Washington Signals More Military Action While Rejecting Iranian Battlefield Claims and Expanding Pressure Through Fresh Sanctions
The White House warned Iran on Friday that additional U.S. military strikes could continue, following reports that President Donald Trump had authorized a new wave of attacks against the country.
Earlier this week, Trump had paused U.S. military operations after a 13-day bombing campaign targeting Iran. However, in an emailed response to The Epoch Times, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt did not dismiss reports that renewed strikes could begin soon and continue for several days as part of an effort to pressure Tehran into surrendering.
“The United States signed an MOU with Iran and they broke it, shot at commercial ships, and killed American soldiers,” Leavitt said. “President Trump is not going to stand by and allow this terrorist behavior to occur. Iran will continue to pay until they come to the table in, what President Trump deems, a meaningful way.”
The White House statement came after a series of claims made by Iranian officials that were rejected by the United States.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed it had shot down three F-35 stealth fighter jets—among the world’s most advanced military aircraft—as well as three other American aircraft during an attack on the U.S. Al Azraq Air Base in Jordan.
Through the state-run Tasnim News agency, the IRGC also asserted that American troops had been killed in the attack.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) denied those claims in a post on X, stating: “No U.S. aircraft were destroyed or damaged in recent attempted Iranian attacks. All missiles and drones were intercepted or failed to reach targeted areas.”
CENTCOM also announced on Thursday that U.S. forces had struck dozens of IRGC targets, including military command centers, missile and drone facilities, as well as coastal surveillance and defense positions.
The command further dismissed claims that an oil tanker had breached the U.S. blockade of Iran, instead blaming Iran for making the Strait of Hormuz too dangerous for commercial navigation.
“The immediate dangers posed to commercial vessels and their civilian crews are the IRGC’s verbal threats and attempted attacks,” CENTCOM added in its statement on X.
As military exchanges between Iran and the United States resumed on Thursday, neighboring Gulf countries have increasingly found themselves under threat and drawn deeper into the conflict.
Jordan reported intercepting Iranian missiles for a second consecutive day. Kuwait said an Iranian strike on its territory killed one person. Iranian drones sparked fires aboard ships at Egyptian ports, while Saudi Arabia reported attacks carried out by Iranian-backed militia groups operating in Iraq.
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi addressed the incidents involving ships in Egypt, describing the country as a “friend and important partner” in the Middle East, but stopped short of denying Iran’s involvement.
“We must all remain vigilant toward Israeli schemes and ‘false flag’ operations that aim to undermine regional peace,” Araghchi said in a post on X.
Alongside the continuation of U.S. airstrikes on Thursday, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions on six entities and individuals based in China, India, Russia, and Iran for supporting the sanctioned Iranian airline Mahan Air and the IRGC.
According to the Treasury Department, Mahan Air—despite operating as a civilian airline—has long supported the Iranian regime by transporting IRGC-Qods Force personnel, facilitating military training, and assisting in the acquisition and movement of military weapons.
“Those who provide financial services, logistics, or commercial support to the IRGC or Mahan Air are helping sustain a terrorist enterprise,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement. “Treasury will continue to identify them, expose them, and cut them off from the U.S. financial system.”
