Trump Weighs Fresh Strikes Against Iran Amid Strait of Hormuz Tensions

POLICY WIRE — Washington, DC — President Donald Trump is contemplating a series of new military strikes against Iran, as concerns grow over Tehran’s restored military capabilities. This comes after both nations exchanged direct fire for the first time in a month.

According to three US officials who spoke to Axios, Trump is evaluating the option of conducting limited strikes in the Strait of Hormuz. The aim would be to prevent Iran from rebuilding its radar and missile systems, which have been used to target ships.

One official described the proposed action as mowing the lawn to minimize the threat of Iranian assaults on maritime traffic in the critical waterway. This follows a recent missile attack on an American F-35 fighter jet that was providing aerial cover for ships.

Trump has publicly threatened to strike Iran following an attack on two US air bases in Jordan. This retaliation came after a US assault on Iran’s Larak Island, near Bandar Abbas, where Washington claimed to have targeted Iranian launchers preparing to deploy sea mines in the strait.

“We’re going to hit them hard,” Trump declared on Fox News. “There will be a response.” Despite characterizing the recent exchanges with Iran as not indicative of a full-scale war, he referred to Iran as a “failed nation” with a weakened military, yet insisted, That doesn’t mean we won’t smack them.

A US official confirmed that American forces attacked two Iranian launchers on Larak Island after detecting preparations for a rocket launch with sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported that three individuals were killed in the US strike, with two identified as members of the Revolutionary Guards Navy.

This escalation occurred shortly after Secretary of State Marco Rubio informed allies that the US was shifting from military strikes to economic pressure on Iran through sanctions. The US has been attempting to gain leverage and disrupt Tehran’s control over shipping through Hormuz since an interim agreement to cease hostilities fell apart in June.

The ongoing conflict, now in its seventh month, has cost the US military billions without achieving its objectives, while rising energy prices due to Iran’s closure of the strait have displeased voters.

In a message to his supporters, President Trump shared a misleading AI-generated video on his Truth Social platform, falsely claiming that Kharg Island, Iran’s main petroleum export hub, was under attack. The Pentagon denied any such strike, and the head of the national Iranian oil company dismissed the video as laughable, confirming that Kharg’s terminals remained fully operational.

As pressure increases on the Trump administration to conclude the war, the president has used social media to assert that Iran is suffering severely due to the conflict. He highlighted Iran’s economic struggles, including hyperinflation and disarray within its leadership.

Trump’s press secretary acknowledged last week that no negotiations are currently underway to end the war, despite Washington’s intensified efforts to pressure Tehran with new economic sanctions. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that Iran is “lashing out” as sanctions impact its economy, with plans to introduce new secondary sanctions weekly, initially targeting banks.

Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)