Trump says Iran's military 'completely defeated', warns Tehran will 'pay the price'

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday claimed that Iran’s military had been “completely defeated”, declaring that much of its naval and air power “doesn’t even exist anymore”, while warning Tehran that it would “have to pay the price” for failing to reach a deal with Washington.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump described Iran’s military as “a complete and total mess” and said the country had been weakened significantly.

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“Much of it, like their Navy and Air Force, doesn’t even exist anymore — They have been completely defeated,” Trump wrote.

The US President also accused Iran of delaying negotiations, saying Tehran had missed the opportunity to secure a favourable agreement.

“They’ve taken too long to negotiate a deal that would have been great for them, now they will have to pay the price!!!” he said.

Trump further referred to Iran as “all talk and no action” and called it “The Bully of the Middle East”, adding, “The Bully of the Middle East is DEAD!!!”

In a separate statement to Fox News, Trump warned he is 'close to ordering new strikes against Iranian power plants and bridges'.

Iran strikes US bases

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it launched missile and drone attacks on US military facilities in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain in response to what it described as fresh American aggression.

The IRGC said it targeted four locations at the US al-Azraq base in Jordan, including hangars housing F-35 fighter jets and a command-and-control centre. It also warned that it was prepared to deliver a "crushing and decisive" response to any further US military action.

Jordan's military said it intercepted and shot down five missiles fired toward al-Azraq, while Kuwait said its air defences intercepted hostile aerial targets. Bahrain also reported repelling Iranian attacks.

Also read: Iran says Gulf nations have 'responsibility' to halt US, Israeli strikes

A US official said preliminary assessments indicated that nearly all Iranian missiles and drones had been intercepted, with no immediate reports of casualties among American personnel or damage to US facilities.

Earlier, Trump defended the American response to recent developments, telling ABC News: "I believe the response should be very strong, very powerful, and that's what this one is."

West Asia truce under strain

The latest round of hostilities followed the downing of a US Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz, an incident Trump later played down by saying "the pilot is fine" and that it "wasn't a big deal."

The US military said it subsequently carried out strikes on Iranian air defence systems, surveillance radar sites and ground control stations in what it called a proportional response. A US official said nearly 20 Iranian targets were hit during an operation that lasted around four hours.

Iranian authorities said areas including Qeshm Island, Sirik and locations near Bandar Abbas and Jask were targeted.

The renewed confrontation has cast further doubt on prospects for a negotiated settlement to the conflict that began on February 28 with joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran would "reassess" its diplomatic engagement with Washington following what he described as repeated ceasefire violations.

"Any diplomatic process requires a minimum stable environment," Baghaei said.

Although the ceasefire announced in April was accompanied by plans for peace talks, the two sides remain divided on key issues, including Iran's nuclear programme, sanctions relief and security arrangements in the Strait of Hormuz.