Trump says US to hit Iran 'hard' after attack on bases in Jordan

President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the US military will hit Iran "hard" after a missile attack against US bases in Jordan, Fox News reported.

Trump made the remarks during an interview with the network, which said the strikes came in response to an overnight attack on American forces.

What did Trump say about hitting Iran hard?

Fox's correspondent quoted Trump as saying, "We'll be hitting them hard. They're going to get a beating." The correspondent added that Trump used swear words to emphasize his point, saying the US would "beat the 'effing s' out of them."

Trump also told Fox that US-Saudi bombing of pro-Iranian militias overnight inside Iraq had been coordinated with authorities in Baghdad, despite the Iraqi government publicly condemning the attacks.

How did Iraq respond to the strikes on its territory?

The Iraqi presidency said it "denounces the bombing that targeted the Hashed al-Shaabi bases," calling it "an unacceptable attack and a blatant violation of Iraq's sovereignty, targeting its official institutions."

It also rejected the use of Iraqi territory to launch attacks on neighboring countries. The statement stood in direct contrast to Trump's claim that Baghdad had coordinated on the strikes.

Why did the US and Iran exchange fire this week?

The sudden flare-up in the five-month US war against Iran came after Trump had earlier insisted he wanted to pursue a negotiated solution. Iran said it had fired missiles at US military facilities in Jordan, while Jordan's US-backed army said it had intercepted five Iranian missiles.

The joint US-Saudi air operation in Iraq followed attacks that Saudi Arabia blamed on "terrorist militias loyal to Iran" targeting its oil facilities, after Riyadh had previously reported intercepting drones launched by the same groups.

The US military said the Iraq strikes targeted logistics and weapons sites belonging to an Iran-aligned group. Trump described the Jordan attack as a surprise strike in which US troops had only minutes to shoot down incoming missiles, according to Fox News.