Full story
Strikes, ceasefire, and threats
The United States launched airstrikes early Wednesday against Iran, as Tehran fired back at countries in the region and U.S. President Donald Trump said more were on the way.
“DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- The United States launched airstrikes early Wednesday against Iran , and U”
Trump warned that Tehran would "pay the price" for stalled peace negotiations, and he told reporters at the White House, "We're going to hit them again hard today."
The escalation threatened to derail efforts to end the war, with the exchanges of fire coming after Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan—each hosting U.S. troops—came under Iranian fire.
In the latest strikes, U.S. fighter jets targeted "air defense, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites," according to the military's Central Command, while Iran acknowledged strikes around Bandar Abbas and Qeshm Island without giving details on damage.
The back-and-forth also tested a two-month ceasefire, with the ABC7 report saying it was the second time this week that strikes had tested the agreement after Iran and Israel targeted each other on Monday.
Iran reassesses talks
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ismail Baqai said Tehran is "reassessing" negotiations with the United States in light of American strikes on Iran last night, according to the Iranian agency ISNA.
Baqai accused the United States and Israel of "repeated violations of the ceasefire" and said diplomacy cannot "take place in a vacuum," adding that the minimum environment conducive to diplomacy must be provided for it to "work."
The CNN Arabic report said Iran announced retaliatory strikes on American targets in the region after coming under American fire, while the U.S. military said its strikes were in response to the downing of a military helicopter.
In parallel, the Jerusalem Post live updates described Trump’s stance toward Tehran, including that "No sustainable deal can be reached under threats, Iran's UN envoy says."
The same Jerusalem Post update also framed the broader dispute as a contest over leverage and timing, with Trump saying the U.S. was close to striking Iran's power plants and bridges over failing negotiations.
Negotiations under pressure
Despite the escalation, diplomacy continued alongside military messaging, with the Al Jazeera report describing how mutual strikes between the United States and Iran raised new questions about the fate of negotiations underway between the two sides.
“(CNN) – The spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry, Ismail Baqai, said that Tehran is "reassessing" negotiations with the United States in light of the American strikes on Iran last night, according to the Iranian agency ISNA”
Al Jazeera quoted former chairman of the Republican Party committee in Washington, Patrick Mara, saying the available data indicate the Iranian attack did not achieve its declared military objectives, adding that the missiles fired were intercepted in full.
The same report also included a different reading from Dr. Mohammed Saleh Sadqian, director of the Arab Center for Iranian Studies, who argued that the current military developments cannot be separated from the negotiating context between Washington and Tehran.
In the midst of that debate, the CNN Arabic account said Baqai accused the United States of undermining the process by sending "conflicting messages" and "repeatedly changing its positions and demands."
Meanwhile, the RFE/RL report said President Donald Trump vowed to hit Iran "very hard" if a peace deal is not finalized, and it cited Trump telling reporters at the White House, "We're going to be attacking them, attacking them very hard."
