Trump threatens 'very hard' new strikes on Iran, says deal is fully negotiated but Tehran is 'stalling'

A ceasefire in name only

US President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that the United States would attack Iran again 'very hard' later that day, despite a ceasefire in place since 8 April. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said, 'We hit them hard yesterday and we will hit them hard again today.' He refused to rule out strikes on civilian infrastructure, including power plants and bridges, telling Fox News he was increasingly considering such targets.

We were really on the verge of reaching an agreement, but they keep stringing us along, they are making fools of us.

The latest escalation follows the downing of a US Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, which Washington blamed on Tehran. In retaliation, US forces bombed Iranian air defence installations, ground control stations, and radar facilities in the Strait of Hormuz area overnight Tuesday into Wednesday. Iran then claimed responsibility for attacks on US bases in Bahrain and Jordan, including with ballistic missiles.

A fully negotiated deal, 38 times over

Trump insisted that a comprehensive agreement with Iran had been fully negotiated and was ready for signature. 'Everything they have to do is start signing a document. It is fully negotiated,' he said. According to a CNN tally cited by ORF, Trump has announced an imminent deal with Tehran at least 38 times since before the 8 April truce, across social media posts, public appearances, and media calls.

They took too long to negotiate a deal that would have been great for them, now they must bear the consequences!

Trump also declared Iran's military largely defeated, writing on Truth Social that its forces were 'total chaos' and that the navy and air force no longer existed. 'They have been completely defeated,' he wrote, adding that 'the tyrant of the Middle East is DEAD!!!' He described the US naval blockade of Iranian ports as a 'STEEL WALL' that had crippled the country's economy.

Regional spillover widens

Beyond the direct US-Iran exchanges, the overnight violence rippled across the Gulf. Kuwait's army reported engaging 'hostile aerial targets' without specifying their origin. Bahraini authorities said they intercepted multiple attacks, while the Jordanian military confirmed it destroyed five missiles targeting the town of Azraq, site of a US base. The US also announced it had disabled an oil tanker attempting to breach the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.

Diplomacy under strain

Iran's Foreign Ministry said diplomacy was being 'undermined by the use of force' and denounced 'repeated violations of the ceasefire' by the United States. An Iranian military spokesman said Tehran had already demonstrated it would respond appropriately to threats. Meanwhile, a Qatari delegation arrived in Tehran for diplomatic talks, according to the Iranian news agency Isna, with discussions focused on efforts to secure a permanent end to the war. Qatar joins Pakistan and Oman as key mediators between the two parties.

Diplomacy is being undermined by the use of force.

A war since late February

The conflict began on 28 February with a US and Israeli campaign against Iran. Trump initially promised a swift victory, a narrative he has maintained despite weeks of stalled negotiations. The 8 April ceasefire has grown increasingly fragile, with ARD correspondent Gudrun Engel noting from Washington that 'one can no longer speak of a ceasefire' given the renewed exchanges and the fragile situation across the region.