US Launches New Airstrikes on Iran After Trump Warned “They’re Going to Get a Beating”
New US Strikes on Iran Begin in Night Hours
The United States has begun a new round of airstrikes in Iran in the night time and early morning hours (local), according to a senior US official to Axios. The extent of the bombings, or whether they will be sustained, remains unclear:
“Trump ‘is in an escalatory mood’ but is still contemplating ‘the depth of that response’, a senior administration official says.” – Wall Street Journal
President Trump has told Fox News on July 29 that he is “going to beat the f*** s***” out of Iran in response to their attack on US forces in Jordan overnight. Speaking to Trey Yingst, he added “we’ll be hitting them hard, they’re going to get a beating.”
There was heavy US refueler activity in regional skies just ahead of the strikes’ commencement – as well as unconfirmed reports of explosions at Riyadh’s international airport, but the cause has remained subject to speculation.
But with each attack on Iran, its forces tend to respond in kind against Gulf countries hosting US assets and bases.
I think there’s going to be a ground attack soon. What lunacy.
— Brandon Weichert (@WeTheBrandon) July 29, 2026
Details of Trump-Netanyahu Meeting at Oval Finally Emerging
After on July 28 President Trump hosted both Zelensky and Netanyahu in the Oval Office there were no big press conferences or readouts given. But on July 29 some key statements have begun to emerge concerning what was discussed, but at this point only offered via the Israeli side.
To be expected, Iran and the nuclear question dominated the discussions, according to i24‘s Ariel Oseran, with Israeli officials describing a White House focused on three possible paths forward. “Trump is weighing three options: a nuclear deal, maintaining and intensifying the economic blockade, or renewed military strikes,” one official said, adding, “We didn’t tell Trump Israel’s preference is a strike. Our preference is the outcome. The decision is ultimately his.”
Israeli officials argued that Tehran is under mounting internal strain. “Iran is under severe economic pressure” due to fuel and diesel shortages, roughly 90% inflation, and “the beginning of public protests.” They added, “We discussed increasing pressure on Iran, both economically and kinetically.”
On Iran’s leadership, officials said, “We know for certain Mujtaba is alive, but since Operation Rising Lion no one has seen him.” Regarding Iran’s military capabilities, they claimed, “Iran now has only 1,500-1,600 missiles left after we destroyed much of its production capability.”
“We’re going to beat the fuc*ing sh*t out of them,” President Trump told Fox News after Iran launched a surprise attack against U.S. forces. “We’ll be hitting them hard.”
The President says U.S. strikes overnight against Iran-backed militias in Iraq were coordinated with the… pic.twitter.com/AeLbEGFCFi
— Trey Yingst (@TreyYingst) July 29, 2026
Addressing the nuclear program, Israeli officials (somewhat surprisingly) assessed, “We currently do not assess that uranium enrichment is taking place at Pickaxe Mountain, and we have good intelligence on Iran’s nuclear material.” They also asserted, “Eliminating 29 nuclear scientists was our insistence. It removed a critical mass of knowledge from Iran’s nuclear program.” This comes just after Trump vowed to wipeout the highly fortified facility, which would be a tall order given that it’s essentially under a mountain.
Looking ahead, they warned, “If Iran tries to rebuild its nuclear program, we will strike the ‘metastases’ as well.” Israeli officials also said they remain sceptical of diplomacy, telling reporters, “We told President Trump we have serious doubts about reaching a nuclear deal with Iran.”
As of yet, the White House has not offered a detailed readout of the Netanyahu discussion from the US point of view, however. Regional reports say some IRGC advisors were killed in the fresh US-Saudi operation in Iraq.
Iran Again Denies Trump Claims it is Urging US Talks
The few days of calm are already something of the past, as tit-for-tat serious attacks between the US and Iran return, and now involving the Saudis and proxy militants in Iraq.
The fresh flare-up started as we reported when in the overnight and early hours of July 29 (local) Iran launched several missiles on a US base in Jordan, with the Jordanian armed forces saying they intercepted five projectiles. Iran is framing this as new action due to US military activities enforcing the blockade of Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz.
For many hours prior to that new Iranian assault, which was accompanied by launches out of Iraq on Saudi energy sites, international headlines claimed that mediators were getting close to restoring the defunct Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
As if to confirm that those headlines were nowhere close to reality, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi has recalled President Trump’s words claiming that Tehran was “dying for a negotiation”; but, said Gharibabadi, ”We have sent no request for negotiation with the US during the past 16-17 days.”
The Iranians have continued to insist that their own terms for strait management will be the end result of this war. “If the Strait of Hormuz returns to its previous state, our success in this war is not complete,” the Iranian diplomat said. He said this will include Iran’s right to charge fees to allow ships safe passage.
