Trump launches US airstrikes on Iran after vowing to hit regime 'very hard'

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War Secretary Pete Hegseth met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday amid rising tensions across the Middle East.

"Earlier today I had the pleasure of meeting with Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu," Hegseth said in a post on X.

"Members of my team, including @USWPColby and @SeanParnellASW, joined me to reaffirm the strength of our defense partnership and commitment to advancing our shared security interests," he added.

President Donald Trump had met with Netanyahu a day earlier.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on Wednesday sanctioned two Iranian companies that it said operate coercive maritime "insurance" schemes in the Strait of Hormuz, accusing them of extorting commercial vessels and using the proceeds to fund the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The Treasury Department also sanctioned eight companies that operate a "shadow fleet" of vessels used to transport Iranian oil as Washington seeks to weaken Tehran's control over the strategic waterway.

In a statement, the Treasury Department said: "Through the Persian Gulf Marine Insurance Company and HormuzSafe Marine Services Authority, the regime brokers IRGC-approved policies designed to extract revenue under the guise of maritime services, including payments in digital assets to evade sanctions, allowing Iran to tighten control over shipping activity and funnel funds into IRGC operations."

"With its economy in freefall and inflation in the triple digits, the regime is desperate for cash," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.

"The United States will not allow Iran to hold global commerce hostage or use international shipping to finance the IRGC's terrorism, aggression, and repression."

Video shows water cannons dousing a vessel at Egypt's Mediterranean port of Damietta on Wednesday after a drone struck the U.S.-owned liquefied natural gas (LNG) floating storage facility, igniting a fire.

Maritime security firm Ambrey said in an initial assessment that the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker was struck by at least one unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

Ambrey identified the vessel as the Energos Winter. Egypt's Petroleum Ministry confirmed that a fire had broken out but did not identify the cause or mention a drone strike.

The ministry said the blaze was quickly brought under control and that there were no casualties.

Port services firm Inchcape also said that two gas tankers caught fire at Damietta following the incident, Reuters reported.

Speaking at the White House, President Donald Trump said he had been briefed on the incident.

Tehran is facing mounting pressure following joint U.S.-Saudi military strikes against Iran-backed militias, Vice Adm. Robert Harward, the former deputy commander of U.S. Central Command, said Wednesday.

"You're seeing the pressure build on Iran on all fronts," Harward, a member of the Iran Policy Project at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, said on Fox News' "The Story."

"Not only was Saudi participating in this attack, but you're also seeing up in Lebanon.

"You see the Lebanese government making an agreement with Israel to undermine and try to get rid of Hezbollah.

"You're seeing the British willing to contribute ships to the blockade.

"You're seeing other countries willing to go after the Houthis. So the pressure is building tremendously in Iran, and you're starting to see some breaking points there in the executions in Isfahan yesterday.

"The people came out to protest, and they had to shoot them down to prevent them from overwhelming the execution team, so the pressure in Iran is building, and we could see a tipping point come here in the not too distant future," he added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday appealed for U.S.-made Patriot air defense missiles, warning that Russia could be preparing for a major overnight attack.

His appeal came as the war in Ukraine became intertwined with the Iran war, with Kyiv targeting an Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea and accusing Moscow of sharing intelligence with Tehran.

"I received a report from Air Force Commander Anatolii Kryvonozhko," Zelenskyy said in a post shared on X, adding that Russia had prepared a "massive attack several days ago" and that there is a "high probability that the strike will be carried out tonight."

"It is important that our partners fully understand what is happening and that the protection of lives directly depends on their readiness, or lack thereof, to help us with air defense missiles," he said.

"First and foremost, this concerns the United States and those partners that have Patriot missiles and can provide them to support our defense," Zelenskyy said.

"Every partner knows what is needed and fully understands the consequences of marking time," he added before urging Ukrainians to pay close attention to air raid alerts and stay safe.

Zelenskyy's comments also followed his July 28 meeting with President Donald Trump, after he announced at the NATO summit in Turkey that the U.S. would license Ukraine to manufacture Patriot air defense systems, according to The Associated Press.

Saudi Arabia is working to form an international coalition to protect shipping in the Red Sea from Houthi attacks, sources told Reuters on Wednesday.

