Trump threatens Iran with escalation as Tehran vows to defend itself

The US will hit Iran “very hard” today, said US President Donald Trump from the Oval Office on June 10. In a Truth Social post earlier, he claimed Iran had taken too long to negotiate a deal and now “will have to pay the price.” Trump’s threats came after fresh US attacks on Iran on June 9, which prompted retaliation from the Islamic Republic.

“Despite its defeat on the battlefield, the US opted to test our determination. Our powerful armed forces will leave no attack or threat unanswered. Leave our region if you want to be safe,” Abbas Araghchi, Iranian foreign minister, said in a post on X on Wednesday, June 10.

Araghchi’s warning came hours after Iran targeted several US military bases in the region in retaliation to strikes on its Hormozgan Province in the early morning, particularly targeting civilian facilities, including water supply facilities, in the regions of Jask and Sirik near the Strait of Hormuz. 

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed its missiles and drones targeted the US navy’s fifth fleet base in Bahrain and its military bases in Kuwait and al-Azraq in Jordan, including the F-35 shelters. 

Earlier US Central Command launched air and missile attacks on several locations in Iran, calling them “self-defense” and “proportional response” strikes, after accusing Iran of downing one of its Apache helicopters near the Strait of Hormuz on Monday.