United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday warned that American forces would launch fresh attacks on Iran, citing stalled negotiations to end the conflict and Tehran’s alleged role in the downing of a US Army Apache helicopter.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump expressed frustration over what he described as Iran’s reluctance to finalise a peace agreement despite months of negotiations.
“We’re going to be attacking them very hard,” Trump said, adding that the helicopter incident gave the United States justification for further military action.
The president revealed that U.S. forces had already carried out strikes against Iranian targets on Tuesday and indicated that additional operations could follow within hours.
“We hit them hard yesterday. We’re going to hit them again hard today, and we’ll see what happens with the deal,” he said.
Trump maintained that a framework for ending the war had already been negotiated and accused Iran of deliberately delaying the process.
“All they have to do is start signing a paper. It’s fully negotiated,” he said. “But they keep asking for more time. I don’t know what they’re doing.”
Despite the threats, diplomatic efforts remain ongoing. A source familiar with the talks told CNN that a Qatari delegation is currently in Tehran meeting with Iranian negotiators in a bid to bridge the remaining differences between both sides.
The latest developments come amid a dangerous escalation in the conflict. Iran has claimed responsibility for retaliatory attacks on U.S. military installations in Jordan and Kuwait following American strikes linked to the reported downing of the Apache helicopter.
Explosions were also reported around the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping route. Iranian state media said two water reservoirs were damaged during the strikes, disrupting water supply in parts of the region.
When asked whether future U.S. attacks could target civilian infrastructure, including bridges and power facilities, Trump declined to rule out the possibility, insisting that Tehran was wasting time instead of concluding the agreement.
The renewed exchange of threats and military action has raised concerns that efforts to secure a lasting ceasefire may be slipping further out of reach, despite ongoing mediation by regional and international actors. :::
