U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday the resumption of airstrikes against Iran following the downing of an American Apache helicopter and the delay in reaching an agreement after negotiations with Tehran, international news agencies report.
„We hit them very hard yesterday, we’ll hit them very hard again today (…), we’re resuming the bombings,” Trump said in front of the press in the Oval Office, after new attacks on Iran were already carried out on Tuesday.
"We have the right to do it (to attack)," he said. "You already know, they shot down (the Apache helicopter) an incredible machine, truly incredible. And initially, they said they didn't do it, but then they admitted," he said about that helicopter, whose crew of two soldiers was rescued.
"We were really close to reaching an agreement, but they continue to try to deceive us, they make fun of us," said the U.S. President. "We want a substantial agreement, an agreement that works," he insisted.
According to Trump, Iran agreed not to pursue a nuclear weapon, but the agreement is still not signed.
Iran defies Trump
Tehran defied Donald Trump's threats, Ebrahim Azizi, the chairman of the Iranian Parliament's National Security Committee, warned that this time the war will not be limited only to the Gulf region.
"We are not afraid to fight against the defeated. The number of American casualties is already much higher than Trump acknowledges, and it will increase. This time, the war will not be limited to this region. We'll see what happens!" wrote Ebrahim Azizi, the chairman of the Iranian Parliament's National Security Committee.
In turn, the President of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian, stated that Trump's threats to target critical Iranian infrastructure "are not a show of strength, but a sign of desperation."
A delegation from Qatar has arrived in Tehran
Meanwhile, a delegation from Qatar has arrived in Tehran for consultations on bilateral relations, regional developments, and diplomatic efforts related to the conflict with the United States, according to the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) public television.
IRIB reported that the visit will include discussions on the relations between the two countries, as well as an exchange of views on the latest developments in what it described as a diplomatic process aimed at ending the "U.S.-imposed war" against Iran.
The source cited by News.ro did not immediately provide additional details about the delegation, who leads it, or the duration of the visit.
President Donald Trump declared on Wednesday that Iran has delayed too much in reaching an agreement and that "will have to pay the price," subsequently stating that the U.S. will hit Iran "very hard."
In turn, Tehran announced that it will reassess diplomatic relations with the U.S. following what it called repeated violations of the ceasefire.
These tensions arise from an exchange of fire marking one of the most significant escalations since Washington and Tehran agreed to a ceasefire in April.
The reciprocal attacks were triggered by the crash of an American helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz, for which Washington blamed an Iranian drone, and the U.S. responded by attacking 20 Iranian targets around the strait. Iran then launched missile and drone attacks on American bases in Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain, where no casualties or significant damage to facilities were reported.