Trump says US ready to hit Iran ‘very hard’ as tensions escalate over Strait of Hormuz: report

Click here to follow the latest updates in the conflict with Iran.

U.S. Central Command said the military carried out a new wave of strikes against Iran on Monday, aiming to "further degrade Iran's ability to attack commercial shipping."

"During the five-hour mission, U.S. forces successfully struck military targets across Iran including Bushehr, Chah Bahar, Jask, Konarak, Abu Musa, and Bandar Abbas to further degrade Iran's ability to attack commercial shipping," CENTCOM said on X.

"CENTCOM forces employed precision munitions against Iranian coastal defense systems, missile and drone sites, and maritime capabilities," the post added.

More than 50,000 U.S. service members remain deployed across the Middle East, as the military says American forces remain "vigilant, lethal, and ready."

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich compared President Donald Trump’s Iran strategy to Abraham Lincoln’s Civil War-era “Anaconda" strategy, saying the U.S. is gradually tightening pressure on Tehran while trying to avoid a major ground war.

During an appearance on FOX Business’ “Kudlow,” Gingrich said Trump is working to weaken Iran without getting the U.S. “sucked into” a larger conflict.

“This may strike you as a strange analogy, but when Abraham Lincoln became president and the South seceded, the senior general outlined for him what he called an anaconda strategy, that they would gradually surround and crush the rebellion,” Gingrich said.

“Well, if you watch week after week, our allies are getting madder at Iran, not at us. The Iranians are gradually losing power and capability. We are coercing them,” he added.

Gingrich said Trump is moving “slower” than some would like, but argued the president is taking a steady approach.

“We are going to respond week by week. We’re going to grind them down,” Gingrich said.

He also said Trump is seeking to avoid a large land war in Iran, noting the country is “twice the size of Texas” with about 100 million people.

"I fully expect at some point in the not too distant future that the Iranian regime will break," Gingrich said.

President Donald Trump backed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s decision to launch an unusual attack against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, two U.S. officials told Axios.

Saudi Arabia targeted Sanaa airport Monday, triggering retaliatory Houthi missile attacks and marking the most serious cross-border escalation between the two sides since 2022, the outlet reported.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz defended President Donald Trump’s decision to reinstate a blockade against Iran, saying Tehran violated a post-conflict agreement by targeting international shipping.

Speaking exclusively with Fox News Digital after Trump announced the blockade would return at 4 p.m. ET Tuesday, Waltz said Iran is “attacking ships” and “putting mines in place.”

“We had a memorandum of understanding. We had an agreement. And the Iranian regime isn’t abiding by it,” Waltz said.

Waltz said Trump gave Iran time to mourn its former supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but Tehran responded by targeting foreign ships and trying to “hold the world’s economy hostage.”

He said 143 countries at the United Nations have condemned the attacks.

“The president, for one, isn’t going to stand by and just let them violate the agreement, attack international shipping with no consequences,” Waltz said.

Asked whether the crisis can be solved militarily, Waltz said force is “part of it,” while also pointing to the administration’s economic pressure campaign, Operation Economic Fury.

Waltz said Iranian negotiators want "access to cash" because they “know what a terrible state their economy is in.”

"Until then, [Treasury] Secretary Scott Bessent has his foot on the neck of the Iranian economy," he said.

He added that technical nuclear negotiations are still continuing, including talks over Iran’s highly enriched uranium and enrichment program.

"This regime is obsessed, it seems, with getting its hand on a nuclear weapon. We're not going to have it. We're not going to allow it," he said.

Fox News Digital's Efrat Lachter contributed to this report.

The United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Defense on Monday said two national tankers were targeted by two Iranian cruise missiles while transiting the southern shipping lane of the Strait of Hormuz within Omani territorial waters.

In a series of posts on X, the ministry said the Mombasa and Al Bahiyah tankers were hit in the attack, killing one Indian crew member aboard the Mombasa and injuring eight others, including four seriously.

The injured include six Indian nationals and two Ukrainian nationals, according to the ministry.

The attack also caused material damage to both tankers after fires broke out on board. Officials said the fires have since been brought under control.

The Ministry of Defense condemned the incident as a “blatant attack” and "a serious violation and a clear breach of international law that threatens the security and stability of the region."

