US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that Iran has taken too long to negotiate a deal and warned that the Islamic Republic will now have to pay the price.
In a social media post on Truth Social, Trump repeated his claim that Iran’s military is non-existent and the country has been “completely defeated”.
“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. Iran is all talk and no action. The Bully of the Middle East is DEAD!!!” Trump said.
He further added, “They’ve taken too long to negotiate a deal that would have been great for them, now they will have to pay the price!!!”
In another post, he vented his anger at the media for allegedly not reporting about the “effectiveness” of the US military blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.
According to Trump, the blockade is the “most successful” in the history of naval warfare.
“The Fake News Media refuses to report how EFFECTIVE the U.S. Naval BLOCKADE is, the most successful Blockade in the history of Naval Warfare. NOTHING GETS THROUGH unless we want it to. IT IS A STEEL WALL! Iran is doing ZERO business, not paying their military, or any of their bills, and quickly becoming a FAILED NATION! Lots of oil is getting out,” he added.
His remarks suggesting that the US may be considering launching fresh strikes on Iran came after an overnight exchange of attacks between the two sides.
While the US targeted Iranian sites with missiles, Tehran retaliated by launching attacks on US assets in several Gulf countries.
The fresh escalation in the war has overshadowed the diplomatic efforts to bring an end to the war that has disrupted the global economy.
The overnight US strikes came in retaliation for Iran’s downing of a US Apache attack helicopter over the Strait of Hormuz on Monday night.
US actions have ‘damaged’ diplomacy, says Iran
Meanwhile, Iran has said that it will reassess the situation, saying American actions have ‘damaged’ diplomacy.
When asked about the ongoing talks, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei asserted that Tehran will reassess the situation following the overnight US strikes.