Trump Vows Strong Retaliation After Iran Strike, Says 'Now It's Our Turn'

President Donald Trump vowed strong retaliation after Iran attacked a US military base in Jordan.

Trump told reporters at the White House on July 29, referring to Iran's missile strike, "Now it's our turn," according to Reuters and other media reports.

"We'll see whether at some point we reach an agreement," he said. "But we will hit them very hard." The remarks left open the possibility of negotiations with Iran while making clear the US intends a military response to the latest attack.

Trump had earlier underscored his determination to retaliate in a phone interview with Fox News, using profanity. "We're going to hit them," he said. "We're going to hit them hard. They're going to get hit."

US Central Command said Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched multiple ballistic missiles from Iranian territory a day earlier targeting US forces in the Middle East.

The IRGC also confirmed it had attacked a US air base in Jordan and a US Central Command command facility with ballistic missiles. Trump said the group responsible was "not the group we are dealing with, but another group," adding that "they apologized, but we still have to punish them a little."

The US halted its attacks on July 24 after carrying out continuous airstrikes on Iran for about two weeks starting July 11. Iran's missile strike has raised the possibility that US air raids on Iran could resume.

The US and Saudi Arabia jointly struck facilities used by pro-Iran militias in Iraq on July 28. Trump said the operation was carried out in consultation with the Iraqi government. He also denounced the pro-Iran militias as "a cancer on the world" and is said to be considering additional warnings to Iran-backed proxy forces.

Kim Yeon-ji, Hankyung.com reporter kongzi@hankyung.com