Iran launches attack on US Navy hours after Trump | Political News

U.S. Central Command shot down 4 Iranian attack drones that had been launched close to the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, CENTCOM tweeted.

“The attack drones posed an immediate threat to regional maritime traffic. U.S. forces subsequently struck Iranian coastal surveillance radar sites in Goruk and on Qeshm Island to defend against further attacks,” a assertion read.

“American forces stay vigilant and postured to reply to unjustified Iranian aggression in self-defense.”

Regional tensions have escalatated since the U.S. launched Operation Epic Fury in a joint attack with Israel in February. The operation triggered a cycle of retaliatory assaults, inflicting instability across the nation.

President Donald Trump said on Friday that Iranian leaders have not reached a deal with the U.S. to end the struggle because they’re “strong” and “proud,” but in the end, “they’ve got no choice” besides to attain an settlement.

Trump’s remarks come as U.S. and Iranian leaders have been negotiating to end the struggle, which has gone on for 4 months.

The two nations agreed to a shaky ceasefire in April, which has been repeatedly prolonged; however, tensions have flared again in latest days.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told House lawmakers on Wednesday that Operation Epic Fury “has concluded.” He added that the strikes earlier in the week had been “defensive in nature,” telling members of Congress that they got here in response to Iran’s assaults on ships close to the Strait of Hormuz.

“In order to protect our own forces, we don’t just strike the drones, we strike the people who launch those drones. These are completely defensive in nature, but they are happening in response to an Iranian action. If they don’t shoot at those ships, we don’t shoot, but we have to respond,” said Rubio.

The ongoing battle led Iran to close the Strait, driving global oil costs increased and surging fuel costs in the U.S. Trump and other Republican leaders in Washington have been pressured to ease the financial weight lodged on Americans’ shoulders.

Trump criticized those urging him to rapidly attain a deal with Iran to end the struggle, saying, “It takes years to do these things.”

“These people have been fighting for 47 years. They’ve been killing Americans,” Trump said. “They’ve been taking off their legs, and their arms and their faces have been hurt so badly and so horribly.”

The president in contrast the size of the struggle in Iran with the Vietnam War, saying, “I’m moving very fast. I’m into three months. You know, Vietnam lasted 19 years. I’m into my third month, and all they do is say, ‘Whoa, when are you going to win?’ If I were a Democrat, nobody would be talking that way, but it doesn’t matter to me. I’ve gotten so used to it.”

Trump added that the U.S. has “totally destroyed their military,” including that Iran still has some missiles and drones. “Most of the drone factories have been knocked out, most of the launching pads have been knocked out, and most of the missile manufacturing areas have been knocked out. But they still have capacity. They have some missiles, they have some drones,” he said.

“I would say percentagewise, maybe 21%-22% of their missiles. It’s a lot of missiles, but it’s not what it was when we first attacked.”