WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the US military will hit Iran “hard” after a missile attack against US bases in Jordan, Fox News reported.
“We’ll be hitting them hard. They’re going to get a beating,” Fox’s correspondent quoted Trump as saying, adding that the US president used swear words to emphasise his point: “We are going to beat the ‘effing s’ out of them.”
The sudden flare-up in the now five-month US war against Iran came after earlier insistence by Trump that he wanted to seek a negotiated solution.
Iran said that it had fired missiles at US military facilities in Jordan, while Jordan’s army said it had intercepted five Iranian missiles.
The Jordanian Armed Forces said that its air defences “dealt with five missiles coming from Iran that targeted the kingdom’s territory”.
The military said the missiles were intercepted and shot down.
Earlier, the US military said it intercepted multiple ballistic missiles launched by Iran towards US forces in the Middle East, adding American forces remained “vigilant”.
The statement by the US Central Command did not mention the exact location it said Iran attempted to target.
At 5:45 p.m. ET today, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces launched multiple ballistic missiles from Iran in an attempted surprise attack on U.S. forces based in the Middle East. All Iranian missiles were successfully intercepted. U.S. forces remain vigilant and at a high…
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 28, 2026
Oil prices jump 5% on Middle East strikes
Global oil prices jumped five percent, rebounding in volatile trading after fresh strikes in the Middle East reignited fears of crude supply disruptions, AFP reported.
International benchmark Brent North Sea crude has gained 5.3 percent to $88.57 a barrel, while the main US oil contract WTI has advanced 5 percent to $83.25 a barrel.
US-Iran talks
On Tuesday, speaking in an interview with Fox News, Trump said the US had held “good talks” with Iran but accused Tehran of publicly denying the negotiations even while discussions were underway.
“For some reason we can be in the midst of a beautiful discussion, and they’ll come out and say we’re not talking or we didn’t discuss nuclear. Well, that’s all we discussed because they’ll never have a nuclear weapon. They understand that,” Trump said.
🚨 UPDATE: President Trump says he’ll be in the middle of productive talks with Iran, then they go PUBLIC and pretend it NEVER HAPPENED
“For some reason we can be in the midst of a beautiful discussion and they’ll come out and say we’re not talking or we didn’t discuss nuclear!… pic.twitter.com/KEzJQqlRFB
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) July 28, 2026
Trump warned that the United States would resume military strikes against Iran if the negotiations failed to produce an agreement, saying Washington remained prepared to use force to prevent Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
The US president also reiterated his threat to target Iran’s heavily fortified Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site, along with other strategic infrastructure, if diplomacy failed. He said the United States was closely monitoring developments through its advanced surveillance capabilities.
Also Read: Trump Confirms ‘Good Talks’ with Iran as Mediators Push for De-Escalation
Responding to suggestions that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had warned him about Iran strengthening facilities at Pickaxe Mountain, Trump said he did not rely on Israeli assessments alone.
“I don’t need Bibi to tell me that. Bibi is telling me that because he wants me to stay involved. Because of the Space Force, we have the greatest cameras in the world focused on it. We know exactly what’s going on. I know exactly what’s going on at Pickaxe. It’s not a big problem,” Trump said.
Trump expects breakthrough in US-Iran talks
Trump said on Monday that Washington and Tehran were “talking right now” and expressed optimism that a diplomatic breakthrough remained possible, saying there was “a chance we could make a deal”.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said Iranian negotiators had urged the US not to launch military action while negotiations continued under the Islamabad MoU framework to permanently end the conflict.
The Islamabad MoU, brokered by Pakistan, was signed in June to end hostilities between the two countries and pave the way for a lasting peace agreement to permanently end the conflict.
The Islamabad MoU was signed on June 18 by President Trump, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, following Islamabad brokered a ceasefire between Washington and Tehran.
Under the Islamabad MoU, the US and Iran committed to halt military operations, reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping, and negotiate a comprehensive agreement covering Iran’s nuclear programme, US sanctions, and a permanent ceasefire within 60 days.
“Their people said, ‘Please don’t shoot’… ‘Don’t do it, we’re having good talks’,” he said.
Trump added that Iran’s military had been “pretty much destroyed” and claimed Tehran wanted to return to negotiations.
