US President Donald Trump has warned that the United States will strike Iran “hard” on Wednesday, following a major overnight exchange of military strikes that has further escalated tensions in the Middle East.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Mr Trump defended Tuesday’s US strikes, which he said were launched after Iran shot down a US Army helicopter.
“We hit them hard yesterday, and we’re going to hit them hard again today,” Mr. Trump said, reiterating his demand for Tehran to “sign a deal” and claiming that Iran had been “completely defeated” militarily. He had earlier posted on social media that Iran had “taken too long to negotiate” and would now “pay the price”.
In response, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian posted on X, formerly Twitter, that Iran “will stand firm against any pressure or threat”.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) confirmed it had launched retaliatory strikes against US military bases in the region. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqai accused Washington of sabotage, stating the US was “damaging this diplomatic process through contradictory messages… and, worst of all, through repeated violations of the ceasefire.”
The military escalation has also intensified at sea. On Wednesday, the US military confirmed it had fired on an oil tanker, the Settebello, in the Gulf of Oman for allegedly violating a US-led blockade on Iranian ports.
The Indian government reported that 21 crew members were rescued from the vessel, while three Indian sailors remain missing.
The Settebello is the eighth commercial ship targeted by US forces since Washington imposed a naval blockade. The blockade was launched after Iran effectively closed the strategic Strait of Hormuz shipping lane, following joint US and Israeli air strikes on Tehran in February.
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