After mutual attacks, US President Donald Trump has threatened Iran again. “It took them too long to negotiate a deal that was great for them, now they have to face the consequences!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform in the afternoon, referring to the negotiations on a framework agreement between the two countries that have been dragging on for weeks. Exactly what consequences Trump meant remained unclear.
At the same time, he once again declared Iran’s military largely defeated. The Iranian armed forces are “a mess,” he wrote. Large parts of it, such as the navy and air force, no longer existed. “They have been completely defeated,” Trump continued, “the tyrant of the Middle East is DEAD!!!” Days ago, in an interview with NBC News, the US President estimated that Iran still had a good fifth of its missile arsenal. That’s still a lot of missiles, but not what they had at the beginning, Trump added.
Trump: US blockade acts like a “steel wall”
Trump also emphasized on Truth Social that Iran is severely weakened economically. The US blockade of Iranian ports is extremely effective and acts like a “STEEL WALL,” the president wrote. The Islamic Republic could no longer do any business or finance its bills or its military.
In response to the de facto blockade of the strait by Iran, the USA itself imposed a blockade of Iranian ports in order to weaken the country, which relies economically on oil trade. The USA has been trying for a long time – so far in vain – to make the Strait of Hormuz freely navigable again. Global energy prices shot up when the war began, putting pressure on the Trump administration.
Mutual attacks continue
The USA and Iran attacked each other again on Wednesday night despite a ceasefire and ongoing negotiations to end the war in the Gulf region. In response to the downing of a US helicopter, the military in Iran bombed anti-aircraft installations, ground control stations and radar systems in the Strait of Hormuz area, the Centcom regional command announced on X. According to Iranian media, Tehran then attacked US bases in the Gulf region and in Jordan, including with ballistic missiles. Kuwait’s anti-aircraft defense was deployed, according to the army. Sirens were ringing again in Bahrain.
The US military spoke of a “proportionate” response to the Iranian shooting down of the Apache attack helicopter off the coast of Oman. On Tuesday evening, Trump blamed Iran for the shoot-down and announced retaliation.
According to US media reports, the attacks in Iran occurred in three waves and targeted around 20 targets. Iranian media reported, among other things, explosions in the city of Sirik on the Strait of Hormuz and on the island of Gheshm. There were also reports of impacts in the area of the large city of Bandar Abbas. According to the Iranian news agency Tasnim, two water tanks in Sirik were hit.
According to Iranian sources, thousands of residents on the southern coast are without water after the nightly US attacks. The drinking water supply to the town of Kuhestak in Hormuzgan province and ten other villages was completely interrupted, the Mehr news agency reported, citing an official.
Report: Delegation from Qatar for talks in Tehran
At the beginning of the Iran war, which has been going on since the end of February, the US government promised a quick victory within four to six weeks. However, efforts to end the war and open the strategically important Strait of Hormuz to shipping and oil trade have been stalling for weeks.
According to a report, a delegation from the Gulf emirate of Qatar arrived in Tehran for diplomatic talks on the Iran war. As the Iranian news agency Isna reported, the visit will discuss efforts to bring a permanent end to the war.
Along with Pakistan and Oman, Qatar is one of the important mediators in the Iran war. Recently, military tensions and mutual attacks between the USA and Iran have fueled concerns about a new escalation. The warring parties have been negotiating a permanent end to the conflict for weeks, but so far there has been no breakthrough.
Officially, there has been a ceasefire in the Iran war for two months. But recently it seemed to be becoming more fragile day by day: the conflict had already escalated dangerously on Sunday with Iranian missile attacks on Israel. Israel then attacked targets in Iran. Trump called on both countries for an “immediate” ceasefire, after which both sides declared that they would stop their attacks.
Amid the tensions in the Iran war, there were again serious attacks by the Israeli army in Lebanon. The state news agency NNA reported numerous air strikes in large parts of the south and east of the country. Around a dozen people were killed. According to its own statements, Israel’s army is taking action against Hezbollah and its facilities in the south of the neighboring country.