"The UAE reserves its full right to respond to this escalation and to take all necessary measures to protect its territory, its citizens and residents, in a manner that safeguards its sovereignty, security, and stability, and protects its national interests," the ministry said.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said it began launching a third consecutive night of strikes against Iran at 4:45 p.m. ET Monday at President Donald Trump’s direction.

"These strikes will continue imposing a heavy cost on Iranian forces and degrade their ability to attack innocent civilians and commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz," CENTCOM wrote on X.

President Trump said the U.S. is prepared to hit Iran “very hard” tonight and tomorrow, saying the country’s Pickaxe Mountain site is a “possible target for a nice big fat shot.”

“Pickaxe is a possible target for a nice big fat shot right in the front door,” Trump said in an interview with Salem News Channel’s Hugh Hewitt.

"We're going to hit them very hard tonight and we're going to hit them hard tomorrow and there's not a damn thing they can do about it," Trump added. "They have nothing going other than they have big mouths... I got to know them, and they're stone cold crazy people."

The U.S.-designated terrorist Houthi movement that controls northern Yemen condemned Saudi Arabia for allegedly targeting the Sanna airport with airstrikes, sparking a possible new front with Iran’s terror-proxy.

While the Houthis agreed to a 2022 truce with the Saudi-led coalition that opposes its rule, the Houthis have frequently disrupted commercial shipping in the Red Sea since they joined Hamas following its invasion of Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

The latest flare up of military strikes could lead to a resumption of war between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Houthis.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree called the attacks "blatant aggression" and said they had ended a period of de-escalation.

He said Saudi Arabia would bear the consequences and that the attack would not go unanswered. The Houthis threatened to strike King Khalid Airport in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. Iran's Press TV reported on its X account that, "Iran condemns Saudi attack on Sana'a airport as breach of law, Yemen sovereignty."

The official slogan of the Houthi movement (Ansar Allah) is: "God is great, Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse upon the Jews, Victory to Islam."

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News Digital's Benjamin Weinthal.

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi appeared to mock President Donald Trump on Monday after Trump said the U.S. would begin charging a 20% fee on cargo moving through the Strait of Hormuz while reinstating a blockade on Iranian ports.

"POTUS is absolutely right," Araghchi wrote on X. "Whoever provides secure and safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz should be compensated for this service."

Araghchi claimed Iran has “always been the guardian” of the strait and “will remain so forever.”

“20% is of course too much,” he added. “We will be fair.”

Trump said earlier Monday that the U.S. would be known as “the guardian of the Hormuz Strait” and should receive “fair” compensation for securing the key waterway.

President Trump formally notified Congress that U.S. forces had resumed military action in Iran, according to a letter sent to congressional leaders Friday and reviewed by The New York Times on Monday.

Trump said American forces carried out “defensive strikes” inside Iran on July 7.

The letter comes as Congress and the White House remain at odds over whether Trump needs approval from lawmakers to continue military action.

British police said Monday they are treating the killing of former lawmaker Ann Widdecombe as a terrorism investigation after new evidence came to light.

A 28-year-old man who was arrested on suspicion of murder has been re-arrested on suspicion of terrorism-related offenses, The Associated Press reported, citing Counter Terrorism Policing South East.

Widdecombe, 78, was found dead last week at her home in southwest England after suffering serious injuries, according to the outlet.

Police previously said there was no indication the case was terror-related or politically motivated, but officials now say counterterrorism officers are leading the investigation as they work to determine a motive.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

U.S. Central Command said American forces will resume a naval blockade against Iran on Tuesday, July 14, at 4 p.m. ET, following direction from the commander in chief.

In a Monday post on X, CENTCOM said the blockade will apply to vessels traveling to or from Iranian ports and coastal areas. The command said regional maritime traffic will continue for ships that do not violate the blockade.

"The resumption of the U.S. blockade against Iran follows the initial implementation from April 13 to June 18," the command said in a statement. "CENTCOM forces redirected more than 140 compliant vessels, disabled nine non-compliant ships, and allowed over 50 commercial vessels supporting humanitarian aid to pass through the blockade during the two-month period."

Mariners operating near the Gulf of Oman and Strait of Hormuz are being urged to monitor notices and contact U.S. naval forces on bridge-to-bridge channel 16.

The British Committee for Iran Freedom (BCFIF) praised the U.K.’s decision to label Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a terrorist organization, calling it a “long-overdue” move.

