Trump Says He Is "Close to Ordering Strikes on Power Stations and Bridges in Iran"

Reuters reported today (Wednesday) that a delegation of mediators from Qatar arrived in Tehran, following consultations with Washington, with the goal of advancing negotiations between Iran and the United States. According to reports in Iran, members of the delegation are also expected to discuss regional developments and relations between the two countries.

But even as diplomatic efforts continue, U.S. President Donald Trump published a series of sharp remarks against the Islamic Republic. In a post on the social network Truth Social, he wrote: "It took them far too long to negotiate a deal that would have been great for them, now they will have to pay the price!"

Trump claimed that the condition of Iran’s military is dire: "They are in total disarray. A large part of it, like their navy and air force, does not even exist anymore — they were completely defeated." He added that "Iran is all talk, and no action. The bully of the Middle East is dead!"

In an interview with Fox News, the American president sharpened his message and declared that he is close to making a decision on expanding military action against Iran. In his words, "I am close to ordering additional strikes in Iran, including power stations and bridges." 

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf threatened: "Despite the deaths of commanders and scientists, the progress of science and knowledge has not stopped, and the country’s defense and deterrence capabilities have not diminished. Any aggression against Iran will be met with a decisive and immediate response." He later added: "Any aggression will be answered with a direct and decisive response. The path to victory runs through resistance and martyrdom."

The remarks come after a night of significant military escalation between the countries. Shortly after midnight, U.S. Central Command announced that it had launched attacks against targets in Iran. The statement said this was a "proportionate response to the unjustified Iranian attack." The American strikes came after an American Apache helicopter was shot down over the Strait of Hormuz.

In Iran, explosions were reported in the eastern part of Hormozgan Province, near the port of Sirik, on Qeshm Island, and in the Bandar Abbas area. Fox News correspondent Jennifer Griffin reported that the targets included radar systems, air defense systems, and additional military facilities.

In response to the strikes, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards announced that they had carried out attacks against several American targets in the region. In their statement, they claimed that "we attacked the Fifth Fleet in Bahrain using UAVs." They also said that four sites at the American Al-Azraq base in Jordan were attacked with long-range missiles, and that the targets included, according to their claim, F-35 aircraft hangars and command centers.

The Iranians also claimed that in the American strikes, a communications tower and two water reservoirs in the Sirik area were damaged, and they warned of "more severe responses" if "American hostility continues." At the same time, Bahrain and Kuwait reported the activation of air defense systems.