The U.S. military launched a fresh wave of strikes against multiple targets in Iran on Wednesday evening after President Donald Trump warned Tehran would “pay the price” for dragging out negotiations aimed at ending the conflict.
“U.S. Central Command forces began launching additional self-defense strikes today at 5:15 p.m. ET against multiple targets in Iran at the Commander in Chief’s direction,” CENTCOM announced in a statement. “The strikes are in response to Iran’s unwarranted and continued aggression.”
The operation followed a day of increasingly sharp warnings from Trump, who accused Tehran of stalling negotiations and warned the regime would face consequences for delaying a response to Washington’s latest proposal.
In a Truth Social post on Wednesday, Trump declared that Iran had been “completely defeated,” describing the regime as “all talk and no action.”
“The Bully of the Middle East is DEAD!!!” Trump wrote. “They’ve taken too long to negotiate a deal that would have been great for them. Now they will have to pay the price!”
Hours later, Trump returned to the issue during remarks in the Oval Office, where he said the United States was preparing another round of military action while voicing frustration over the pace of negotiations.
“We’re going to hit them again hard today, in case you miss it because you don’t turn on your television set,” Trump said.
“We were really close to a deal, but they keep tapping us along,” he added. “They keep playing us for suckers because, you know what? They dealt with some very stupid Presidents.”
War Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered a similar message during remarks from U.S. Central Command headquarters in Tampa, Florida, saying Iran still had a choice between accepting a deal and facing additional military pressure.
“CENTCOM will be busy tonight because President Trump said we will be hitting Iran hard — and we will be,” Hegseth said.
“As President Trump said, they’ve been tap, tap, tapping. Instead, they are going to have tap, tap, tap bombs dropping on key facilities in Iran from the United States.”
Shortly afterward, Iranian media outlets reported explosions and air defense activity in multiple locations across the country, including western Tehran and areas near the Strait of Hormuz. Local reports cited blasts in Sirik, Minab, Bandar Abbas, Isfahan, and on Qeshm Island.
U.S. officials told multiple media outlets that Wednesday night’s operation targeted military infrastructure, including ammunition depots, command-and-control nodes, warehouses, air defense systems, and radar facilities.
The Wall Street Journal, citing a senior U.S. official, reported that American forces were striking Iranian air defense and radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz.
The military action came as the Trump administration continued pressing Tehran to respond to a U.S. proposal that officials believe could still form the basis of an agreement.
Axios reported Wednesday that Trump met with senior national security officials to discuss additional military options, including a larger but time-limited operation aimed at increasing pressure on Iran and forcing movement in the talks.
At the same time, Qatari mediators were in Tehran holding discussions with Iranian officials in an effort to revive momentum behind negotiations that have stalled in recent weeks.
One U.S. official told Axios that while “the deal is still on the table,” Trump is prepared to make Iran “pay a price” if its leaders continue delaying a response to the latest American proposal.
Hegseth likewise framed the strikes as an effort to force a decision from Tehran while leaving open the possibility of a negotiated resolution.
“Those strikes that will happen tonight will be strong and clear. If they have to happen tomorrow night, they will be strong and clear,” Hegseth said. “President Trump is prepared to make that deal. Iran would be wise to take it.”
The latest escalation also unfolded against the backdrop of mounting tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic waterway that remains central to both the military confrontation and global energy markets.
As U.S. strikes were underway Wednesday evening, Iran’s top joint military command again declared the strait closed to commercial shipping and oil tankers, warning that vessels attempting to transit the waterway would be targeted.
The renewed threat came hours after Trump touted what he described as a covert U.S. military effort to keep commercial traffic moving through the strait despite Iranian attempts to restrict passage.
Earlier Wednesday, Trump revealed that he had authorized a secret mission to support commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, claiming the operation enabled more than 200 ships to safely navigate the chokepoint and helped move over 100 million barrels of oil into global markets.
“This wildly successful effort is because the UNITED STATES of AMERICA CONTROLS the Strait of Hormuz — NOT Iran,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Their military is defeated, and their economy is lost. It’s over for Iran!”
Wednesday’s operation marked the second consecutive night of U.S. strikes against Iran, as the Trump administration intensified pressure on Tehran while continuing to insist that a negotiated agreement remains within reach.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jklein@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.