BCFIF said the IRGC is responsible for terrorism abroad, cyberattacks and violent crackdowns on Iranians at home.

The group urged the U.K. to go further by shutting down IRGC-linked front companies, cutting off business that benefits the Iranian regime and expelling people accused of working for the group.

"It is time for our government to stand with the people of Iran in their endeavour for freedom and democracy and to recognise the right of the Iranian people and their Resistance to confront the IRGC and bring an end to the dictatorship, paving the way for a democratic republic," BCFIF said.

Britain is set to designate the IRGC as a terrorist group and impose sanctions on the powerful paramilitary force, according to The Washington Post.

Israel warned the U.S. about a fresh Iranian assassination plot targeting President Donald Trump last week, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Former NSC Chief of Staff Alex Gray joined Fox News to discuss the allegation on Friday. The plot reportedly centered around Trump's trip to a NATO summit in Turkey last week.

Foundation for Defense of Democracies Iran Program senior director Behnam Ben Taleblu joined Fox News on Monday to discuss the U.S.-Iran war and the state of the Iranian regime on "Life, Liberty & Levin."

Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., says Israeli settlers detained him and others in the West Bank, and alleges that IDF troops were complicit in the incident.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Michael Leiter joined Fox News to dispute Khanna's coordination, though Khanna countered that both Leiter and the IDF are lying.

President Donald Trump warned Iran that the Strait of Hormuz will remain open as the U.S. reinstated a naval blockade of Iranian ports on Monday.

Two years after a gunman opened fire on Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, the security failures that nearly cost him his life remain under scrutiny as later alleged plots and reported threats keep presidential protection in the spotlight.

Trump was rushed offstage by Secret Service agents after gunfire grazed his upper right ear during his July 13, 2024, rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The attack came months before Trump’s re-election and preceded a series of later alleged attempts and reported threats against his life.

Two years ago Monday, Trump was mid-sentence, pointing to a chart on illegal immigration under the Biden administration, when gunshots pierced the air at his Butler rally. Authorities identified the gunman as Thomas Matthew Crooks, who fired from the roof of a nearby building.

Secret Service agents tackled Trump to the ground. Moments later, as they rose to escort him to his motorcade, Trump emerged from the huddle. Trump raised his fist high in the air, and said "fight" three times, prompting the audience to erupt and chant "U-S-A!" as he exited.

A report from the Office of Inspector General, released earlier this month, found that the U.S. Secret Service "missed multiple opportunities" to prevent or disrupt the assassination attempt due to communication failures and other security lapses.

Trump’s security has remained under scrutiny since he returned to office, amid later alleged assassination attempts and reported threats against his life. 

The renewed threats come amid escalating tensions with Iran, after the U.S. resumed strikes following the collapse of a ceasefire agreement. Reports this week said Israeli intelligence warned U.S. officials about a new Iranian plot to assassinate Trump.

Trump warned Iran Friday that the United States would "decimate and destroy" the country if Tehran carried out an assassination attempt against him.

U.S. Secret Service has not directly commented on the reports.

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Ashley DiMella.

U.S. Central Command deployed sea drone weapons for the first time ever in an operation targeting an Iranian naval facility this weekend.

"Yesterday, using multiple one-way attack surface drones, CENTCOM forces successfully struck a submarine and ship maintenance facility in Iran. Three Corsair unmanned surface vessels hit the port at Bandar Abbas Naval Base, marking the first time American forces have employed sea," CENTCOM wrote on X.

This is an excerpt from an opinion article by Robert Maginnis, a retired U.S. Army infantry officer, senior fellow for National Security at the Family Research Council.

In 1974, I was a young U.S. Army lieutenant serving under then-Lt. Col. Colin Powell, who commanded my battalion, the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry, in South Korea. Years later, as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Powell became associated with a doctrine that warned America should not commit military force without a clear political objective, sufficient force, public support and a defined way out. Half a century on, that standard, more than any weapon system, is what has been missing from Washington's approach to Iran.

That reality is again being tested in the war with Iran. The ceasefire that ended the spring war was supposed to create space for diplomacy. Instead, American forces are again striking Iranian targets, Iran is again threatening commercial shipping and the Strait of Hormuz is again the world's most dangerous choke point.

