Hopes that tensions in the Middle East were beginning to ease have quickly faded after US President Donald Trump warned that America would respond forcefully to a reported attack linked to Iran. Speaking in a phone interview with Fox News, Trump signalled that the United States was preparing a strong response after a US military base in Jordan was reportedly targeted. ‘We’ll be hitting them hard,’ Trump said, adding that ‘they’re going to get a beating.’ That temporary pause had helped calm global energy markets, with oil prices easing as fears of further disruption in the region subsided. US forces said they had come under attack from Iran, while American and Saudi forces also carried out strikes against Tehran-backed militants operating in Iraq.