President Donald Trump has threatened further military action against Iran following a direct exchange of missile strikes between US and Iranian forces, warning that Iran would be hit "very hard" if it continued its attacks.
The US military announced that it had struck Iranian targets in what it described as a "powerful response" to Iranian strikes on US forces. The military said its action came a day after Iran fired first.
US and Iranian forces each launched barrages of missiles on Thursday. Trump's public threats, delivered as the military action was still unfolding, underscored his administration's intent to frame any further Iranian move as grounds for a harder response.
The immediate trigger, according to the US military, was an Iranian strike on American forces. The scale of the exchanges and any casualty figures have not been confirmed.
Coverage of the escalation was first published on 30 July 2026 and updated the following day.
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