US President Donald Trump and Iranian officials have escalated their rhetoric following a series of military strikes between the two nations. Trump asserted that Tehran "took too long to negotiate a deal" and would now "have to pay the price," though he did not specify what that would entail. He declared that Iran had been "completely defeated" and was "all talk and no action."
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded by vowing that his country would "leave no attack or threat unanswered," accusing the US of suffering "defeats on the battlefield."
The exchanges come after the US military struck Iranian sites on Wednesday, retaliating for the downing of a US Army helicopter in the Gulf. Iran then launched strikes on US bases in the region. According to the US military's Central Command (Centcom), the American strikes targeted Iranian defense systems, ground control stations, and radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reported hitting 21 targets at US bases in Bahrain and Jordan. Kuwait's army also confirmed it was intercepting an attack.
On his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote: "Iran's Military is a complete and total mess... They have been completely defeated." He added: "They've taken too long to negotiate a deal that would have been great for them, now they will have to pay the price!!!"
These remarks contrast sharply with Trump's comments a day earlier, when he told journalists the US and Iran were "in the final throes of what will be a very, very good deal."
Iran's foreign ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baqai, accused the US of "damaging this diplomatic process through contradictory messages... and repeated violations of the ceasefire." He said Iran needed to reassess the situation, emphasizing that any diplomatic process requires a minimum of stability.