Jon Gambrell and Phil Stewart
Updated ,first published
Dubai, United Arab Emirates: US President Donald Trump said Iran had taken too long to negotiate a deal and now “will have to pay the price”, threatening to “hit them hard again”, while Tehran said it would re-evaluate diplomatic cooperation with Washington after the tit-for-tat strike.
“Iran is talk and no action,” Trump said in a social media post on Wednesday (US time). “They have taken too long to negotiate a deal that would have been good for them, now they will have to pay the price!!!”
Asked by a reporter in the Oval Office what he meant by his post, Trump said: “We hit them hard yesterday, and we’re going to hit them hard again today.”
The United States launched airstrikes against Iran early Wednesday after it blamed Tehran for the downing of a U.S. attack helicopter, prompting fresh attacks from Iran and increasing retaliatory strikes that threaten to derail efforts to end the war.
In response, Iran launched attacks in Bahrain and Kuwait, both of which alerted and launched air defenses in response. Jordan also reported that it shot down five missiles that Iran had fired at an air base housing US troops.
A spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Tehran would reevaluate diplomatic cooperation with Washington after what it called repeated ceasefire violations. “Any diplomatic process requires a low-level stable environment,” Esmaeil Baghaei said.
The US strikes were the first US strikes against Iran since the ceasefire came into effect on April 8.
Since the US and Israel went to war by attacking Iran on February 28, the conflict has shaken the world economy, driven up energy prices and made many basics, including food, more expensive.
Officials have failed to turn the April ceasefire into a plan to end the conflict permanently, especially as Israel ramps up its military campaign against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.
The shooting down of an Apache attack helicopter by the United States has worsened the ceasefire, a day after Iran and Israel fired at each other for the first time since the fragile agreement came into force.
Iran’s state television said on Tuesday that Israeli strikes killed at least two members of the country’s air defense units.
New attacks shake the Middle East
Fighter jets from the US Air Force and Navy carried out strikes in Iran, US Central Command (Centcom) said, targeting “air defenses, ground control facilities, and radar surveillance sites”. Iran acknowledged the attacks around Bandar Abbas and Qeshm Island, but did not provide details on the damage.
“The operation was a proportionate response to recent attacks against US forces and international commercial vessels transiting regional waters,” Centcom said.
Meanwhile, Iran’s top diplomat said foreign military forces near its territory were in “constant danger” and later vowed that there would be a new response to the latest US attacks.
Iranian forces “will not leave any attack or threat unanswered”, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X. “Leave our territory if you want to be safe.”
Jordan said on Wednesday it shot down five missiles fired by Iran, which Iran said targeted the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, which houses US F-35 fighter jets and other aircraft.
Jordan’s state-run Petra news agency carried the statement from its army, which added that there were no casualties in the attack and that explosives experts had examined the debris from the attack.
Apache collided with Iranian drone, official says
A US military AH-64 Apache 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 accident was intentional, and official reports only said the accident was under investigation. CNN, CBS News, and other outlets reported the collision earlier.
In the first known operation of its kind by the US military, an unmanned aerial vehicle rescued the entire crew of the helicopter at 3.30am (Gulf time) on Tuesday, about two hours after their plane went down while on patrol off the coast of Oman, Centcom said.
The drone used in the rescue was a 7.3-meter vessel called the Corsair, Centcom spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins said. It was assigned to the US Navy’s 59th Task Force, established in 2021 as its first non-intelligence unit, focused on maritime security in the Middle East.
Trump said both crew members were “safe and unharmed”.
The AH-64 Apache helicopters have been an important asset for the US military as it enforces an embargo against Iranian crude oil shipments and oil tankers, seeking to pressure Tehran into a deal. The helicopters have also been used by the United Arab Emirates to shoot down Iranian drones.
Trump insists the Iran deal is coming
Before accusing Iran of shooting down the helicopter, Trump expressed renewed hope for talks with Iran, but did not say why there was reason for hope.
Mediators, led by Pakistan, have been trying for weeks to reach an agreement. However, Tehran and Washington have taken strong positions.
The United States wants to see Iran release its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, which is believed to have been buried by US airstrikes during the 12-day war in 2025. But Iran rejects that and wants the sanctions lifted. It also wants the release of frozen assets even before a final deal is made, which has been rejected by Trump.
The Israeli army said on Wednesday it launched several strikes in southern Lebanon in the past day, targeting Hezbollah infrastructure.
The continuation of the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah is still a top priority for Iran, while the Lebanese government has been taking a tough stance against Hezbollah but is still unable to disarm the powerful militia.
Reuters, AP
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