Trump: Iran Asked Us to Stop the Strikes, If They Don’t Sign an Agreement, We’ll Wipe Them Out

The United States military struck numerous targets in Iran overnight, between Wednesday and Thursday, especially in the south of the country, following President Trump’s threats last night. In Washington, officials said the strikes were intended to apply additional pressure on Tehran as part of the talks over an agreement. Trump told Fox News that he had spoken with senior Iranian officials and halted the strikes at their request, while Iranian media denied that such a conversation took place. Trump added that if Iran does not sign the agreement tomorrow, “we’ll bomb the hell out of them.”

The American attack began shortly before midnight, and reports came in from across Iran of strikes and explosions in various areas, mainly near the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. military said that “Iranian military surveillance capabilities, communications systems and air defense sites” were hit. According to an Iranian report, one of the targets struck was a petrochemical reactor. In response to the strikes, Iran said it had decided to close the Strait of Hormuz to vessel traffic, including oil tankers and merchant ships. “Any vessel that passes will be targeted,” it said. The U.S. military denied this, claiming that even during the night ships continued to pass through the strait.

About an hour after the strike wave began, President Trump told Fox News that he had spoken directly with Iranian officials, who asked him to stop the bombing. According to him, 49 Tomahawk cruise missiles were launched at Iran as part of the operation. Trump also said that Israel was not involved in this round of strikes. He later told the network: “If Iran does not sign an agreement, we’ll bomb the hell out of them tomorrow.” Iran denied that any communication with Trump took place.

The progress of the diplomatic contacts between the sides is also in doubt. The New York Times reported that the Qatari mediation delegation left Tehran last night without progress in the talks, and that the chances of success in the contacts were significantly damaged. CNN, by contrast, reported that the Qatari delegation is still in Iran.

This is the second night in a row that the United States has attacked on Iranian soil. Yesterday, Trump announced that the United States intends to strike Iran again tonight in response to the downing of the American helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz. The refueling aircraft that took part in yesterday’s strike took off from Ben Gurion Airport, so Israel remains on high alert in its defense systems because of Trump’s statements.

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