President Donald Trump claimed that Iran has been militarily defeated and will not pay the price for refusing to negotiate. 

“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 President wrote on Truth Social Wednesday. “The Bully of the Middle East is DEAD!!! They’ve taken too long to negotiate a deal that would have been great for them, now they will have to pay the price!!!”

The post followed the US attacking Iran. Trump said the strikes were in response to an American Apache helicopter being downed over the Strait of Hormuz. The crewmembers survived and were rescued by an unmanned boat. 

Iran responded to the strikes by firing missiles and drones at US bases in the region. 

Speaking in the Oval Office later on Wednesday, the President said the strikes against Iran would contrine. “We hit them hard yesterday. We are going to hit them hard again today,” Trump told reporters. 

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran will not back down. Iran “will stand firm against any pressure or threat,” he said, adding, Trump’s threats are “not a show of strength but a sign of desperation.”

The escalating fighting is the most significant challenge to the two-month-long ceasefire. The truce was intended to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and allow for talks to bring the conflict to an end. 

However, Israel has repeatedly violated the ceasefire by attacking Lebanon, and the US declared a blockade on Iranian ports. 

During the truce, Trump has often asserted that Iran had been militarily defeated and the two sides were on the brink of reaching an agreement to end the war.