“We’re meeting, and we’ll see what happens. There’s a chance we could make a deal, but without what we did, they wouldn’t even be talking to us,” the US President said.
He also claimed Iran had requested a meeting with Washington through both intermediaries and direct contacts.
Asked if he is running out of patience with Iran, he replies, “I have plenty of time.”
Pause in US, Iran strikes
The US and Iran refrained from launching new strikes on Tuesday for the fourth consecutive day after two weeks of escalation.
Iran said it had suspended retaliatory attacks against US allies in the Middle East, while US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said President Trump was “giving talks some space”.
The pause follows weeks of escalating hostilities that spread beyond the two countries to key maritime routes and Gulf countries.
According to Iranian army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia, Tehran halted retaliatory operations after suspending attacks against Washington’s regional partners.
The US also refrained from conducting air strikes for a third consecutive night. Before Friday, US forces had carried out strikes on Iran for 13 straight nights, marking the most intense escalation since an April ceasefire.
The US and Iran have submitted their responses to a joint proposal by mediators Pakistan and Qatar to resume peace talks under the Islamabad MoU framework, Al Arabiya reported on Sunday, citing sources.
Meanwhile, sources cited by Anadolu Agency said that the US and Iran had communicated their willingness to pursue dialogue and diplomacy to end the renewed hostilities and return to negotiations.
The reported diplomatic progress came after US President Donald Trump ordered a pause in military strikes against Iran following nearly two weeks of consecutive attacks, while Tehran also announced it had suspended attacks after no new US strikes occurred for two nights.
Pakistan, Qatar intensify mediation
Sources cited by Anadolu said that Pakistan and Qatar had intensified exchanges of messages between Washington and Tehran after receiving their responses to the joint de-escalation proposal.
Earlier this week, Pakistan and Qatar proposed that both countries return to their pre-July 9 positions as an initial step towards reviving stalled negotiations aimed at permanently ending the conflict, Anadolu reported, citing official sources.
Although the sources did not disclose details of the responses, they said both sides had expressed support for dialogue and diplomacy to resolve the conflict.
The current pause in military operations had strengthened hopes that negotiations could resume after being derailed by fighting around the Strait of Hormuz and subsequent regional escalation, sources cited by Anadolu said.
A source, cited by Al Arabiya, said that Iran had not withdrawn from negotiations but had merely suspended them while remaining prepared to continue dialogue in accordance with the US-Iran Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding.
Pakistan urges de-escalation and return to talks
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to promoting peace and stability in the Middle East.
He assured Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni that Islamabad would continue to play the role of an “honest and sincere mediator and facilitator” to de-escalate regional tensions and encourage dialogue.
Expressing deep concern over the recent escalation in the Gulf region, the prime minister urged all sides to exercise restraint and avoid actions that could further destabilise the region.
He reiterated Pakistan’s unwavering commitment to regional peace and stability, stressing that Islamabad would continue supporting dialogue and diplomatic engagement.
Islamabad MoU framework
Washington and Tehran have been testing the limits of escalation since Trump announced last week that the ceasefire agreement with Iran is over.
The US military’s Central Command said it concluded its latest round of attacks by hitting surveillance sites, military logistics infrastructure, underground weapons storage and maritime capabilities.
Under the Islamabad MoU, the US and Iran committed to halt military operations, reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping and negotiate a comprehensive agreement covering Iran’s nuclear programme, US sanctions and a permanent ceasefire within 60 days.
Pakistan and Qatar subsequently co-mediated the first round of high-level negotiations in Lucerne, Switzerland, on June 21.
The talks were attended by US Vice President JD Vance and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
Pakistan is the principal mediator between the US and Iran after it secured a ceasefire on April 08 and hosted the highest level of talks between the two nations on April 12 and 13 in Islamabad.
Pakistan, which brokered the ceasefire and has continued to mediate between Washington and Tehran, has urged all parties to honour the agreement.
The first round of Pakistan and Qatar mediated US-Iran talks, led by US Vice President JD Vance and Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf, was held in Switzerland a week ago, and Washington waived sanctions on Tehran.
After the talks, Pakistan and Qatar announced significant progress in diplomatic efforts between the US and Iran following the conclusion of the first round of high-level talks in Switzerland.
