US President Donald Trump and Iran's senior officials have resumed their favorite pastime: trading threats of further action after exchanging strikes that were presumably not of the friendly, high-five variety.
Trump declared on Truth Social that Tehran had taken "too long to negotiate a deal" and would now "have to pay the price," though he declined to specify what currency or how much. He also claimed Iran had been "completely defeated" and was "all talk and no action" - which is rich, coming from a man who once threatened to unleash fire and fury like the world has never seen.
This came after Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that his country would "leave no attack or threat unanswered," insisting the US had suffered "defeats on the battlefield." Because nothing says "defeated" like being the one whose helicopter got shot down.
The US said it struck Iranian sites on Wednesday after a US army helicopter was downed in the Gulf. In response, Iran launched strikes at US bases, because escalation is always the mature choice.
Iranian defence systems, ground control stations and radar sites were targeted near the Strait of Hormuz, according to the US military Central Command (Centcom). Meanwhile, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed it launched strikes on 21 targets at US bases in Bahrain and Jordan, while Kuwait's army said it was also intercepting an attack - presumably while rolling its eyes at yet another regional spat.
Writing on Truth Social, Trump said: "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." He added: "They've taken too long to negotiate a deal that would have been great for them, now they will have to pay the price!!!"
This was a stark contrast to Tuesday, when Trump told journalists the US and Iran were "in the final throes of what will be a very, very good deal." Apparently the throes got violent.
Also on Wednesday, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqai accused the US of "damaging this diplomatic process through the contradictory messages it sends, its repeated shifts in positions and demands, and, worst of all, through repeated violations of the ceasefire." He said Iran needed to re-assess the situation, noting that any diplomatic process requires a minimum of stability - which, given recent events, is about as likely as a polite game of chess.