President Donald Trump said the US would hit Iran hard after a recent attack that targeted a military base in Jordan, as the war in the Middle East flared up once again following a recent pause in hostilities.
“We’ll be hitting them hard,” Trump said in a phone interview, Fox News reported Wednesday, adding that “they’re going to get a beating.”
The US and Iran had paused tit-for-tat strikes at the end of last week to allow time for a diplomatic conclusion to the five-month war, leading to a significant drop in energy prices. That hiatus now looks over, and Brent crude oil surged about 7% on Wednesday to over $90 a barrel.
Trump”s comments sent oil surging to session highs. A days-long halt to strikes ended Tuesday night after US forces said they were targeted by Iran, while Tehran’s state-run IRIB News said Wednesday the US struck a location in Iran’s West Azerbaijan province.
The US and Saudi Arabia also struck militants backed by Tehran in Iraq, after Riyadh said it intercepted drones launched by Iraqi groups that were targeting its oil facilities. Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces, an umbrella organization for Shia militias in the country, said the US-Saudi strikes killed 20 people.
