President Trump promised Wednesday to make Iran “pay the price” for slow-rolling peace negotiations with the U.S. as American forces in the Middle East launched a new round of airstrikes.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Mr. Trump said he would “hit them hard again today” for being too slow during peace talks. Still, he said the bombing was mostly in reaction to the downing of a U.S. Army helicopter Monday.
“They should sign that deal,” Mr. Trump said. “They keep tapping us along. They keep playing us for suckers.”
Mr. Trump made similar comments on Truth Social earlier in the day, saying Iran was “all talk and no action” on a peace deal.
Videos circulated by Iranian media outlets Wednesday evening showed large black smoke clouds rising from buildings in Tehran.
The Pentagon launched strikes against targets in southern Iran on Tuesday in retaliation for the downing of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter, which the U.S. said was shot down by Iran.
Those strikes, which U.S. Central Command dubbed “self-defense strikes,” reportedly targeted Iranian air defenses and radar stations. State-affiliated media in Iran reported large explosions near the coastal cities of Bandar Abbas and Sirik, as well as the island of Qeshm.
State media reports from Iran also indicated that U.S. airstrikes may have hit water facilities in the south of the country, cutting off access to drinking water for thousands of citizens. Mr. Trump has previously promised to hit critical infrastructure, such as bridges and electrical power plants, in Iran.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian condemned the apparent attacks on the water facilities. He said it was a sign that the U.S. was desperate.
“Threats to target them — from transportation networks to the electricity and water industries — are not a show of strength but a sign of desperation in the face of a nation’s will.
“Iran, relying on the knowledge and capabilities of its specialists, national unity, and solidarity, will stand firm against any pressure or threat,” he wrote on X.
CENTCOM has not confirmed whether it intentionally targeted desalination plants in Iran on Tuesday.
Iran retaliated for the U.S. strikes overnight by targeting U.S. military installations in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain.
The militaries of all three nations reported intercepting drones and missiles early Wednesday. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it intended to target U.S. military installations across the Middle East.
The Arab League, a Cairo-based regional organization, condemned the attacks. Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said Iran was looking to escalate the conflict for its own needs.
“Such an approach is wholly unacceptable and reflects an Iranian effort aimed at undermining Arab regional security while simultaneously exerting pressure on the international community,” he wrote in a statement.
The Iranian attacks and the incoming U.S. airstrikes are likely to set back peace efforts, which have been dragging on for nearly two months. Mr. Trump said this week that the U.S. could sign a deal with Iran in a matter of days, yet there was little evidence of progress toward a comprehensive agreement to end hostilities.
A delegation from Qatar reportedly arrived in Iran on Wednesday to facilitate further peace negotiations with the U.S.
Pakistani and Qatari mediators have for weeks shuttled back and forth between the U.S. and Iran, ferrying various proposals for a “memorandum of understanding” that could set the stage for more in-depth conversations about Tehran’s nuclear program.
The memorandum could end Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which it has maintained for more than three months. The blockade has put extreme pressure on international energy markets and U.S. gas prices.
The U.S. average for a gallon of regular gasoline stood at $4.15 on Wednesday, down from $4.52 a month ago but up 39% since the start of the conflict, according to AAA. Crude oil prices, meanwhile, sat at around $82 a barrel, a near $20 increase from prewar levels.
In response, the U.S. launched its own naval blockade of Iran’s ports, not allowing any ship to enter or exit.
CENTCOM claimed responsibility Wednesday for disabling an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman, which it said was attempting to violate the blockade by transporting oil from Iran.
“CENTCOM disabled Palau-flagged M/T Settebello as it transited the Gulf of Oman. A U.S. aircraft fired precision munitions into the ship’s engine room after the crew repeatedly failed to comply with directions from American forces,” CENTCOM wrote on X.
U.S. naval forces have disabled eight “non-compliant vessels” and redirected 134 ships since the start of the blockade in April, according to CENTCOM.
In addition to the blockade, Mr. Trump said Wednesday that he directed the U.S. military last month to conduct a “secret mission” to help oil tankers pass through the Strait of Hormuz. He said the operation had successfully moved 200 ships through the waterway over the past month.
“This widely successful effort is because the United States of America controls the Strait of Hormuz — not Iran. Their military is defeated, and their economy is lost,” he wrote on Truth Social.
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