President Donald Trump vowed on July 29 to take out the “scumbags” from Iran, following reports of targeted attacks on U.S. troops.
The comment came in an interview with Fox News, in which he said the United States would “hit hard” and that Iran “will be hit hard” over the nightly attack on Tehran.
On July 28, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that Iran launched a series of ballistic missiles at a U.S. military base in Jordan. Federal authorities today called it a “surprise attack.”
The attack occurred at 5:45 p.m. ET, with Centcom announcing that Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps units “launched multiple ballistic missiles from Iran in an attempt to launch a surprise attack on U.S. forces” in the Middle East.
“All Iranian missiles were successfully intercepted,” the agency said in a post on X, adding, “U.S. forces remain alert and in a state of high readiness.”
President Trump threatens to attack Iran after ceasefire agreement
The threat came hours after press secretary Caroline Levitt announced that President Trump had a “positive and productive” meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
It also came after the Trump administration suspended U.S. strikes against Iran after nearly two weeks of military strikes against the Middle Eastern country.
Iranian and U.S. officials agreed to a ceasefire in June, but it was quickly broken and Iran continues to block the Strait of Hormuz. President Trump has vowed to take control of the strait, a global waterway critical to the world’s oil supplies.
Contributor: Jay Stahl
Natalie Neisa Alland is a senior reporter at USA TODAY. Contact her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her at X @nataliealund.
