JERUSALEM, Israel – American forces hit targets in Iran on Wednesday, while Iran has responded with missiles and drones. As the military assault increases, so does the economic pressure inside Iran.
U.S. CENTCOM says it has completed its latest strikes on Iranian military targets. The assault came after Iran tried to attack commercial ships and American forces in the region.
President Trump claims the Tehran regime was trying to rebuild its radar. The president told Fox News, “We waited until it was almost built and then we hit it.”
He warned the Islamic Republic’s leaders against another attack, posting on Truth Social, “They will be hit again at a much harder and higher level.”
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard responded by firing ballistic missiles at a U.S. base in Jordan near the Gulf of Aqaba..
Jordan announced that it intercepted 10 of the 13 missiles and three fell in remote areas. The IRGC claimed that it killed a large number of U.S. forces. However, U.S. officials insist there have been no reported casualties.
Early Wednesday morning, sirens sounded in Kuwait City as Iran launched missiles toward the Gulf States, but no one was hurt.
In Washington, Senator John Kennedy (R-Louisiana) asserted that Iran’s leadership can’t be trusted.
“You can’t take their word for anything. That’s why we took action,” he declared.
Kennedy added, “We have degraded their country to the point that they are being held together by duct tape and spit”.
The pressure is beng felt inside Iran.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian admitted that foreign trade has contracted by about 35 percent because of U.S. sanctions and disruptions to maritime trade.
Long lines at gas stations are another sign of the crisis.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent insists the economic pressure is working.
“in two years, the Strait of Hormuz will be a worthless piece of water,” he predicted.
Bessent pointed to the increasing use of land-based pipelines for energy sources such as oil. He said Iran is also struggling to pay government employees and troops.
“They’re (Iran) having to print money at the central bank,” Bessent said. “When everyone says, ‘Well, sanctions don’t work,’ I can tell you, sanctions plus a blockade work.’ When everyone says, well, sanctions don’t work. I can tell you sanctions plus a blockade work.”
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And inside Iran, amid intense persecution, the Church is growing, despite severe hardship.
John Cerniglia from Sat 7 told CBN News, “The church is responding with great spiritual maturity. They’re helping their neighbors even as they’re starving themselves, lacking food for their family.”
Iranian President Pezeshkian says diplomacy is still an option, claiming, “Iran continues to view diplomacy and negotiations as the primary way to resolve disputes.”
He suggested that Iran is ready to return to the ceasefire deal reached with the United States in June if Washington does.
Meanwhile, Russia is backing Tehran. President Vladimir Putin told his Iranian counterpart on Tuesday, “Russia stands in solidarity with the Iranian people.”
The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem is warning Americans across the Middle East to exercise caution, hinting that there is potential for unforeseen escalation.
In Israel, the IDF continues operations against Hamas in Gaza.
In what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called a “bold operation,” Israeli Special Forces captured the commander of the Hamas Security Apparatus. Muein al-Arabid is one of the terror group’s most senior leaders.
