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President Donald Trump signaled Wednesday that additional American military action against Iran could be imminent, warning that Tehran will “have to pay the price” for what he described as prolonged delays in reaching a peace agreement.

During a phone conversation with Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst, Trump said he is “getting close to ordering new strikes against Iranian power plants and bridges,” indicating that critical infrastructure could soon become a target.

The president also accused Iran of failing to negotiate in good faith, alleging during the call that the regime was “tapping the United States along when it comes to the negotiating process.”

The remarks came shortly after Trump issued a forceful message on Truth Social, where he vowed retaliation following Monday’s downing of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz.

“They’ve taken too long to negotiate a deal that would have been great for them, now they will have to pay the price!!!” Trump wrote in a thunderous post Wednesday morning, after stating that the country’s military infrastructure and leadership were in disarray.

He continued by portraying Iran’s armed forces as severely weakened.

“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!!! ” he added.

Trump also shared additional details from the dramatic helicopter incident, describing the survival of the two Apache pilots as a “miracle.”

According to the president, an Iranian drone struck the helicopter and became wedged between the two aviators. Although the drone ignited, it did not detonate.

Repeating Trump’s account, Yingst said, “And these pilots very quickly, within seconds, because they’re flying very low, take the helicopter down into the sea,” Yingst explained, recalling what the president told him.

In what officials described as a first for the U.S. military, the pilots were reportedly recovered roughly two hours later by an unmanned maritime drone, according to U.S. Central Command.

The helicopter’s destruction prompted a swift American military response. On Tuesday evening, U.S. forces launched what officials called “self-defense strikes” against Iranian targets.

According to Fox News, Trump said he authorized overnight attacks aimed at airfields, radar installations, and air-defense systems that Iran had attempted to restore during the recent ceasefire period.

The network reported that U.S. forces “took out about 55% of what they [Iran] were even able to rebuild,” the outlet said, citing Trump.

Iran responded Wednesday by launching drones and missiles at military installations in Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait, broadening the regional confrontation.

Despite the escalating exchanges, Trump had maintained until Wednesday that diplomacy remained possible, saying negotiations with Tehran were in their “final throes” and that an agreement could potentially be reached within “two to three days.”

Iran, meanwhile, appealed to neighboring Gulf states to help halt the American and Israeli military campaign, warning that further attacks could follow if they failed to act.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry argued that regional governments bear responsibility for preventing their territory from being used in operations against the Islamic Republic.

According to CBS News, Iranian officials said those countries have a “legal and moral responsibility … to prevent the US military and Israel from using their territory or facilities to plan, organize, execute or support hostile actions against Iran.”

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump disclosed striking new information about the survival of two U.S. Army Apache helicopter pilots who escaped death after an Iranian attack drone became embedded in their aircraft during a mission over hostile territory.

In comments relayed by Fox News on Wednesday, Trump described the incident as nothing short of miraculous. According to the president, an explosive-laden drone struck the helicopter and became lodged between the two pilots while the aircraft was flying at low altitude. Although the helicopter burst into flames, the drone failed to detonate.

“At any moment it could have exploded,” Trey Yingst told the network after speaking with Trump, who called the harrowing incident “a miracle.”

Yingst recounted the president’s description of the ordeal, saying, “And so we’re trying to take down the helicopter with the drone lodged into this gunship without it exploding. There was a lot of heat inside the cockpit of this helicopter, and ultimately these two pilots were able to take it down into the sea,” he said, quoting the president.

Despite the severe damage, the crew successfully ditched the approximately $40 million helicopter in the water, avoiding what could have been a catastrophic explosion.

The rescue that followed marked a historic first for the U.S. military. According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, the stranded pilots were located and assisted by an unmanned maritime vessel.

The craft, identified as a 24-foot AI-powered Saronic Corsair autonomous surface vessel, located the aviators after they spent roughly two hours in the waters off the coast of Oman.

The robotic boats are capable of carrying payloads of up to 1,000 pounds and can travel at speeds approaching 40 miles per hour.

Military officials said the pilots were eventually transferred to safety, where a rescue helicopter later hoisted them from the vessel and completed the extraction.

Following what Trump described as Iran’s “unjustified” downing of the helicopter, the United States launched a series of retaliatory military operations against Iranian targets, raising tensions and putting pressure on the fragile ceasefire that had been in place for roughly two months.

While emphasizing that Washington was not seeking a broader war, Trump told an ABC News reporter that a response was necessary.

“This is a response to what they did with our helicopter last night, and I believe the response should be very strong, very powerful, and that’s what this one is,” he said.

U.S. Central Command characterized the operation as a defensive action rather than an escalation of the conflict.

“CENTCOM forces began launching self-defense strikes against Iran at 5 p.m. ET today at the Commander in Chief’s direction, in response to yesterday’s downing of a US Army Apache helicopter,” the combatant command said Tuesday.

”The mission is a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression,” it added, suggesting that the operation is limited and is not intended to spark a return to daily war with Tehran.

Sources familiar with military planning told The Post that the American strikes are expected to concentrate on facilities and assets near the Strait of Hormuz, including locations believed to be used for launching or storing drones and other weapons systems.

Iran, however, has disputed suggestions that the helicopter was intentionally targeted. Speaking to Al Jazeera, Iranian officials maintained that the aircraft was not “deliberately” shot down.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, a central figure in ongoing diplomatic negotiations, indicated that the incident may have been accidental.

{Matzav.com}