Washington (United States) (AFP) - Confrontations between Iran and the United States renewed after a month of calm and increased American pressure by declaring an “economic war” on Tehran, with Donald Trump vowing Monday to “respond strongly” to the Islamic Republic after its recent attacks on American targets in the Middle East.

Published on: 08/31/2026 - 09:53 Last updated: 09/01/2026 - 01:47

For the first time since late July, US forces announced an attack targeting “two Iranian missile launchers on Lark Island,” located in the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

Tehran responded by launching attacks with missiles and drones targeting American military sites in Jordan and the Emirates, while Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian confirmed that his country does not want the war to continue.

After the announcement of the new strikes, an increase in oil prices was recorded, and a barrel of Brent North Sea, the global reference, crossed the threshold of $90.

Trump threatened Tehran on Monday to respond to its recent attacks on American targets in the Middle East, according to what Fox News reported.

He said that "there will be a response" and "we will hit them hard."

On the other hand, Pezeshkyan said during his meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Kyrgyzstan on Monday, “We believe that the continuation of the war is neither in our interest nor in the interest of the region.”

'Dangerous escalation'

On Sunday and Monday night, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard announced that its forces responded to the Lark bombing by targeting American forces at the King Hussein and Azraq bases in Jordan with “missiles and drones,” which, according to it, caused “severe damage.”

Tehran also announced on Monday that it had targeted “with dozens of drones the positions of American helicopters and forces at Al Minhad Air Base” in the Emirates.

Earlier, the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the new American strikes, stressing that the Iranian forces’ response was “legitimate self-defense.”

The Iranian President stressed in a statement before his travel to Kyrgyzstan, "We do not seek war, but we will direct a decisive response to the aggressors."

Hours after Tehran announced targeting a base in the UAE, the UAE Ministry of Defense said in a statement on the X platform that it had intercepted a drone over its territorial waters coming from Iran.

However, the ministry denied in a separate statement that the Al-Minhad base had been subjected to a missile attack.

The Jordanian army announced the interception of eight missiles that penetrated the Kingdom's airspace, without giving any other details.

The Iranian Armed Forces warned neighboring countries of a “much stronger response” if any new “aggression” was launched by Washington from their territories.

On the other hand, the Revolutionary Guard confirmed that two American drones were shot down over the Strait of Hormuz.

On Monday night, the British Maritime Trade Operations Authority announced that a ship was hit by three “unspecified projectiles” as it was crossing the Strait of Hormuz, causing a fire to break out on board.

The authority reported via “X” that the tanker “was hit by three unidentified projectiles while exiting the Strait of Hormuz. No human injuries or environmental damage were recorded,” noting that the incident occurred 17 nautical miles (31 kilometers) east of the Omani city of Khasab.

The spokesman for the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, condemned the "extremely unfortunate" resumption of confrontations between the two sides, and called for "the utmost levels of restraint" and the resumption of dialogue.

Mines

The United States said that its attacks on Lark Island were aimed at preventing Iran from deploying more sea mines in the strait, days after it announced it had been cleared of mines.

US Central Command (Centcom) spokesman Captain Tim Hawkins said in a statement to Agence France-Presse that "Revolutionary Guard forces were spotted preparing to launch missiles loaded with sea mines towards the Strait of Hormuz."

Iranian media reported that three people were killed and seven others were injured in the strikes.

Despite the American announcement, Iran reported on Monday morning that an oil tanker that was trying to cross the strait caught fire after colliding with two sea mines, which the US military denied.

The US Central Command said in a statement, “No ship collided with mines in the Strait of Hormuz,” adding, “This is another attempt by the Revolutionary Guard to intimidate regional commercial shipping through media misinformation.”

The mutual bombardment came as the war entered its seventh month since the first US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28, and after a month of calm on the military level.

Economic war

Diplomatic efforts led by mediators, led by Pakistan and Qatar, sought for months to end the war, but they faltered.

Despite declaring a ceasefire in April and signing a memorandum of understanding in preparation for establishing a final peace in June, no agreement was reached, and Washington has since declared an “economic war” against Tehran.

A US naval blockade prevents fuel supplies from reaching Iran, which already suffers from a shortage in domestic production.

The ceasefire in April ended military operations, but the continuation of sporadic strikes, often concentrated around the Strait of Hormuz, reduced the chances of reaching a final agreement.

The US military stated that the last US strike on Iran was on July 29 in response to an “attempted surprise attack” on its forces in the region. This was preceded by attacks against Iran over 13 consecutive nights earlier in July.

Throughout the war, Iran responded by launching attacks targeting American facilities and countries in the region.

Its closure of the Strait of Hormuz also harmed the global economy as oil prices rose due to supply shortages.

The war with Iran faces strong opposition from American public opinion, with the midterm elections approaching in November, which could end Republican control of Congress.

Trump said on his Truth Social platform on Monday, “Iran is officially a bankrupt country. It is dead!”

Last week, a new package of “secondary” US sanctions was introduced, which do not target Iran directly, but rather affect its trading partners.

For his part, US Treasury Secretary Scott Besent confirmed on Monday during a series of meetings in the United States with his counterparts from the G20 countries that his country "will continue to exert pressure" on Tehran.

In a post on X in Hebrew on Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of deceiving Washington and pushing it into war against the Islamic Republic, describing him as a “snake.”

He later said that the solution to the dispute was "clear and simple: the United States must respect its obligations and abide by" what was signed in the memorandum of understanding, "and then things will return to normal."

© 2026 AFP

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