Trump signals possible new strategy as US-Iran conflict enters seventh month

United States President Donald Trump has hinted at a tougher approach towards Iran after the two countries exchanged direct attacks for the first time in more than a month, raising fresh concerns that the conflict could escalate again.

"We're going to hit them hard ... there will be a response," Trump told reporters on Monday after Iran launched missile attacks against US military facilities in Jordan.

The comments came after US forces struck targets on Iran's Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz, marking the latest escalation in a conflict that entered its seventh month last week.

US media outlet Axios reported that the Trump administration was considering a strategy that would avoid both a full-scale war and a lasting peace agreement.

Under the reported approach, Washington could launch periodic military strikes against Iran while attempting to prevent the conflict from developing into a sustained war.

The strategy has not been formally approved by Trump, according to the report.

Monday's exchange of attacks

The United States said it carried out strikes against two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island, near the strategically important port of Bandar Abbas.

Washington claimed the launchers were being prepared for use by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to deploy sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important oil shipping routes.

Iranian media reported that three people were killed in the US attack.

Tehran responded by firing missiles at two airbases in Jordan that host US personnel and military equipment. Jordan said its forces intercepted eight missiles.

Trump subsequently warned Iran that Washington would retaliate.

Speaking at a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran would be prepared to halt hostilities if the United States did the same.

He also called on Washington to honour commitments contained in an interim agreement reached in June that was intended to end the conflict, ease sanctions and address the status of the Strait of Hormuz.

That agreement has since expired after disagreements between Washington and Tehran, particularly over provisions that were considered unclear.

Monday's attacks marked the first direct military confrontation between the two countries in more than four weeks.

The renewed violence has fuelled fears that the conflict could once again develop into a much wider military campaign.

Trump, however, argued that the latest attacks did not necessarily signal a return to full-scale war.

He claimed that Iran's military, leadership and financial system had been significantly weakened and said the Strait of Hormuz was in "extremely good shape".

"That doesn't mean we won't smack them. We'll see what happens," Trump said at the White House.

Washington's changing approach

The US strategy towards Iran has undergone several major changes since the conflict began.

Washington initially pursued an intensive military campaign lasting about 40 days before a ceasefire was established and later extended.

In June, the two countries reached a memorandum of understanding that established a framework for a temporary ceasefire and broader negotiations.

The agreement was intended to provide a 60-day period for further discussions.

However, disputes over the interpretation of the agreement, particularly regarding control of the Strait of Hormuz, contributed to its eventual collapse.

The United States resumed military strikes against Iran in July, prompting Iranian attacks against US military facilities and infrastructure in neighbouring Gulf states.

Washington has more recently placed greater emphasis on economic pressure.

That shift followed reports that US forces in the Middle East were facing shortages of some critical munitions, including Patriot interceptor missiles used to defend against Iranian missile and drone attacks.

The Trump administration has rejected claims that it is running out of weapons.

Instead, Washington has expanded its economic campaign against Tehran.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced last week that the United States would target Iranian financial interests and revenue streams around the world.

The campaign includes measures aimed at Iran's oil industry and sanctions against dozens of entities accused of helping Tehran sell its oil.

Washington has also threatened companies and countries conducting business with Iran with secondary sanctions.

Bessent said Monday that Iran's latest military response demonstrated that Tehran was turning to military action because US economic pressure was beginning to have an effect.

Iranian Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati rejected that assessment, insisting that claims of an economic collapse were inaccurate.

"We have enough foreign currency," Hemmati told reporters.

A dangerous middle ground

The latest developments have created an increasingly uncertain situation in which neither Washington nor Tehran appears eager to return immediately to an all-out war, while both remain willing to use military force when they believe their interests are under threat.

The reported US proposal for periodic strikes would represent a move towards what has been described as a "no war, no peace" strategy.

Under such an approach, Washington could use limited military action to deter Iran while avoiding the cost and risks of another prolonged campaign.

According to Axios, one potential objective would be to keep oil tankers moving safely through the Gulf and prevent Iran from exercising effective control over the Strait of Hormuz.

The waterway has remained at the centre of the conflict.

Iran effectively restricted access to the strait after the war began in March, allowing only selected vessels to pass. Tehran has continued to claim authority over the waterway, while the United States says its naval forces are successfully escorting commercial shipping.

Iran has also launched intermittent attacks against vessels attempting to transit the strait without its approval.

Diplomatic efforts have meanwhile stalled.

Since the June agreement collapsed and US strikes resumed in July, Iran has said it is unwilling to negotiate directly with Washington.

Instead, Tehran has held discussions with Oman over the future management and operation of the Strait of Hormuz.

With the conflict now entering its seventh month, the central question is whether Trump's reported strategy can contain the confrontation - or whether repeated US and Iranian attacks will eventually trigger another major escalation.