The United States military confirmed it had launched strikes against Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, on Tuesday, the first in a stretch of several weeks after fighting seemed to slow in the region.
U.S. Central Command announced the new action online, saying U.S. forces began striking around noon EDT against IRGC targets.
“The strikes follow recent attempted attacks by the IRGC against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and against American service members deployed to the region,” CENTCOM said.
President Donald Trump confirmed the strikes with a post online, saying U.S. forces “as we speak” are striking Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz.
“The strikes are large and powerful, and in retaliation for the Iranians’ failed attempt at adding sea mines to the Strait, which currently has no mines (They have been completely removed or detonated!),” Trump wrote.
Trump said that if Iran retaliates against the U.S. strikes, which he said were “very justified,” then the U.S. will hit back “at a much harder and higher level.”
“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 wrote.
It’s a change in tune for Trump and top administration officials, who recently focused on increasing economic sanctions on Iran in order to squeeze them into reducing their presence in the Strait of Hormuz and wind down the war.
Trump said on Monday during an Oval Office event that more strikes might be necessary. It came just after the U.S. military said it struck Iranian rocket launchers, after which Iran launched missiles at U.S. sites.
Late last month, Trump threatened Iran with an “economic D-Day” and asked allies for help.
The announcement was to inform the public that the U.S. would be implementing a “crushing” economic operation against Iran. He called on other countries with financial ties to Iran to also cut the country off so they’re not providing Iran with any sort of “lifeline.”
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said online in response to Trump’s D-Day announcement that the president was threatening the global economy and said Trump was trying to create a diversion from his own “unprecedented debt and surging interest costs” in the United States.
The news Tuesday follows the departure of a top military leader. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll on Monday left his position, stepping down after 18 months on the job.