Iran and U.S. Exchange Fire, Trump Says More May Come

Iran launched retaliatory strikes on 21 United States military bases in the Middle East early this morning in response to the wave of U.S. defensive strikes launched yesterday, with President Donald Trump now preparing for further military action.

According to the U.S. Central Command, the U.S. strikes were a “proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression” after Iran shot down a U.S. Apache helicopter the previous day. The aircraft was patrolling along the Strait of Hormuz when it was hit, landing off the coast of Oman while carrying two crew members who were rescued shortly after.

“This is a response to what they did with our helicopter last night,” President Donald Trump told ABC News shortly after ordering the strikes. “And I believe the response should be very strong, very powerful and that’s what this one is.”

Iran's most recent strikes on the U.S. prompted President Trump to condemn its military and diplomacy, writing in a post on Truth Social that "Iran is all talk and no action."

In an interview with Fox News, Trump said he is close to ordering new strikes on Iran for taking too long to reach a deal.

These military escalations contradict what President Trump has been saying in recent weeks. A day before the U.S. and Iran exchanged defense strikes, Trump posted on social media that the war would end in “two or three days” and that peace talks were progressing.

Trump has also claimed the war would end 37 times now, CNN recently reported.

Increasing military tension between U.S. ally Israel and Lebanon has not helped these alleged peace negotiations. Last week, Israel advanced military operations in Lebanon, prompting Iran to pause talks with the U.S. and leading Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf to warn of this continued escalation.

“The naval blockade against the Iranian nation and America's green light today to the Zionist regime turn American and regime bases and assets in the region into legitimate targets,” Qalibaf wrote on X. “The hand of our armed forces is open, as always.”

Qalibaf later stated that Trump's promises of a fast-approaching deal with Iran "contradicted the agreed-upon sections," and that the U.S. is "neither seeking a ceasefire nor dialogue."