Donald Trump has warned that Iran must not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon, as the six-month conflict between the United States and Iran flared into renewed military action.
Speaking in a Fox News interview broadcast on Sunday night, the US president said: “Iran is a number one leading state sponsor of terror. You’ve heard that many times, in the whole world. They cannot have a nuclear weapon.”
Trump’s remarks came after US forces struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz. US Central Command said the launchers were being prepared for use in deploying sea mines into the strategically important shipping route.
The American military described the operation as a “limited, precise action” against what it called an imminent threat to commercial shipping. It was the first confirmed US strike on Iran in about a month, following a period of relative calm.
Iran later launched ballistic missiles towards US military sites in Jordan, according to American officials. Jordan’s armed forces said eight missiles that entered the country’s airspace were intercepted, with no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps condemned the US operation and warned that it would be punished. Iranian officials described the strike as a serious mistake carried out alongside Washington’s renewed economic pressure on Tehran.
Trump also shared an AI-generated video depicting an attack on Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil-export hub, renewing his threats against infrastructure linked to the country’s energy industry.
The latest exchanges have raised fears that the conflict could again widen, even as the Trump administration has said it wants to rely increasingly on sanctions and financial pressure rather than sustained military operations.
