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President Donald Trump warned Wednesday that Iran will “pay the price” after what he described as delays in reaching a peace agreement, raising new uncertainty around negotiations aimed at ending the conflict and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
In a Truth Social post, the president accused Tehran of stalling talks and sharply escalated his rhetoric after recent military exchanges between the United States and Iran.
“Iran is all talk and no action,” he wrote, describing the country’s military as a “complete and total mess.”
“The Bully of the Middle East is DEAD!!!” he added.
The comments marked a dramatic shift from President Trump’s more optimistic tone earlier this week, when he suggested a deal could be imminent.
“We’re in the final throes of what will be a very, very good deal,” he said Tuesday regarding negotiations to end the conflict that began after U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February.
It remains unclear whether President Trump’s latest warning signals a broader policy change or is intended as pressure on Iran to make concessions during negotiations. The escalating rhetoric followed a fresh round of military exchanges after President Trump accused Iran of downing a U.S. military helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz.
According to a U.S. official, American airstrikes on Wednesday targeted roughly 20 Iranian military sites, including ground-control stations, surveillance radar systems, air-defense infrastructure, and launch facilities connected to Iranian missile and drone operations.
The strikes focused on locations around Bandar Abbas, Goruk, Jask and Qeshm Island, areas tied to Iran’s military presence near the strategic waterway.
U.S. officials said the strikes were intended to degrade Iran’s ability to launch attacks against commercial shipping and American forces operating in the region.
Iran responded overnight by launching missiles and drones toward locations in Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait, according to a U.S. official. Many of the projectiles reportedly targeted bases housing American personnel.
Most of the incoming threats were intercepted, officials said, and there were no immediate reports of U.S. casualties or major damage.