President Donald Trump affirmed that Iran will now “have to pay the price” after taking “too long to negotiate” a peace agreement to end the conflict in the Middle East.
“Iran’s Military is a complete and total mess. Much of it, like their Navy and Air Force, doesn’t even exist anymore - They have been completely defeated,” President Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “Iran is all talk and no action. The Bully of the Middle East is DEAD!!! They’ve taken too long to negotiate a deal that would have been great for them, now they will have to pay the price!!!”
CENTCOM Announces "Proportional Response"
President Trump’s statements come after U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that the U.S. launched “self-defense strikes” against the Islamic Republic at the behest of President Trump.
The strikes were made in response to the recently downed U.S. Army Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz, which President Trump accused Iran of doing, despite no confirmation.
“The mission is a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression,” CENTCOM wrote in a statement on X. “U.S. forces remain vigilant and postured to defend against unjustified Iranian aggression,” CENTCOM added in a subsequent post.
Iran's Army Fires Back
According to Iran’s Mehr News Agency, the Iranian army launched a wave of drone strikes targeting U.S. bases and radar installations of the U.S.Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain.
The Iranian army said it performed its operation in response to "the mischief and harassment of the terrorist American army" against people in Iran's southern coastal regions.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) additionally confirmed its Aerospace Force command struck a U.S. airbase in Jordan, hitting four key targets, including hangars housing F-35 fighter jets and a command-and-control center of the "child-killing U.S. army."
"Our forces are ready to deliver a crushing and decisive response to any renewed aggression, and the consequences of any further aggression rest with the American enemy," the IRGC said, additionally confirming the Iran army’s 21 strikes against U.S. bases and the downing of an attack drone.
