The U.S. carried out new strikes on Iranian targets Tuesday, with President Trump saying the operation was launched in retaliation for Iran's attempt to mine the Strait of Hormuz and its targeting of American servicemembers in the Middle East.
Fighting has picked back up this week as the U.S. and Iran battle over control over the strategic waterway. On Sunday, Iran fired missiles at U.S. bases after the U.S. struck Iranian launchers that it said were preparing to fire rockets filled with sea mines into the strait.
In a post on social media, President Trump threatened more powerful strikes if Tehran responded.
"If the failed Nation of Iran retaliates for this very justified attack, they will be hit again at a much harder and higher level, but it will not be the biggest attack of them all, that is waiting in the wings and, when it is over, there will be very little left of the Islamic Republic of Iran!" he said.
Last week, Centcom commander Adm. Brad Cooper said in a video address that the U.S. had cleared sea mines from the main traffic channels that lie at the center of the strait, known as the Traffic Separation Scheme, marking a major milestone in the conflict. "International shipping lanes are open, and momentum is building," he said.
Days after that announcement, Iran was preparing to fire rockets filled with sea mines into the strait when the U.S. carried out a preemptive strike on Larak Island to prevent the attack, Centcom said. Iran retaliated by firing missiles at U.S. bases.
The clearing of mines in those main channels has frustrated the Iranians, who have sought to choke off oil shipments from the Persian Gulf, according to retired Navy Vice Adm. Kevin Donegan, who commanded U.S. naval forces in the Middle East.
"The world knows that the U.S. can clear the strait," Donegan said. "That's important, and it doesn't mean that all of a sudden you're going to see goods flowing through there, but it sends a signal that once we get through whatever this is with the Iranians, that straight can be used again."
Iran has so far refused to back down. In addition to attempting to lay mines, Iran has continued to fire on ships that are coordinating with the U.S. military to quietly enter and exit the Persian Gulf, according to U.S. officials. Several ships have been struck by projectiles in recent days, according to the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations.
Though the fresh strikes could ultimately help the U.S. maintain economic pressure on Iran and prevent the regime from controlling the waterway, the skirmishes are threatening to bog the U.S. military down in a protracted conflict, even as Trump administration officials say that the U.S. has a firm grip on the strait.
More than 50,000 American servicemembers have remained in the Middle East to execute a blockade of Iranian ports and help guide commercial vessels through the strait, according to Central Command, which oversees U.S. forces in the Middle East.
"We have the Strait of Hormuz in extremely good shape," Trump said at the White House on Monday. "A lot of oil is coming out."
The powerful U.S. response this week comes after weeks of Iranian attacks on shipping that have tested the military's restraint. Throughout most of August, the U.S. had largely refrained from retaliating against Iran's attacks as U.S. officials debated the effectiveness of tit-for-tat strikes that drained precious interceptors.
The sporadic fighting has further strained the Pentagon's munitions stockpiles and prompted concerns that the Iran war is hampering the U.S.'s ability to deter China and Russia.
The price of Brent crude oil was up 4.40% on Tuesday, at $94.47 a barrel.
