Trump tells Fox News the US will hit Iran hard, while letting talks continue

US President Donald Trump said in a Fox News interview on Wednesday 29 July 2026 that the United States would hit Iran hard in response to the missile attack on a US base in Jordan. He described that attack as a surprise and said US forces had only minutes to intercept the incoming missiles.

In the same interview Trump added that despite the escalation he would allow his negotiators to continue talks with Iran. He also said the overnight strikes by US and Saudi fighter jets on Iran-backed militia positions in Iraq had been coordinated with the government in Baghdad.

Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces said in a preliminary count that 20 of its members were killed and 32 wounded in the Wednesday pre-dawn strikes. Oil markets reacted to the escalation, with Brent rising more than 4 percent on Tuesday 28 July 2026 to return to around $88 a barrel.