US, Iran each launch attack, as Trump promises to hit hard if no peace deal is concluded
The United States launched airstrikes early Wednesday against Iran, and Tehran fired back at countries in the region. The escalating attacks threaten to derail efforts to end the war, as US President Donald Trump has warned that Tehran will “pay the price” for stalled peace talks.
At the White House on Wednesday morning, Trump told reporters that the US would attack Iran “very hard, bomb it again,” if no peace deal is reached.
Trump said Iran has already agreed not to get a nuclear weapon, but the deal still needs to be signed.
Trump’s warning came hours after Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan – all of which host US troops – were attacked by Iran. It was the second time this week that back-and-forth strikes have tested a two-month ceasefire. On Monday, Iran and Israel reconciled.
It’s unclear what Trump’s post on Truth Social will mean for Tehran, and the comments underscore the American leader’s view of the war. He suggested on Monday that an agreement to end the conflict could be reached within days.
Meanwhile, Iran has shown resilience despite weeks of bombardment. It is betting that its ability to successfully close the Strait of Hormuz – the world’s most important oil and natural gas route – gives it strong bargaining power.
Still, both countries seem to be looking for a way to end the conflict – if they can sell it as a victory at home.
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears intent on pursuing more difficult goals: the fall of Iran’s theocratic government, the dismantling of its nuclear program, and the destruction of the Iranian-affiliated Hezbollah terrorist group in Lebanon. That will make compromise very difficult.
US and Iran strikes shake the Mideast
Since the US and Israel started the war with the attack on Iran in Feb. 28, the conflict has shaken the world economy, driven up energy prices around the world and made food and other basic goods more expensive. The international benchmark for crude oil traded above $92 US a barrel on Wednesday, up more than 25 percent since the war began.
In the latest strikes, US warplanes targeted “air defenses, ground control stations and surveillance sites,” the military’s Central Command said. Iran acknowledged the strikes around Bandar Abbas and Qeshm Island, but did not provide details on the damage.
The US military has confirmed it has launched strikes against Iran over the downing of a US military jet off the coast of Oman – an incident US President Donald Trump blamed on the Islamic republic.
A senior Iranian official vowed a response, and Tehran later said it would attack Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan.
Jordan said it shot down the next five missiles, Iran said they targeted the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base. The base hosts American F-35 fighter jets and other aircraft. Jordan’s Petra news agency reported that there were no injuries.
Bahrain and Kuwait said they stopped the incoming fire, without elaborating.
Israeli airbase hit
An Israeli military official said on Wednesday that an airbase in northern Israel was hit on Sunday by an Iranian missile during a firefight. The missile destroyed a “non-critical area” of the Ramat David airbase and no one was injured, said the official, who was not named in accordance with military guidelines.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the US attack as a violation of Iranian sovereignty when he called his counterparts from Turkey and Saudi Arabia “and emphasized the natural right to self-defense, including retaliatory action,” according to a post on his office’s Telegram channel.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said in a televised interview on Wednesday that, following the new attack, Iran will review its position through negotiations to end the war.
Efforts to mediate an agreement continued. After talks with the US, a delegation from Qatar arrived in Tehran for talks on Wednesday, according to an official with knowledge of the visit who asked not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the talks.
Iran launched strikes on Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait, after the US retaliated by shooting down an Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz. US President Donald Trump has sent a clip of a TV show, with a fictional moderator demanding an ‘inappropriate’ response to the attack.
The exchange of fire came a day after a US Army attack helicopter crashed near the Strait of Hormuz after colliding with an Iranian drone, according to a US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation. It was not clear whether the collision was intentional.
A drone boat rescued both helicopter crew members, who Trump said were unharmed.
Trump says a deal is close, then says it’s taking too long
Before accusing Iran of shooting down a US helicopter, Trump expressed renewed optimism about talks with Iran, although he did not say why there was reason for optimism.
Although Trump, wary of high fuel prices in the run-up to congressional elections in November, appears to be looking for a quick victory, he is making demands that will be difficult for Iran to swallow.
The US wants to see Iran abandon its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. Although Iran maintains that its nuclear program is peaceful, that uranium is a short, technological step away from weapons-grade levels.
Iran refuses to give up uranium and wants relief from sanctions. It also wants the release of frozen assets even before a final deal is in place, something Trump has rejected.
It’s unclear how those differences can be bridged — and Trump has repeatedly threatened to walk away from the talks. His Truth Social post on Wednesday accused Iran of taking “too long to negotiate a deal that would have been good for them, now they will have to pay the price!!!”
Meanwhile, Iran has continued to insist that any ceasefire deal must end hostilities between its ally Hezbollah and Israel. Instead, Israel has stepped up its military campaign against the militant group.
Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Israel “will continue to fight against Iran and its proxies who threaten the Middle East and the whole world.”
The Israeli military said it launched several strikes in southern Lebanon in the past day, targeting Hezbollah infrastructure.
An airstrike in a village east of Tire killed at least six people, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported. It said two others were killed in a strike by Israeli forces that attacked a vehicle south of the city of Sidon.
