Former President Donald Trump has issued a stark warning to Iran, promising a severe military response in the wake of a missile attack on U.S. forces stationed in the Middle East. In an interview with Fox News on July 29, Trump stated, "We will hit them hard, and they will suffer a painful blow." This statement comes after the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) reported that Iran launched a "surprise ballistic missile strike" targeting American troops on July 28.

According to Trump, U.S. forces at a base in Jordan had only minutes to react to the incoming missiles, successfully intercepting them before they could reach their targets. He described watching video footage of American soldiers calling out target coordinates in real-time during the interception process.

Tehran has confirmed that it fired missiles at U.S. military facilities in Jordan, while the Jordanian military reported that they intercepted five Iranian missiles with U.S. assistance. Trump's comments also followed a coordinated airstrike by the U.S. and Saudi Arabia against Iranian-backed militia forces in Iraq on the same day, which he characterized as a necessary action against what he referred to as a "tumor of the world."

In the interview, Trump mentioned that Washington is considering issuing additional warnings to Iranian-backed proxy forces in the region. This airstrike in Iraq was prompted by accusations from Riyadh that these militias had attacked Saudi oil facilities. Prior to this, Saudi Arabia claimed to have intercepted drones believed to have been launched by these militia groups.

The U.S. military indicated that the airstrikes targeted logistical sites and weapon depots of an Iranian-affiliated group. Meanwhile, the Iraqi President's office condemned the airstrikes, calling them "unacceptable" and a blatant violation of Iraq's sovereignty, asserting that Baghdad opposes the use of its territory for attacks on neighboring countries.

The renewed hostilities in the region come just days after the U.S. and Iran had announced a cessation of mutual strikes. Trump stated that the U.S. had paused airstrikes at Iran's request, a claim that Tehran has denied, asserting that it did not initiate any negotiations with Washington.