Donald Trump has threatened Tehran with “the biggest attack of them all” after the US launched fresh strikes in Iran on Tuesday.
Several explosions have been heard along the Strait of Hormuz, which come in retaliation for Iranian attacks on shipping and American service members in the Middle East, the US military said.
President Trump is now warning Iran not to hit back at its “large and powerful” strikes, warning that “they will be hit again 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 added.
But in response to the strikes, IRGC spokesperson Sardar Mohebi said: “Severe punishment awaits the aggressors, and America will regret its new attacks.”
The US fired rocket launchers on Larak Island on Sunday in the first clash in more than a month, causing Iran to retaliate by launching ballistic missiles at American bases in Jordan.
On Monday, President Trump said more strikes might be necessary, telling reporters: “We’ll see what happens.”
Hormuz will soon be a 'worthless piece of water', says Bessent
The Strait of Hormuz will soon be a “worthless piece of water” as it is bypassed by other oil pipelines, the US Treasury Secretary has claimed as he threatened imminent new sanctions on Iran.
Speaking at a meeting of G20 ministers in the US on Tuesday, Scott Bessent said the crucial waterway would be “bypassed in two years” after it was shut by Iran in response to US-Israeli strikes in February.
The closure of Hormuz has caused chaos in global energy markets, sending oil prices soaring and contributing to rising inflation.
“In two years, the Strait of Hormuz will be like a worthless piece of water,” Mr Bessent said.
Daniel Keane1 September 2026 19:20
'Severe punishments' await US after fresh strikes, IRGC warns
Iran has issued a warning to the US, saying it will regret its fresh attacks on Tuesday.
IRGC spokesperson Sardar Mohebi said: “Severe punishment awaits the aggressors, and America will regret its new attacks.”
It comes after Donald Trump told Iran not to hit back to its current strikes, saying any retaliation would be met with attacks at a “harder and higher level”.
Harriette Boucher1 September 2026 19:01
Trumps tells Iran to not retaliate to his 'large and powerful' strikes
Donald Trump has told Iran not to retaliate to his “large and powerful” strikes along the Strait of Hormuz, which are ongoing.
He warned that “they will be hit again at a much harder and higher level” if Iran strikes back, adding that “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!”
The US president wrote: “The United States is, as we speak, 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!), and the Iranians shooting eight missiles, all successfully knocked down, at our Military Base in Jordan.”
Harriette Boucher1 September 2026 18:33
Explosions heard in several cities near the Strait of Hormuz
Several explosions have been heard along the Strait of Hormuz after the US announced it had initiated strikes on Iran.
Local media has reported explosions in Bandar Abbas, Qeshm Island, Jask, and Sirik in southern Iran, which are all along the waterway.
US Central Command said its military was targeting Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets.
Harriette Boucher1 September 2026 18:25
Trump launches fresh strikes on Iran
Donald Trump’s military has launched fresh strikes on Iran on Tuesday afternoon.
It says the strikes follows attempted attacks on shipping and US service members in the Middle East.
Centcom said: “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.”
The US president said more strikes might be necessary after it fired rocket launchers on Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz.
Harriette Boucher1 September 2026 18:02
Watch: Trump says Iran is a 'failed nation' as strikes resume
James Reynolds1 September 2026 18:00
Is it safe to travel to Dubai and Abu Dhabi? Latest advice after Iranian missile strikes
Holidaymakers may be feeling a sense of uncertainty over travel to the Middle East after another wave of strikes in the region.
Iran launched strikes targeting US military bases in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates following US attacks on Larak Island on Sunday.
Here’s the latest advice from the FCDO on travel to the UAE:
Is it safe to travel to Dubai and Abu Dhabi? Latest advice after missile strikes
The UK’s Foreign Office lifted its advice against ‘all but essential travel’ to the UAE in June
James Reynolds1 September 2026 17:00
The latest: Trump mocked over AI video of fake strikes after president threatens to ‘smack’ Tehran
Iran has rubbished Donald Trump’s threats against one of its key islands after the US president threatened to hit the Islamic Republic “hard” following Iranian missile strikes on US military bases.
Hamid Bovard, the chief executive of the National Iranian Oil Company, said operations on Kharg Island, a vital trade hub holding some 90 per cent of Iranian oil exports, had not stopped, after Trump posted an AI video on social media claiming it was “being blown to smithereens”.
“Trump’s tweets are laughable and conditions in Kharg are calm and appropriate,” he said in response to the Truth Social post.
A US official also told Reuters that the US did not target Kharg Island in overnight strikes.
The latest escalation in tensions came as both sides exchanged fire for the first time in a month, with Iran attacking US bases in Jordan and the UAE in response to US attacks on Larak island.
James Reynolds1 September 2026 16:30
Retired Army general warns the US is 'much weaker than we were even before 9/11'
Retired US Army Major General Randy Manner has warned that the US is “much weaker than we were even before 9/11”.
Manner spoke out against US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for reportedly purging top Pentagon officials.
“Quite frankly, the secretary of defense has got to go,” Manner told CNN’s Erin Burnett.
Manner’s comments come as Army Secretary Dan Driscoll resigned following reported tensions with Hegseth.
Read more on the US military’s waning stockpiles:
US military loses 25% of its key drone fleet in Iran war: report
At least 45 MQ-9 Reapers, which cost up to $50 milion each, have been shot down or crashed, for a total loss exceeding $1.3 billion
James Reynolds1 September 2026 16:00
Exhausted and suicidal? How US sailors are really coping after six months at sea
As Trump reveals that another warship is soon to be deployed to the conflict with Iran, reports have emerged of exhausted crews, deteriorating conditions and plumpting morale aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.
Chris Terrill, who has spent months embedded on missions, explains what it takes to sustain the human spirit at sea – and how the Royal Navy does it differently
Exhausted and suicidal? How US sailors are really coping after six months at sea
As Trump reveals that another warship is soon to be deployed to the conflict with Iran, reports have emerged of exhausted crews, deteriorating conditions and plummeting morale aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. Chris Terrill, who has spent months embedded on missions, explains what it takes to sustain the human spirit at sea – and how the Royal Navy does it differently
James Reynolds1 September 2026 15:30
