Donald Trump has vowed Iran will “pay the price” after taking too long to agree a peace deal, as the US launched fresh missile strikes and Tehran retaliated against American bases in the region.
“Iran is all talk and no action. The Bully of the Middle East is DEAD!!! They’ve taken too long to negotiate a deal that would have been great for them, now they will have to pay the price!!!” the US president posted to social media Wednesday.
“Trump vows Iran will 'pay the price' after US strikes and Iranian retaliation escalate crisis”
The threat came hours after the US military fired missiles at Iran in response to Tehran’s forces shooting down an American Apache helicopter. Fighter jets from the US Air Force and Navy conducted the strikes, the US military’s Central Command said, targeting “air defence, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites”.
Iran hit back with new attacks of its own, striking sites in Bahrain and Kuwait as well as Jordan, which reported shooting down five missiles directed at an air base hosting US forces. Sirens were activated in Bahrain as explosions were reported at a port on Iran’s southern coast.
“CENTCOM will be busy tonight because we are going to hit Iran hard,” US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth told reporters, adding that Iran had “a chance to make a great deal” but had not been willing. “They are going to have tap, tap, tap bombs dropping on key facilities in Iran from the U.S. – it is not to restart the war but to set the terms for a deal,” he said.
Ebrahim Azizi, head of the Iranian parliament’s national security committee, warned the war would not be “limited to the region” after Trump’s comments. “We’re not afraid of fighting losers,” he said, adding that “this time, the war won’t be limited to the region”.
The latest escalation – triggered by the downing of the US helicopter and the failure of negotiations – raises the prospect of a broader conflict as both sides refuse to back down.