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🇰🇷 South Korea /Conflict & Security

Trump Considers Repeated ‘Lawn Mower’ Strikes to Contain Iran in Strait of Hormuz

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • President Donald Trump and senior advisers are considering recurring limited strikes on Iranian radar, air defenses and anti-ship missile capabilities near the Strait of Hormuz, according to three U.S. officials cited by Axios.
  • The proposal followed renewed direct attacks between the United States and Iran, including a U.S. strike on Iranian launchers and an Iranian missile attack on a U.S. base in Jordan.
  • The plan would seek to protect shipping without broadly targeting Iran's oil and gas infrastructure, while Iran has warned of retaliation and expressed support for negotiations.

The Trump administration is considering a strategy of repeatedly striking Iran's military capabilities in the Strait of Hormuz whenever they are rebuilt, a plan one U.S. official compared to mowing grass as it grows.

We will hit them hard.

— Donald TrumpTrump warned of a U.S. response after Iran launched missiles toward a U.S. base in Jordan.

The proposal, prepared by U.S. Central Command over the past week, would target radar, air defenses and anti-ship missiles that Washington believes Iran could use to attack commercial vessels. The aim would be to reduce risks to tankers, U.S. Navy ships and military aircraft, allowing dozens of tankers to pass through the Gulf each day with greater security.

The White House had reportedly leaned against approving the plan as recently as the previous week, seeking to avoid further escalation with Iran. That position shifted after the two countries exchanged direct attacks again over the weekend following more than a month without such strikes. On Aug. 30, the U.S. military hit two Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launchers on Iran's Larak Island as they prepared to fire rockets carrying mines in the strait. Iran responded by launching ballistic missiles toward a U.S. military base in Jordan.

There will be a response.

— Donald TrumpTrump said the United States would respond to Iran's retaliatory attack.

Trump told Fox News the next day, "We will hit them hard" and "There will be a response." He also posted an AI-generated video showing Iran's Kharg Island oil-export terminal exploding, writing that "Kharg Island is being blown to pieces." No actual U.S. attack on the island had occurred. Vice President JD Vance said the post served as a warning and that Iran would face a cost if it continued attacking commercial ships.

The president is not someone who announces military action on social media.

— JD VanceVance characterized Trump's AI-generated video as a warning to Iran rather than an announcement of an actual attack.

The proposed strikes would focus on rebuilding military capacity in the strait rather than destroying Iran's energy infrastructure on a large scale. Iran has warned it would respond forcefully to further attacks, but President Masoud Pezeshkian told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that continuing the war would benefit neither Iran, the region nor humanity, and said Iran wanted a negotiated solution.

Continuing the war benefits neither us, nor the region, nor humanity.

— Masoud PezeshkianIran's president expressed support for resolving the conflict through negotiations.
About this summary

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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