A familiar, dangerous pattern

None of that means President Donald Trump was wrong to hit back. No American president can allow Iran to attack commercial vessels, threaten global energy flows or test U.S. resolve without consequence. CENTCOM’s public releases confirm the pattern: after Iranian forces struck commercial vessels in Hormuz, U.S. forces struck back at Iranian air defense systems, coastal radar and naval assets to degrade Tehran’s ability to threaten shipping.

But retaliation is not strategy. The United States is back where it was before the memorandum of understanding took effect: Iran tests Hormuz, America strikes back, Tehran absorbs the punishment and the nuclear question remains unresolved.

On July 10, the U.N.’s International Maritime Organization called on member states to reject Iran’s attempt to assert unilateral control over transit through the strait, condemning the move as a violation of international law. Iran insists its actions are about maritime safety, not conquest. Washington sees freedom of navigation. Tehran sees leverage. The world sees oil prices and the risk of a wider war.

The United Kingdom on Monday blamed an Iran-linked proxy group for a string of antisemitic arson attacks targeting British Jewish sites, prompting the government to ban Tehran's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and impose sweeping new powers to crack down on foreign-backed sabotage.

British officials said the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right (IMCR) publicly claimed responsibility for seven attacks this year targeting Jewish and Israeli-linked locations, as well as a Persian-language media outlet critical of Iran's government. According to the U.K. government, members of the IRGC's elite Qods Force were "almost certainly" directing the group's operations across Europe.

The attacks included fires at synagogues, Jewish charity ambulances and other Jewish community sites in London. No injuries were reported.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood accused both Tehran and Moscow of relying on criminal proxies to conduct hostile operations inside the United Kingdom.

"Iran and Russia are using proxies and thugs to do their dirty work on our shores," Mahmood said. "I have rapidly designated three groups so those working for them will be tracked down and put behind bars."

This is an excerpt from an article by Fox News' Stephen Sorace.

President Donald Trump says the U.S. will begin charging a fee for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz beginning "immediately" Monday.

Trump wrote on Truth Social that the the U.S. is serving as the "Guardian of the Hormuz Strait" and deserves "fair" compensation for playing the role. He also announced the return of the U.S. blockade on Iranian ports.

"The Hormuz Strait is OPEN, and will remain OPEN, with or without Iran. We are reinstating the THE IRANIAN BLOCKADE, so named because it is only stopping Iran’s ships or customers from entering or leaving. All other countries will have fair and open use of the Strait," Trump wrote.

"The U.S.A. will be, from this point forward, known as 'THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT,' but as such, and as a matter of FAIRNESS, will be reimbursed, at the rate of 20% on all cargo shipped, for any and all costs necessary to do the job of providing safety and security to this very volatile section of the World. The process and formation will begin immediately," he added.

Fox News' Mike Tobin reports the latest on strikes between the U.S. and Iran as tension over the Strait of Hormuz continues to escalate Monday.

Hudson Institute senior fellow Rebeccah Heinrichs also joined Fox News to give her analysis on the conflict after President Donald Trump declared the U.S. the "guardian of the strait."

The U.K. is poised to ban support for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, drastically raising domestic penalties for crimes committed in the group's name.

"The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the Islamic Movement of Companions of the Right (IMCR) and Russia’s GRU Volunteer Corps will become the first bodies designated under landmark new state threats powers. If approved by Parliament later this week, those conducting acts of sabotage including arson on behalf of these groups could face life imprisonment," the U.K.'s Embassy in Washington, D.C. announced Monday.

Police and intelligence agencies will now have stronger powers to counter state threats activity carried out by these designated groups. New offences for supporting and assisting these groups could result in a 14-year prison sentence, the Embassy said.

"We have already taken tough action against the Iranian regime and those linked to it, and against Russian operatives and networks targeting our country. These new powers will make it easier to prosecute and lock up anyone carrying out their dirty work here in Britain," said U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Fox News correspondent Lucas Tomlinson joined Fox News to report on the fleet of U.S. ships positioned in the waters near Iran late on Sunday.

President Donald Trump imposed new sanctions on Tehran this weekend after ending the ceasefire with Iran.

President Donald Trump suggested that the international community should pay the U.S. for being the "guardian" of the Strait of Hormuz on Monday.

Trump made the statement while calling in to "Fox & Friends" on Monday morning, saying the U.S. was already investing huge sums in protecting the strait.