Trump: “We’ll Be Hitting Iran Hard”
As for the renewed battle, President Trump has newly warned in a statement to Fox News that “we’ll be hitting Iran hard” in response to the new attacks on American targets in Jordan.
The new expanded nature and scope of the war have seen Saudi Arabia jump directly in against Iran-backed Shia paramilitary groups in Iraq, as well as the Shia Houthis of Yemen.
Meanwhile, oil continues to climb on the escalation headlines:
Rare Major Saudi-US Joint Strikes on Iraqi Militias
Rare and major joint US-Saudi strikes on Iraq have killed at least 20 militants, and wounded 32 more, according to Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), as cited in Al Jazeera.
Ironically this comes at a time the Iraqi government has sought to appease Washington by overseeing a voluntary disarming program of its Shia factions. It has remained an open question to what degree this will actually be carried out.
Saudi Arabia’s Defence Ministry issued a statement saying the offensive was “in response to recent drone attacks” on the kingdom. During those attacks, the Saudi military “intercepted and destroyed several drones that attempted to target petroleum facilities in the Eastern Province and Riyadh regions……. launched from Iraqi territory and carried out by Iran-aligned terrorist militias.” It added that “The Kingdom emphasizes that it does not seek escalation but will respond to any aggression it faces.”
Meanwhile Trump continues to talk about taking out Iran’s highly fortified Pickaxe Mountain nuclear facility:
⭕️ Trump Says Netanyahu Wants Him to “Stay Involved” in Iran Campaign
During an interview on Fox & Friends on July 28, Trump expressed frustration that the media had leaked Netanyahu’s plans to brief him on intelligence regarding an underground Iranian nuclear facility at… pic.twitter.com/bL2uGfFjbI
— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) July 29, 2026
Tehran has responded by condemning the “clear aggression against the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq.” Iran said the new US-Saudi joint action was “in line with the aspirations of the United States and the Zionist regime to expand the scope of war,” according to the Foreign Ministry.
Iran has pledged its support to its allies in Iraq: “While expressing condolences for the martyrdom of a group of honourable Iraqi people during these aggressive attacks, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasizes the full support and solidarity of the Islamic Republic of Iran with the government and people of Iraq, and holds the warmongering US regime and its accomplices in the region responsible for the dangerous consequences of these criminal, inhumane, and provocative actions,” it added.
War Persists Through November Midterms?
Below, University of Chicago political scientist and foreign policy author Robert Pape says that the war will stumble along and likely expand even through the midterms:
“The victory rhetoric [from Trump] doesn’t match escalation reality.”
“I think it will actually be after the midterms. Between now and January, this is not going to be over.”
Recent developments
- US CENTCOM said US and Saudi forces strike Iran-backed terrorist sites in Iraq.
- Iranian state TV cites an unnamed military source stating that Iran denies any link to projectiles fired from other countries at targets in Saudi Arabia.
- Chinese Foreign Ministry denies reports that Iran will receive Chinese-made man-portable air defence systems in the coming weeks.
- Iran official said Oman proposal for Hormuz Strait joint regional management is to fail.
- Iran will get Chinese shoulder launched missile systems in weeks, according to Reuters.
- US President Trump said in a tele-rally that Iran wants to make a deal so badly, adds he’ll get Iran to sign on the dotted line and he’ll get the war over with.
- US official said Iran launched missiles at a US base in Jordan, but noted missiles were intercepted, according to Axios.
- Iran considered retaliatory strike on Ukrainian seaport, although a flurry of diplomacy has eased tensions, according to NYT citing officials.
- US official said Iran is over reaching with demands that Oman, US and the international community are rightly rejecting on Strait of Hormuz. Deal being discussed is a coordination deal, there are no tolls and no fees.
- A senior Iranian official said Tehran has rejected Oman’s proposal for regional joint management of the Strait of Hormuz as unworkable, reported suggest.
- Iraqi sources said US and Saudi Arabia targeted a mosque and water purification plant in Baghdad.
- IRGC noted that 3 tankers were hit and seized in the Hormuz Strait, adds US interference in the region will not go unanswered.
- Israeli PM Netanyahu said meeting with Trump is “one of the best we’ve had.”
- IRGC confirmed that they fired ballistic missiles at the US Air Base and US Military Central Command Centre in Jordan.
- US President Trump posted that he had a very good meeting with Israeli PM Netanyahu and many important subjects were discussed.
- Iranian media sources report explosions in US base in Jordan due to Iranian missile attack.
- Three Japanese-linked vessels have exited the Strait of Hormuz via Iran’s designated route, Kyodo
- An Israeli military source said Defence Minister Katz disclosed operational details about the take-off of US fighter jets from Israel to carry out strikes on Iran, Al Hadath
- Sources said Yemen’s Houthis are considering imposing fees on commercial ships transiting the southern Red Sea.
yogaesoteric
July 30, 2026