Trump vows response to Iran’s retaliatory strikes: ‘We’re going to hit them hard’

President Trump vowed to respond to Iran’s retaliatory strikes on Monday after the two countries exchanged strikes late Sunday.

“We’re going to hit them hard. There will be a response,” Trump told Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst.

The president’s remarks to Fox News come after he lashed out at Iran in a TruthSocial post, calling it a “failed nation.”

“They have no Navy, they have no Air Force, they have no currency, they are not paying their soldiers or police, Inflation is at 300%, and their leadership is in total disarray and incapable of properly representing the country,” Trump wrote on Monday. “The only thing they have is FAKE NEWS from the USA, a willingness to kill their protesters (now over 100,000 people dead. They must be tried for war crimes against humanity!), and a good line of ‘BULL—-.’”

The U.S. launched its first attack on Iran in over a month on Sunday, striking two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island.

A Central Command spokesman said the attack came after U.S. forces said they observed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces “preparing to launch rockets with sea mines” into the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran retaliated early on Monday, targeting U.S. military assets at bases in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Jordan.

“Aggression and crimes will not solve the enemy’s desperation in attempting to weaken the Islamic Republic’s control over the Strait of Hormuz, and every attack will be met with even more devastating responses,” the IRGC said in a statement to the Iranian state-run Fars News Agency.

The exchange in strikes between the countries led to a spike in oil prices on Monday.

September futures for Brent crude, the international benchmark, rose 3.4 percent to trade at $91.09 per barrel early Monday morning, after seeing a sharp fall last week. West Texas Intermediate futures also rose 3.4 percent, with trading at $86.22 per barrel.