"We're going to keep the strait, and we'll probably run it. ‌We'll become the guardian of the strait. Maybe we'll call it the guardian angel of the strait. And we should be reimbursed for that," Trump said.

"We're going to ​guard it. We're going to get paid for guarding it - a lot of money," he said. "We're going to be reimbursed, because the other nations are very wealthy. They're on our side, and we can't be expected to do that for nothing."

President Donald Trump says Iran is getting its "ass kicked" in the war against the U.S. on Monday.

Trump told "Fox & Friends" that Iran's navy, air force and missile capabilities have all been virtually annihilated, going on to list Iranian leaders who have been killed in the conflict.

The U.S. is continuing to carry out strikes against Iranian targets through Monday after Trump declares a ceasefire with Iran to be "over" this weekend.

"We're taking over the straight. They have nothing. They've got nothing. So, something that nobody knows. Yesterday they had an 11 hour meeting. Everything's 11 hours with these guys. You know, you can't settle in one sentence and one hour and one minute. It should be one minute. And everything was agreed to yesterday. And they leave the room and they call back and they say we had to make a couple of changes," Trump said.

"We're not going to make changes. Always changes. They just, you know, they're professional negotiators. That's all they are. I don't even call them good at it. They haven't gotten anything, they've got nothing from me. But if you look for 47 years they've been tapping people along, presidents. Every president got tapped along, didn't do anything, and they became more and more powerful," he added.

Iran's claimed authority over the Strait of Hormuz publicly declared the strait to be closed on Monday, blaming military actions by the U.S.

Iran's Persian Gulf Strait Authority announced the closure in a statement on X.

"Due to recent hostile actions by the US forces, passage through the Strait of Hormuz is currently unfeasible. As soon as stability and calm are restored, all applications will be reviewed in accordance with the scheduled timeline, and the permitting process will resume," the PGSA said in a statement.

"Remember that the sole means of obtaining a passage permit is via our website," the statement continued. "For the latest news and updates, follow our account on X. Thank you for your patience and cooperation."

President Donald Trump says the U.S. is "taking over" the Strait of Hormuz from Iran on Monday.

Trump made the statement while calling in to "Fox & Friends," going on to say that the U.S. should have dealt with the Iran threat "47 years ago."

"We're taking over the strait. They've got nothing," Trump said.

Trump says Iranian leaders held an 11-hour meeting in negotiations with the U.S. and "everything was agreed to," but then they began demanding changes.

"The Foreign Desk" editor-in-chief Lisa Daftari joined Fox News to discuss Iran's continued belligerence over the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, with the IRGC calling the U.S. a "child-killing" military.

Fox News contributor Kiron Skinner discussed the U.S. launching new strikes against Iran after the regime ignored President Donald Trump's deadline this weekend.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps flouted Trump's warnings and continued attacks on trade vessels in the Strait of Hormuz this weekend, leading to further attacks by the U.S.

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed the legacy of Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and the renewed U.S. strikes on Iran after President Donald Trump declared the ceasefire "over" on "Sunday Night in America."

Fox News contributor Dan Hoffman discussed recent U.S. military strikes on Iran, highlighting satellite imagery suggesting Iran is making efforts to rebuild its nuclear sites.

U.S. Central Command launched a fresh wave of attacks on Iranian targets this weekend, hitting air-defense systems, coastal radar sites and drone capabilities in addition to nuclear sites.

The U.S. conducted a new wave of offensive strikes against Iran on Sunday, according to Central Command.

The strikes hit dozens of targets at multiple locations with "precision munitions to degrade Iran’s ability to continue attacking international shipping flowing through the Strait of Hormuz," CENTCOM said on X.

"CENTCOM forces struck Iranian military air-defense systems, coastal radar sites, missile and drone capabilities, and small boats using U.S. fighter aircraft, naval vessels, one-way attack aerial drones, and one-way attack sea drones for the first time," CENTCOM said.

The military added that the Strait of Hormuz is a "vital maritime corridor for global trade" and that Iran does not control it.

"U.S. forces are postured and prepared to ensure that freedom of navigation remains available to commercial shipping despite Iran’s continued unwarranted aggression, harassment, threats, and arbitrary declarations," CENTCOM said.

Fox News' Landon Mion contributed to this report.