Trump ‘planning for return of all out war with Iran’ as US unleashes ninth night of strikes & ships ‘explode’ in Strait

THE US has reportedly deployed warplanes to the Middle East as it prepares to escalate the conflict with Iran – after blitzing the rogue nation in a ninth night of strikes. US President Donald Trump said the latest bombardment “hit them [Iran] very hard” on Sunday night. US President Donald Trump said the latest bombardment ‘hit them [Iran] very hard’ Credit: Darren Fletcher Smoke rises from an explosion in Iran during a ninth night of US strikes Credit: Reuters The strikes were meant to “swiftly punish” Tehran for the suspected deaths of three American soldiers. “Iran has been very, very badly damaged. They’ve lost everything almost militarily. They’ve got very little left,” Trump said. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! It comes as Air Force F-16 fighter jets from Germany and stealthy F-35 jets from Britain are being sent to the Middle East, officials told the New York Times. US Central Command (Centcom) said Sunday nights strikes targeted Iranian military assets including coastal surveillance and missile and drone sites. US forces have reportedly deployed more warplanes to the Middle East as the war escalates Credit: AFP US strikes destroyed an Iranian bridge linking Bandar Abbas and Kehuristan Credit: Getty Explosions were also reported in several Iranian cities, state news reported on Monday morning. The reeling regime has responded with fury, launching a volley of strikes at US-allies Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan and a “surprise attack” in Syria. “The US military is holding Iran accountable at the Commander in Chief’s direction,” Centcom declared in a post on X. It added that the operation aimed to “diminish Iran’s ability” to attack commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Most read in The Sun Control of the key waterway has become a focal point of the conflict in recent days. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) warned the Strait “will ⁠not be safe” for ships carrying “a single drop of oil and gas” as long as “US aggression” persists. It also said two oil tankers were blitzed after attempting to pass through the strait via an unauthorised route. “Both vessels exploded and were forced to cease movement”, the IRGC said. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) warned the Strait of Hormuz ‘will ⁠not be safe’ Credit: X/CENTCOM Control of the key waterway has become a focal point of the conflict in recent days. Credit: Reuters On Saturday the US military said a US soldier was killed by the “controlled detonation of an Iranian drone” in northern Iraq. It came one day after an attack on a base in Jordan killed two US soldiers with a third missing and presumed dead. Centcom announced on Sunday it had found “unidentified remains” in the search for a missing soldier. Several others were wounded in the assault on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, which has suffered unrelenting attacks from Iran in recent days. Trump called the American deaths “a shame” but declared the armed forces operation remained essential. Even before the fatal attacks, the US president signalled plans to escalate military action including targeting key infrastructure including bridges and power plants. The deaths bring the American toll of the war to 17 – but the two service members confirmed dead on Friday were the first to be killed by direct fire from Iran since the conflict began in February. And it’s the first time US troops have been killed since the ceasefire collapsed two weeks ago. American forces stationed at the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan Credit: Airbus US and Jordanian forces during a 2024 exercise (stock) Credit: Getty An interim agreement to end the war has been left in tatters since July 7, when Iran struck ships in the key waterway and the US responded with air strikes. Iran then announced the closure of the strait, but Washington reimposed its own blockade of Iranian ports. The collapse of the deal has left the raging war with no clear end in sight after more than four months of devastating violence. Comment now