at 1600 GMT.
"The strikes follow recent attempted attacks by the IRGC against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and against American service members deployed to the region," the US military's Central Command said in a statement on X.
Tensions between Tehran and Washington have remained high since the war began with strikes on Iran in late February.
A framework deal was signed in June through Pakistani and Qatari mediation.
The US began a two-week bombing campaign in July and reimposed a naval blockade after differences over navigation in the strait.
