Trump says more U.S. strikes on Iran are a real option

After once again threatening Iran and saying he was “close to resuming the strikes in Iran,” U.S. President Donald Trump told Channel 13 today (Wednesday) that “additional American strikes in Iran are a real option.” Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf responded to the threats, saying: “Any aggression will be met with a direct and decisive response.” An Iranian army spokesman added: “We have already proven that we respond appropriately to threats.”

Shortly before that, Trump wrote on his social network TRUTH that “the Iranian military is in complete chaos, most of it, like the navy and air force, no longer even exists. They were completely defeated. Iran is all talk and no action. The bully of the Middle East is dead.” He added: “They have taken too long negotiating over a deal that was great for them, and now they will pay the price.”

Meanwhile, a Fox News reporter said he spoke with Trump by phone, and that the president said he was close to ordering additional strikes in Iran. “During the ceasefire, the Iranians tried to rebuild their missile system, and now we hit it in the latest strike,” Trump said. “It is taking them far too long to make a deal, they had a chance to make a deal and survive.”

At the same time, Vice President J.D. Vance told USA TODAY that he was “confident that in a year we will not be talking about American involvement in Iran. President Trump will not let this become a quagmire for Americans.”

Earlier today, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that “war is certainly not in the country’s interest, but only in a dream will the enemy see surrender from us or a compromise on our positions.” He added: “Martyrdom is a great victory, but it is in no way acceptable for the enemy to be able to kill our commanders so easily.”

At the same time, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei was asked by media in the Islamic Republic about the progress of talks with the United States, against the backdrop of the overnight exchange of fire, and said that “we must examine this in light of last night’s events.” “Diplomacy and the military campaign are not two separate fields,” Baghaei said. “Together they are tools for preserving Iran’s interests and national security.” He added: “There is also full coordination in the diplomatic sphere among all branches of government, and wherever necessary the tool of diplomacy will be used, and wherever circumstances require it, military force, in order to defend the country. Wherever necessary, our armed forces will respond to the enemy with force.”

During the night, the United States attacked 20 targets in Iran in response to the downing of an Apache helicopter, according to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). The statement said it was a “proportional response to Iranian unprovoked aggression.” In response, Iran launched a barrage of missiles and drones toward American targets in Gulf states and in Jordan. After the fire, Iran strongly condemned the “American aggression” and continued to issue threats in a statement from the Iranian Foreign Ministry: “We remind that the countries of the region bear responsibility for preventing the use of their territory and facilities by the American army and the Israeli entity. The United States brutally attacked southern Iran under the pretext of downing an Apache helicopter over the Strait of Hormuz. This is a blatant violation of the UN Charter, which proves the criminal nature of the current American administration.”

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump reposted CENTCOM’s statement and added a video of a famous scene from the series The West Wing, showing an American president opposing a proportional response. In addition, an American official told CNN: “The strikes were intended as a warning shot, the president believes they will not harm the negotiations to end the war.”

At the same time, the Iranian news agency Mehr reported that a distant explosion was heard on Qeshm Island. According to the report, “the source of the explosion may have been movements made in the Strait of Hormuz.”

The American attack helicopter, an Apache, crashed yesterday near the Strait of Hormuz, and both crew members were rescued safely. The American strikes came after President Trump addressed the downing of the helicopter, saying: “The Iranians shot down one of our most sophisticated helicopters, which was patrolling over the Strait of Hormuz.” Trump wrote on his Truth social network: “Two pilots were involved in the incident, and neither was injured. Nevertheless, the United States must, of course, respond to this attack.” Shortly afterward, a senior American official told the Saudi network Al-Hadath that the Iranian drone collided with the helicopter off the coast of Oman: “We assess that it was intentional.”