Donald Trump has issued a stern warning to Iran, stating they will “pay the price” for not reaching a peace agreement after prolonged discussions.
In a statement on Truth Social, Trump criticized Iran’s military capabilities, saying, “Iran’s Military is in shambles. Much of it, like their Navy and Air Force, is practically nonexistent now—they’ve been thoroughly defeated. Iran is all talk and no action. The Middle East bully is gone!”
He further commented, “They’ve dragged their feet on a deal that would have been beneficial to them, and now they’ll face the consequences!”
Trump’s remarks follow a series of strikes he authorized against Iran. These strikes were in response to the downing of an Apache helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz. Both pilots survived the incident, which Trump described as a “miracle,” noting that an Iranian drone became lodged between the pilots without detonating.
A senior U.S. official revealed to Fox News Digital that on Tuesday night, 20 targets within Iran were successfully struck.
On Wednesday, Trump indicated that he might direct the US military to strike Iranian infrastructure, specifically bridges and power plants.
Speaking in an interview with Fox News, Trump explained that the potential escalation comes because Iran’s leadership has delayed progress on peace negotiations.
‘I may keep going,’ Trump stated. ‘They had a chance to sign a deal and survive.’
He further noted that Tehran has merely been ‘tapping the US along’ in discussions that have ultimately yielded few results.
Donald Trump warned Iran will ‘pay the price’ after failing to strike a peace deal after months of negotiations
In a separate post today, Trump slammed the ‘fake news’ media, claiming it ‘refuses to report how effective the US Naval blockade is.’
He continued: ‘Nothing gets through unless we want it to. It is a steel wall!Â
Trump proceeded to call Iran a ‘failed nation,’ claiming Tehran ‘is doing zero business, not paying their military, or any of their bills,’ finishing the post with a ‘Praise be to Allah!’Â
This escalation in US tone comes after Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps promised a ‘decisive response to the US aggression’, according to the Tasnim news agency.
The US and Iran have been locked in a stalemate for weeks, with Trump insisting that a peace deal is close, only for it to fall apart.
Trump remains adamant that Iran must give up its nuclear ambitions, while Tehran has demanded that any deal must include a truce in Lebanon.
US Central Command said Tuesday that it launched ‘self-defense strikes against Iran’ at Trump’s direction in response to the downing of a US Army Apache helicopter with two pilots – both unharmed. The Apache is the second crewed aircraft shot down by Iran during the war, following the loss of an F-15 fighter jet in April.
‘The mission is a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression.’
Fighter jets from the U.S. Air Force and Navy targeted ‘air defense, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites’ in Iran, which acknowledged strikes around Bandar Abbas and Qeshm Island, but gave no details on the damage.
The US airstrikes prompted a fresh wave of attacks from Tehran, with strikes targeting sites in Bahrain and Kuwait, which both sounded alerts and fired air defenses in response.
An oil tanker burns after being hit by an Iranian strike in the ship-to-ship transfer zone at Khor al-Zubair port near Basra, Iraq, on March 11
US Central Command said two pilots were rescued from a Middle Eastern waterway after their aircraft crashed off the coast of Oman. The President confirmed that Iran was responsible
The helicopter was brought down by an Iranian Shahed drone, with one US official saying it remains unclear whether the aircraft was initially targeted
Taking to his Truth Social account, Trump wrote: ‘Iran’s Military is a complete and total mess
Iranian forces ‘will leave no attack or threat unanswered,’ Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X. ‘Leave our region if you want to be safe.’
Jordan also reported shooting down five missiles that Iran shot at an air base hosting US forces.
Over the weekend, Iran launched missiles at Israel after it attacked Tehran’s proxy terror group Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Israel retaliated, but the two sides agreed to halt attacks on Monday after Trump’s demand for the strikes to stop.
Iranian state media reported on Tuesday that three people including two members of the Army Air Defense Force were killed in the Israeli strikes.Â
No deaths were reported in Israel following the exchange.
They also reported early Tuesday that Tehran’s international airport, closed during the missile exchanges, had reopened, allowing flights carrying hajj pilgrims from Saudi Arabia to land.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.Â