Mutual Attacks Between US and Iran; Trump: If Iran Doesn’t Agree, We Will Strike Again
Hours after Donald Trump said that officials of the Islamic Republic “have delayed too much in reaching an agreement and now must pay the price,” the US military attacked targets in various locations across Iran.
The US President on Wednesday, June 20, said in a conversation with reporters that America is attacking Iran due to the downing of an Apache helicopter of the US military by the Islamic Republic, and has the “right” to do so.
He also said that if the Islamic Republic refuses to accept the conditions set by the United States to end the war, Thursday night “we will heavily bomb them.”
The attacks on Wednesday night and Thursday morning on Iran occurred while the two countries had exchanged mutual attacks on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
Following the downing of an American military helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz, tensions between Iran and the United States increased again, and the United States attacked a location on Iran’s southern shores on Wednesday morning. Tehran, in response, fired missiles at locations in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan.
However, when Trump officially announced that the cause of the helicopter’s crash was the firing of Iranian forces, these attacks were repeated.
Some media reports suggested that in addition to the issue of the Apache helicopter crash, Trump was dissatisfied with the prolonged response from the Islamic Republic to the United States and reaching an agreement with this country.
Referring to negotiations with Iran, he told reporters: “We were very close to a deal, but the Iranians keep stalling and think they can trick us.”
Official Announcement of Start and End of New Round of Attacks by Centcom
The United States Central Command (Centcom) announced Thursday morning via a statement on the X network the beginning of a new round of attacks on Iran.
The message stated that these forces, starting at 17:15 Eastern Time (4:45 AM Thursday Iran time), “under the orders of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces [Donald Trump], began their ‘defensive’ attacks against multiple targets in Iran.”
The message emphasized that these attacks are in response to “Iran’s continuous and unjustified hostile actions.”
Hours later, Centcom issued another statement announcing the completion of the new round of “defensive” attacks against multiple targets in Iran under Trump’s orders.
The statement said that Centcom forces “conducted attacks on surveillance facilities, communication systems, and air defense headquarters of Iran’s armed forces across the country. Accordingly, US Marines, Air Force, and Navy launched precision weapons at Iranian targets that posed a threat to American forces and international commercial vessels transiting the region’s waters.”
The statement again emphasized that these attacks were in response to Iran’s “continuous and unjustified” hostile actions, and that US forces remain alert, lethal, and ready.
The US Central Command in the Middle East also rejected two new Iranian claims by posting two short messages on the X network.
The military institution, referring to the claim by the IRGC Navy about “the complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz,” denied it and emphasized that commercial ships are passing through this waterway.
In another message, Centcom rejected the Iranian government’s claim about an American aircraft carrier being hit and wrote that all US fleets in the region are in perfect condition.
Before issuing this statement, the Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters had claimed that the Strait of Hormuz is closed to the passage of all vessels and any vessel attempting to pass through this waterway will be targeted.
Simultaneously, Iranian domestic media reported, citing the IRGC Navy, of “two ships being targeted” that intended to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. These media outlets did not specify the nature or nationality of these vessels.
Activation of Air Defense Systems in Parts of Iran, Including Tehran
Wednesday evening, Mehr News Agency reported that air defense systems were activated in western Tehran and parts of Fars Province, including the city of Mohr.
Meanwhile, some domestic media reported hearing loud sounds from the direction of Kish Island. Mehr News Agency also reported hearing explosion sounds at Sirik Port located south of Minab and on the Strait of Hormuz coast, and hearing explosion sounds in Minab.
On the other hand, Tasnim News Agency, close to the IRGC, said no explosions occurred on Kish and Qeshm islands and that the sounds heard from there “are related to clashes in the Persian Gulf.” Meanwhile, reports from news agencies indicated hearing sounds of air defense activity in Bandar Abbas, Bandar Asaluyeh, and Bandar Kangan.
No official reports have been released yet from the targeted locations in Iran on Thursday morning, but based on scattered reports from Iranian media, explosion sounds were heard in multiple locations and widespread areas of the country.
