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Trump described the ongoing strikes as “large and powerful” and said they targeted Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in response to alleged attempts to place sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz and the firing of eight missiles at a US military base in Jordan.

“If the failed nation of Iran retaliates for this very justified attack, they will be hit again at a much harder and higher level,” Trump said.

He also warned that an even larger attack was “waiting in the wings” and claimed that once it was over, “there will be very little left of the Islamic Republic of Iran”.

Trump said all mines had been removed or detonated and that the eight Iranian missiles fired towards the US base in Jordan had been intercepted.

Details about the targets, scale of the latest operation and possible casualties were not immediately available.

The strikes came two days after US forces hit Iranian rocket launchers in the Strait of Hormuz, ending a month-long lull in fighting. Iran called Sunday’s operation a deadly attack and retaliated by firing ballistic missiles towards US bases in Jordan.

Jordan said its armed forces intercepted eight missiles that entered the country’s airspace early on Monday.

US Central Command said IRGC forces had been preparing to launch rockets carrying sea mines into the strait. Iran acknowledged casualties in the American strikes and warned that Washington would face military and economic consequences.

The renewed fighting marks another escalation in a conflict that began on February 28 and has continued intermittently for more than six months.

The Strait of Hormuz remains central to the confrontation. Around 20 per cent of the world’s oil normally passes through the waterway, but commercial traffic remains far below pre-war levels.