The coalition's final makeup has not yet been determined and remains under discussion with dozens of countries, the outlet reported.

This came after the Houthis imposed a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia, claiming it was a response to what they described as a Saudi "siege" of Yemen, an allegation Riyadh has denied.

The Houthis have since claimed responsibility for attacks on Saudi-linked vessels while Saudi Arabia has responded with airstrikes targeting what it says are Houthi military facilities at Yemen's Hodeidah port. 

Some U.S. troops deployed to the Middle East may soon be ordered to surrender their cellphones as military leaders warn that Iran is using photos and videos posted online to assess where its strikes landed and potentially improve follow-up attacks, Reuters first reported Wednesday.

Some service members stationed in Jordan have been told their phones will be confiscated in the coming days, two sources familiar with the matter told the outlet.

A third source said cellphone restrictions were being considered more broadly across the region because of operational security concerns but did not describe the move as certain.

Any crackdown would force U.S. military commanders to balance operational security against troops’ reliance on cellphones to communicate with their families during wartime.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) — the military command which leads U.S. military operations in the Middle East — confirmed to Fox News Digital that commander Adm. Brad Cooper sent the internal message described in the report but declined to release it publicly.

"The message is a general reminder to our service members on the importance of maintaining operational security," CENTCOM spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins said.

"This is one of many opportunities Admiral Cooper has used to convey operational priorities."

A defense official declined to tell Fox News Digital whether personnel had been ordered to surrender their phones or whether wider restrictions were under consideration, saying CENTCOM does not discuss force-protection tactics and techniques for operational security reasons.

This is an excerpt from a report by Fox News Digital's Morgan Phillips.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said Wednesday it had redirected 20 ships and disabled two others in the Strait of Hormuz as it continues to enforce its blockade of Iranian ports.

“CENTCOM forces continue to strictly enforce the U.S. blockade against Iran,” the command said in a post shared on X.

As of July 29, CENTCOM also said it had redirected 20 commercial vessels, disabled two and boarded two. 

President Donald Trump on Wednesday said reports that China is sending 400 rocket launchers to Iran via Pakistan would be "surprising," adding that President Xi Jinping had assured him Beijing would not become involved.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump was asked about the reports by Fox News' Jacqui Heinrich.

“I mean, things like that happen, but that would be surprising,” he replied.

Trump clarified that Xi had previously assured him China would not take part. “And he told me very strongly he wouldn't partake.”

“And he knows I'd be quite disappointed,” Trump added.

The president made the remarks before referencing Xi's planned Sept. 24 visit.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday vowed a forceful response to Iran after an attempted ballistic missile attack targeting U.S. military facilities in Jordan.

"We're going to, we're going to hit them very hard. I mean, I can actually say that because in that there's very little they can do about it," he said.

"It was a different group than we're dealing with. They've already apologized, but, you know, we got to smack them a little bit."

"Will I always hit back? Pretty much yes," he added. "It was another smaller event."

"They send five 8,000-mile-per-hour missiles at us, and fortunately, we had our people operating the greatest equipment in the world, namely the Patriot system."

"Think of it. Five missiles going 8,600 miles an hour, big ones coming right at us, and all five were shut down."

"Nobody else could do that but us," Trump said.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday he had been briefed on a reported drone attack off Egypt's coast, warning the U.S. would respond forcefully if Iran continues to escalate tensions.

His comments came after reports that a U.S.-owned liquefied natural gas tanker was targeted by a drone.

"I've been briefed," Trump said.

The drone hit a U.S.-owned gas storage tanker at the port of Damietta, British maritime security firm Ambrey said on Wednesday, in an initial assessment.

Trump made the remarks in the Oval Office during a briefing on plans to renovate Washington Dulles International Airport.

"It's a little more of the same, but it's going to be straightening out," Trump told reporters on the war with Iran.

"In the meantime, we're going to be hitting them very hard because it's our turn to hit them," the president said of the situation with Tehran.

"They know it's coming. They're asking us not to do it.

"But, you know, they tried shooting it last night, so we had five rockets shot going 8,500 miles an hour, and all five rockets were knocked down to the ground, but they nevertheless took a shot.