Sirik, Bandar Abbas, Qeshm, and Khark Island; explosion sounds were also heard in various cities near Tehran, including Abyek, Qarchak, Minab, Nazarabad, and Karaj.
Reports of hearing explosion sounds have been released from other parts of Iran as well. In Shiraz, the center of Fars Province, explosion sounds were also heard.
Initially, reports were released about explosions near the city of Esfarayen in the Tehran area, but Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, citing the governor of this region, later announced that these sounds were likely caused by incidents outside the province.
However, the Public Relations Office of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced Thursday morning of “a manufacturing complex and a barracks area near Karaj and Nazarabad being targeted, and a local IRGC base in Paishwa County.”
The head of the Tehran Province Emergency Services also announced that five people were injured in incidents related to American attacks in this province.
IRGC Attacks on Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan
The armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran announced that in response to the latest American attacks on the southern regions of the country, they attacked targets in Bahrain and Kuwait.
According to this statement, a regional headquarters of the Fifth Fleet of the US Navy in Bahrain was targeted with attack drones. The statement claimed that Patriot air defense systems were targeted in this attack.
The IRGC, referring to targeting a total of 18 targets in Kuwait and Bahrain, claimed that it attacked two American air bases in Kuwait and one in Bahrain.
The IRGC added that with 12 ballistic missiles, it targeted American military aircraft at Al-Azraq Air Base in Kuwait.
The IRGC in its statement claimed that key American military facilities and operations control centers at this base were also targeted.
In another section of the IRGC’s statement, it also mentioned targeting the US command center in Jordan.
Earlier, Kuwait announced the temporary closure of its airspace and directing flights to alternative routes due to Iranian attacks and its air defense engagement in intercepting Iranian projectiles.
In another development, Bahrain’s king’s media adviser announced on the X network the interception and destruction of Iranian projectiles by Bahrain’s air defense.
Bahrain announced that the remains of Iranian drones intercepted and destroyed by the military fell in residential areas of Hamad City and Manama, resulting in several vehicles catching fire and damage to some houses.
Bahrain’s Interior Ministry in a statement released on Thursday, June 21, on the X network, also reported “an 11-year-old girl being injured” in this incident and released images showing firefighters attempting to extinguish fires in several houses.
Trump: I Spoke “Directly” with Iranian Officials
Concurrent with American fighter jets flying over Iran’s skies, the US President in a conversation with the Fox network said he has spoken “directly” with Iranian officials. The US President did not mention the names or positions of these officials.
The US President also said that the Iranians asked him “to stop the attacks.”
He emphasized that if Iran does not accept the US conditions to end the war, “tomorrow night we will also heavily bomb them.”
Passage of “100 Million Barrels of Oil” Through the Strait of Hormuz
Donald Trump, the US President, announced Wednesday evening that based on his orders, more than 100 million barrels of oil and 200 commercial ships have passed through the Strait of Hormuz since last month.
This comes as with the start of the America and Israel war against Iran, the military forces of the Islamic Republic closed the Strait of Hormuz, and after the ceasefire, the US military implemented a naval blockade of Iranian ports.
Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that in May, he gave American forces a “classified mission” to support tankers and other commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
He added: “Today I am pleased to announce that as a result of this action, more than 100 million barrels of oil have passed through the Strait of Hormuz and entered the global market. More than 200 commercial ships have also safely passed through this strait.”
The US President continued: “This extraordinarily successful operation was made possible because the United States of America controls the Strait of Hormuz, not Iran.”
Referring to the “defeat” of Iran’s military forces and the destruction of this country’s economy, he emphasized: “Iran’s time is up!”
The US President, hours earlier, in a conversation with reporters at the White House, had said in his remarks about Iran that the United States had been “extracting oil” from Iran.
He said: “I’m announcing this for the first time today, but we have been extracting millions of barrels of oil every night; millions of barrels every night.”
He continued: “Millions of barrels of oil have been extracted and that is why oil prices are in the range of 85 to 90 dollars per barrel instead of 250 dollars.”
Trump did not provide further details about the US operation to extract oil from Iran’s territorial scope.
Source: Radio Farda
