Iran Posts 'We Will Kill You' Banner as US Strikes Resume
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- CENTCOM launched a "heavy wave of strikes" on Iran on July 29, targeting military command centers, drone storage facilities, communication networks, coastal surveillance sites, and maritime capabilities in retaliation for a ballistic missile attack on U.S. forces in the Middle East.
- Trump said he wanted to hit Iran "very hard" and "smack them a little bit," though he told reporters July 27 that during the lull Iran had asked "Please stop, let's meet."
- The IRGC erected a banner in Tehran's Azadi Square showing a bloodied Trump next to a missile system with the words "We will kill you," one day after missiles struck Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait.
- Iran's IRGC claimed ballistic missiles struck Al Azraq Air Base in Jordan and destroyed three U.S. F-35 fighter jets, which CENTCOM denied, saying "all missiles and drones were intercepted or failed to reach targeted areas."
- The IRGC struck Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, destroying two drone hangars and a fuel storage facility, and warned "countries that are involved in helping the aggressor… will receive a harsh response."
- Saudi Arabia publicly joined U.S. forces for the first time in the war on July 29, striking Iran-aligned Houthi groups in eastern Iraq in retaliation for drone attacks launched against Saudi targets.
- A preliminary peace deal Trump signed in June collapsed amid fighting over the Strait of Hormuz, which carried 20% of the world's oil before the war; four Americans were killed in the earlier two-week bout of fighting.
- Iran's Foreign Minister Sayed Aragchi accused U.S. forces of firing HIMARS rockets from Kuwait into Iran and posted that "Iranians are demanding the full destruction of the Kuwaiti regime."
Why it matters: A June peace deal has already collapsed, and the war is now drawing strikes and counter-strikes across Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq — all surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, which carried 20% of the world's oil before the conflict — while Iran is explicitly putting the U.S. president in its crosshairs on a public banner, raising the stakes far beyond the original bilateral fight.