"So it's our turn, and we'll see if we get there with an agreement at some point. But we're going to hit them very hard."

A Chinese-flagged ship sailed through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait without interference after Houthi rebels declared a blockade targeting Saudi-linked shipping, according to maritime intelligence firm Windward.

The transit came as Reuters reported that China has held direct talks with the militant group to make sure its own tankers can safely pass through the Red Sea waterway.

"As the Houthis targeted Saudi-linked vessels, a Chinese-flagged bulk carrier transited the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to Jeddah openly and untouched," Windward said in a post on X.

"No dark activity. No GPS manipulation. No deviation," the firm added.

Instead, the vessel's AIS destination field repeatedly broadcast messages identifying its apparent Chinese affiliation, the firm said.

The pattern, Windward said, suggests "selective enforcement."

"Saudi-linked vessels are being targeted, while Chinese-flagged ships calling at the same ports appear to benefit from protection," Windward said.

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis are weighing whether to charge fees on ships passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, potentially adding another layer of disruption to one of the world's busiest maritime trade routes, according to reports.

Citing regional sources and Reuters said the potential move comes more than a week after the group imposed a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia on July 20 and expanded its attacks on tankers transiting the area.

On July 25, the Houthis also said they launched missiles and drones at Saudi oil facilities in the Red Sea port cities of Jizan and Yanbu, the outlet said. 

The whereabouts and influence of Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, were among the topics discussed during President Donald Trump's meeting July 28 with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to reports.

Citing an Israeli official, Axios reported that Mojtaba Khamenei takes a very negative line "about everything," but the official said it remains unclear whether he ultimately is making key decisions.

"He is alive, but nobody can testify that they've actually seen him," the official told the outlet.

"He told his people not to do anything without getting his approval, and even once allegedly got angry when they didn't," the official said.

The meeting marked Trump's first face-to-face talks with Netanyahu since the war began on Feb. 28, when an Israeli- and U.S.-led military strike killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at his Tehran compound. 

The U.S. should use military force to reopen the Strait of Hormuz if negotiations with Iran fail, according to retired four-star Gen. Jack Keane.

“We’ve got to open the Strait of Hormuz,” Keane told Wednesday's “Varney & Co.”

“If we’re not going to be able to do it through negotiation, we’ve got to do it by force.”

Keane pointed to Iran’s ballistic missile attack on a U.S. base, attacks on Gulf shipping and repeated strikes by Tehran-backed militias as evidence that diplomacy is unlikely to produce an acceptable deal.

He called for a comprehensive campaign rather than a limited retaliatory strike, including isolating Iran by closing its roads, railways, airports and ports.

“We have got to conduct all-out attacks on the IRGC, their leadership,” Keane said, also urging strikes on Iran’s ballistic missile and drone capabilities.

Egypt's petroleum ministry said in a statement a fire broke out on a gasification vessel and a storage vessel at Damietta port and was dealt with immediately under approved emergency response plans by firefighting and security teams.

Petroleum Minister Karim Badawi went to the site to oversee response efforts, it said. The fire caused no injuries or fatalities and emergency and technical teams were continuing to work on the response and assess the impact of the incident, the statement added.

A drone hit a U.S.-owned gas storage tanker at Egypt's Mediterranean port of Damietta, British maritime security firm Ambrey said Wednesday, citing an initial assessment of the incident.

The Egyptian petroleum ministry statement confirmed a fire at the port but made no mention of a drone attack.

Port services firm Inchcape said in a separate message two gas tankers had caught fire at Damietta.

The drone hit floating storage tanker Energos Winter, causing a fire that then spread to another vessel, Gaslog Salem, three trading sources familiar with the incident said.

Two separate security sources said the likely cause of the blast was assessed as a drone strike, in what could signal a further spread of conflict across the Middle East.There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the incident.

The Energos Winter is a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) with storage capacity of 138,250 cubic meters. It is owned by U.S.-based firm Energos Infrastructure. Its technical, safety and commercial operations are managed by Wilhelmsen Ship Management, also a U.S. company.

Energy supplies are strained due to the Strait of Hormuz blockade and attacks in other Middle East regions.

Reuters contributed to this report.