During an interview with Fox News on Wednesday, Trump warned that the United States will be “hitting Iran hard” following the attack on U.S. bases in Jordan.

  • This comes after an escalation in tensions in the Middle East following a “surprise attack” by the IRGC on Tuesday that led to retaliatory strikes on Iran-linked Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq.
  • Despite the resumption of strikes between the U.S. and Iran, Trump said that he will let the Iranian side continue talking.
  • Crude oil prices soared on Wednesday, with U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures expiring in September rising 6.62% to hover around $84.51 a barrel

U.S. equities declined in the morning trade on Wednesday following President Donald Trump’s new threat to Iran after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched attacks on United States’ military targets in Jordan.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) fell more than 850 points, while the S&P 500 index declined about 0.9% and the Nasdaq Composite fell 1.1%. Meanwhile, Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) is now down nearly 11% from its most recent high of $748.65, hit on June 3, 2026.

This comes after an escalation in tensions in the Middle East following a “surprise attack” by the IRGC on Tuesday that led to retaliatory strikes on Iran-linked Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in Iraq, killing at least 20 people, according to a report by CNN.

Trump Warns US Will Be ‘Hitting Iran Hard’

During an interview with Fox News on Wednesday, Trump warned that the United States will be “hitting Iran hard” following the attack on U.S. bases in Jordan.

“We’ll be hitting them hard. They’re going to get a beating,” he said, while adding that fighting could restart if talks between the countries fail.

Despite the resumption of strikes between the U.S. and Iran, Trump said that he will let the Iranian side continue talking.

“We took out their nuclear sites, and we'll have to take out Pickaxe if we don't make a deal. We'll take it out very easily. This is actually a good time to make a deal for them,” he said, referring to the Pickaxe Mountain facility linked to Iran’s nuclear program, located about 140 miles south of Tehran.

Crude Oil Prices Soar Again

Crude oil prices soared again on Wednesday amid rising tensions. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures expiring in September were up 6.62%, hovering around $84.51 a barrel. Brent crude futures expiring in September rose 6.01%, hovering around $87.01 a barrel.

The United States Oil Fund ETF (USO) was up nearly 8%, while the ProShares Ultra Bloomberg Crude Oil ETF (UCO) gained about 10%.

No Movement In Strait Of Hormuz Without Authorization, Says Iranian General

According to a report by Tasnim News Agency, Deputy Chief of Iran's Army for Coordination, Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, said that there would be no movement in the Strait of Hormuz without authorization from Iranian authorities.

Sayyari added that Iranian naval forces are in a state of readiness, while noting that their personnel maintain full control over the eastern Strait of Hormuz, the northern Indian Ocean, and the Sea of Oman.

Meanwhile, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on Tuesday that Iran has not sought negotiations with the U.S. in more than two weeks, per a report by CNN.

“We have sent no request for negotiation with the US during the past 16–17 days,” he said.

Fed Decision Ahead

The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) is set to announce its rate decision later on Wednesday.

The Federal Reserve is widely expected to keep interest rates unchanged on Wednesday, but sticky inflation, tariffs, geopolitical tensions and evolving signals from Chair Kevin Warsh have clouded the policy outlook.

Data from the CME FedWatch tool shows that the odds of rates remaining unchanged today are at 66.3%, edging lower from 69% on Tuesday.

At the time of writing, the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY), which tracks the S&P 500 index, fell 0.86%; the Invesco QQQ Trust ETF (QQQ) was down 1.23%; and the SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust (DIA) declined 1.56%. Retail sentiment on Stocktwits regarding the S&P 500 ETF was in ‘bearish’ territory.

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