– U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday Iran had taken too long to negotiate a deal and would now “have to pay the price”, while Tehran said it would reassess diplomatic engagement with Washington after overnight tit-for-tat strikes.
Iran launched missile and drone attacks on U.S. bases in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain in what it called retaliation for American strikes on Iranian targets around the Strait of Hormuz.
The exchange of fire, which came after Trump said Iran had downed a U.S. Apache helicopter near the strait, marks one of the most significant escalations since Washington and Tehran agreed to a ceasefire in April.
“Iran is all talk and no action,” Trump said in a social media post on Wednesday morning. “They’ve taken too long to negotiate a deal that would have been great for them, now they will have to pay the price!!!”
The U.S. military said it had targeted Iranian air defences, ground control stations and surveillance radar sites in what it described as a “proportional response” to the downing of the helicopter, whose two crew members were rescued by a drone boat.
Iran’s Gulf neighbours and Jordan activated air defences to intercept incoming missiles and there were no immediate reports of damage to U.S. bases.
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The escalation – just days after Iran exchanged strikes with Israel for the first time since the ceasefire – casts fresh doubt on prospects for a deal to end the war, which began on February 28 with joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Tehran would reassess diplomatic engagement with Washington after what it called repeated ceasefire violations. “Any diplomatic process requires a minimum stable environment,” Esmaeil Baghaei said.
Oil prices rose and stock markets fell after Trump’s remarks, which came at the end of a longer message about Iran’s military capability, and appeared just minutes after a much longer post criticising a TV host for poor ratings.
Fox News, citing a phone interview, reported that Trump said he may order new strikes on Iran’s power plants and bridges because Tehran was taking too long to make a deal.
Still, there were signs diplomatic efforts were continuing. A delegation from Qatar, which has been mediating between the United States and Iran, landed in Tehran on Wednesday to hold talks about the latest developments related to diplomatic efforts to end the war, Iranian state media reported.
STRIKES AROUND HORMUZ
The U.S. strikes overnight lasted about four hours, with Central Command saying shortly before 9 p.m. ET (0100 GMT Wednesday) that operations had ended. A U.S. official said nearly 20 Iranian targets were hit.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Qeshm Island and the port of Sirik were attacked. Iranian media also reported explosions in Bandar Abbas, another port city, and later near Jask at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz.
On Wednesday, two crew members of a tanker were missing and another injured after what British maritime security company Ambrey described as a suspected missile strike by U.S. forces imposing their blockade of Iran-related shipping. U.S. CENTCOM did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The IRGC said it had responded to the U.S. attacks on Iran by attacking U.S. bases in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan with drones and missiles.
It said it had fired long-range missiles at four sites at the U.S. al-Azraq base in Jordan, including F-35 fighter jet hangars and a command-and-control centre.
A U.S. official said initial assessments showed nearly all Iranian missiles and drones were intercepted, with no immediate reports of casualties or damage. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Reuters could not immediately verify the battlefield reports.
Jordan’s military said it had intercepted five missiles launched toward al-Azraq, and that falling debris caused no injuries or damage.
Kuwait’s defence ministry said it had intercepted “hostile aerial targets”, while Bahrain’s air defences repelled Iranian attacks, a media adviser to the king said on X. Kuwait houses U.S. military facilities including a major airbase, while Bahrain hosts the headquarters of the U.S. Navy’s regional fleet.
PEACE DEAL APPEARS REMOTE
The ceasefire in early April was announced alongside plans for peace talks. Diplomats have since sought to reopen Hormuz, end a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports and create a pathway for negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme.
Trump has repeatedly said a deal is close, but despite several rounds of indirect talks mediated by Pakistan and Qatar, the two sides still appear far apart.
Fighting in a parallel war between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon has continued, and Tehran has maintained restrictions on shipping through the strait, which before the war carried a fifth of the world’s crude oil and liquefied natural gas. Washington has kept up its own blockade.
Trump has said any peace deal must ensure Iran cannot develop a nuclear weapon. Iran denies any such ambitions.
Iran’s demands include the lifting of sanctions, the release of billions of dollars in frozen assets, recognition of its control of the strait and an end to fighting in Lebanon.
