A fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran appeared to be hanging by a thread on Wednesday after the two sides exchanged fresh military strikes; President Donald Trump warned Tehran it would “pay the price” for delaying a deal, and Iran said it had targeted US-linked military facilities across Jordan and the Gulf.
The sharp escalation, one of the most serious direct exchanges since the April truce, came less than 48 hours after Trump said negotiations with Iran were in their “final” stage and that an agreement could be possible within days.
The immediate trigger was the reported downing of a US AH-64 Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most sensitive energy corridors.
President Trump told Fox News the crash on Monday was caused by an Iranian drone that became lodged in the gunship without exploding. US military officials described the subsequent American strikes on Qeshm Island and in the port city of Sirik, with residents also reporting explosions near Bandar Abbas and Jask, as limited self-defence action. They said the strikes hit Iranian air-defence systems, ground-control stations and surveillance radar sites near the strait. CENTCOM said, “This mission is a response in the context of unprovoked Iranian aggression.”
Meanwhile, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had responded with missiles and drones aimed at US military targets in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan. Tehran has claimed the attacks demonstrated that any facility used for operations against Iran would be treated as a target.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi sharpened that warning, saying Iran would leave no attack or threat unanswered. The message appeared directed not only at Washington but also at regional capitals hosting US military assets, as Tehran sought to underline that it would not separate American strikes on Iranian territory from the wider network of bases and logistical facilities used to support them.
According to Iran’s state news agency, spokesperson of Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ismail Baghaei, said that wherever the armed forces deem necessary, they respond to the enemy with their capabilities and power, and that last night’s events have shown that Iran’s armed forces do not hesitate in defending the country.
“Diplomacy and the battlefield are not separate matters; rather, they are linked to the protection of Iran’s interests and security,” he added.
The IRGC has also claimed a drone attack on the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain and said its Aerospace Force had launched long-range missiles at an airbase in Jordan that hosts US personnel. It said four key targets had been hit, including F-35 fighter jet hangars and a command-and-control centre. American and regional officials, however, noted air-defence systems intercepted a number of incoming projectiles, and there were no immediate reports of US casualties.
Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency has also claimed a new type of drone was used in an attack targeting a US base in Bahrain.
Hardening his tone further, Trump accused Iran of taking too long to negotiate a deal that, he said, could have benefited Tehran.
“Iran is all talk and no action,” he wrote, adding that Tehran would now “have to pay the price”. In later comments to US media, he said he was close to ordering new strikes on Iranian infrastructure, including bridges and power plants, if Iran refused to sign an agreement.
International law experts have previously warned that attacks on power plants, bridges, water systems or other dual-use infrastructure can raise serious questions of proportionality and distinction if they endanger civilian life.
The latest fighting also placed renewed pressure on mediators. Qatari negotiators travelled to Tehran on Wednesday after consultations with the United States in an effort to keep the diplomatic channel alive. The Iranian and Omani officials were also expected to discuss the latest developments, according to an Iranian news agency.
Still, retired US Gen Mark Kimmitt told media sources that the limited scope of the latest American and Iranian strikes could suggest both sides were trying to contain the crisis rather than broaden it. The US strikes appeared to have been limited to radar and missile-defence sites rather than broader strategic assets, but the coming hours would determine whether the ceasefire could survive or whether the two countries would slide into direct retaliatory operations.
The economic fallout was immediate. Brent crude rose after Mr Trump’s warning, with Reuters reporting that Brent futures were up about one per cent at $92.38 a barrel while US West Texas Intermediate was up 1.25 per cent at $89.30. Oil prices jumped after Trump’s post, having traded close to the previous session for much of the European morning.
Wall Street stocks also dipped early Wednesday following data showing an uptick in US inflation (rising 4.2 per cent year-on-year in May, up from April’s 3.8 per cent figure and a fresh three-year high).