Trump calls new US strikes on Iran a ‘love tap’ (VIDEOS)
The US military has launched a wave of strikes on Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz, with Tehran claiming it retaliated against American warships in the area.
President Donald Trump described the latest US strikes as “just a love tap,” insisting in a phone call with ABC News that the April 7 ceasefire remains in effect. In a follow-up post on Truth Social, he warned that the US would strike Iran “a lot harder, and a lot more violently” unless Tehran signs a deal “fast.”
US Central Command claimed it targeted Iranian launch sites, command-and-control locations, and surveillance nodes in “self-defense,” following an “unprovoked” missile, drone, and small-boat attack on the USS Truxtun, USS Rafael Peralta, and USS Mason.
A senior US official told Fox News that American forces struck Iran’s Qeshm port and Bandar Abbas, as well as the Bandar Kargan naval checkpoint in Minab.
Tehran accused the US of violating the ceasefire by targeting an Iranian oil tanker moving inside its territorial waters. Iran’s Central Headquarters of Hazrat Khatam al-Anbiya also accused Washington of coordinating with “some regional countries” to strike civilian areas along the coasts of Bandar Khamir, Sirik, and Qeshm Island.
The IRGC Navy claimed that three US warships fled the Strait of Hormuz at high speed after suffering “significant damage.” Both CENTCOM and Trump insisted that no US assets were hit.
Iranian state media, meanwhile, reported that air defenses had been activated in western Tehran to counter “hostile targets.” An RT crew in the Iranian capital confirmed hearing air-defense activity and filmed flashes in the sky.
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07 May 2026
22:51 GMTThe situation on Iranian islands and in coastal cities near the Strait of Hormuz has seemignly returned to normal following the exchange of fire in recent hours, Iranian media, including Press TV and IRIB, have reported.
- 22:46 GMT
President Donald Trump has said three US destroyers successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz “under fire,” claiming that “great damage was done to the Iranian attackers.”
“They were completely destroyed, along with numerous small boats, which are being used to take the place of their fully decapitated Navy… Missiles were shot at our Destroyers, and were easily knocked down. Likewise, drones came, and were incinerated while in the air. They dropped ever so beautifully down to the Ocean, very much like a butterfly dropping to its grave!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
The US president said the destroyers sustained no damage and would now rejoin the US naval blockade, which he described as a “Wall of Steel.”
Trump also warned that the US would strike Iran “a lot harder, and a lot more violently” unless Tehran signs a deal “fast.”
- 22:30 GMT
President Donald Trump has described the latest US strikes on Iran as a “love tap,” while insisting that the April 7 ceasefire remains in effect.
“It’s just a love tap,” Trump told ABC’s Rachel Scott in a phone call. Asked whether the strikes meant the ceasefire was over, Trump replied: “No, no, the ceasefire is going. It’s in effect.”
- 21:52 GMT
The US military has also struck Iran’s Bandar Kargan naval checkpoint in Minab, Fox News correspondent Jennifer Griffin reported on X, citing a senior US official. The reported strike follows earlier US attacks on Qeshm port and Bandar Abbas.
I can confirm from senior US official that the US military also just struck Iran’s Bandar Kargan naval checkpoint in Minab.
— Jennifer Griffin (@JenGriffinFNC) May 7, 2026The US Department of War confirmed the exchange of fire but has not officially listed the targets. CENTCOM claimed the strikes were “self-defense” measures after Iranian forces allegedly targeted US warships transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
- 21:41 GMT
US Central Command has said American forces intercepted “unprovoked” Iranian attacks and carried out “self-defense” strikes as three US Navy guided-missile destroyers transited the Strait of Hormuz.
According to the Department of War, Iranian forces launched multiple missiles, drones, and small boats as the USS Truxtun, USS Rafael Peralta, and USS Mason moved through the international waterway toward the Gulf of Oman on May 7. CENTCOM said no US assets were struck.
The command said it eliminated inbound threats and targeted Iranian military facilities allegedly involved in the attacks, including missile and drone launch sites, command-and-control locations, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance nodes.
“CENTCOM does not seek escalation but remains positioned and ready to protect American forces,” the statement said.
- 21:36 GMT
Three US warships that had “violated” the Strait of Hormuz fled the area at high speed after coming under Iranian fire, the IRGC Navy has claimed
The force said intelligence reports indicated “significant damage” to the “American enemy,” according to Tasnim.
- 21:29 GMT
Iran has claimed that the US attacks on Iranian coastal areas were carried out “in coordination with some regional countries.”
“The criminal and aggressive United States and its supporting countries must know that the Islamic Republic of Iran, as always, powerfully and without the slightest hesitation, will deliver a crushing response to any act of aggression and violation,” the Central Headquarters of Hazrat Khatam al-Anbiya said.
The allegation comes after reports that Saudi Arabia and Kuwait had lifted restrictions on US access to their bases and airspace, potentially allowing Washington to resume military operations.
- 21:22 GMT
RT's crew in Tehran has confirmed hearing air-defense activity in the western part of the Iranian capital, where Iranian state media said air defenses had been activated against “hostile targets.”
IRIB reported that Iranian air defenses had been activated in the area, while Mehr said they were “countering hostile targets.” Similar reports were also carried by several regional outlets citing Iranian state media.
- 21:21 GMT
Iran says its armed forces have launched immediate retaliatory strikes on US military vessels following the alleged American attacks near the Strait of Hormuz.
“The Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in an immediate and retaliatory action, struck US military vessels east of the Strait of Hormuz and south of Bandar Chabahar, inflicting substantial damage on them,” a spokesperson for the Central Headquarters of Hazrat Khatam al-Anbiya said.
