US to resume attacks on Iran, Trump cites downed US helicopter

US President Donald Trump threatened renewed attacks on Iran, citing a downed helicopter and frustration over a stalled deal. The threat comes amid escalating military exchanges, including US strikes and Iranian drone attacks, as Russia calls for restraint.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (local time) said that the United States would resume attacks on Iran, as he voiced frustration over Tehran's delays in concluding the deal with Washington. Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump said, "We're going to be attacking them, attacking them very hard."

Trump Cites Downed Helicopter, 'Fully Negotiated' Deal

Trump suggested that Iran's downing of a US Apache helicopter provided grounds for renewed military action. "Based on the helicopter, I guess we have the right to do that," he told reporters.

Trump said the US had already launched strikes and would continue military operations against Iran. "We hit them hard yesterday. We're going to hit them again hard today, in case you miss it, in case you don't turn on your television set, and we'll see what happens with the deal," he said.

At the same time, Trump insisted that a deal with Iran had already been negotiated and only awaited Tehran's approval. "All they have to do is they have to start signing a paper. It's fully negotiated," he said. "We have a fully negotiated -- but they're tapping and tapping, and they say, 'All right, let's give them a couple of more days.' They're tapping because it's a meaningful paper," he added. Trump also stressed that negotiations had been ongoing for months. "I've been working with Iran for a number of months," he said. He added, "They should sign the deal. It's a good deal."

Russia Calls for Restraint

As tensions escalated in the day between Iran and the US, Russia called for restraint and a return to diplomacy. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Moscow was concerned by the latest developments. "We are deeply concerned by the new spiral of US-Iran armed confrontation," Zakharova said in a post by the Russian Foreign Ministry. "We urge the parties to exercise restraint & immediately halt military attacks," she said. Zakharova added, "Russia stands ready to help find & implement mutually acceptable negotiated solutions."

Military Exchanges Escalate in Persian Gulf

Earlier, an explosion was reported in the vicinity of Qeshm Island in southern Iran, according to the country's Mehr News Agency. Detailing the initial reports from the ground, the news agency stated that "the exact nature of these sounds is still unknown."

The incident follows a night of intense military exchanges in the region. Linking the blasts to ongoing cross-border hostilities, Mehr reported, "Hormozgan province and the Persian Gulf coastline have been under attack by the American enemy since the early hours of this morning, which has been met with a swift response from our country's armed forces."

These coastal blasts directly align with official disclosures by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which outlined the material impact of the strikes to substantiate its claims of American hostility. "The warmongering US regime attacked several points in Jask, Sirik and Qeshm early this morning under false pretexts, damaging a telecommunications mast in Sirik and destroying two water tanks in the city," the IRGC said, as quoted by Iranian media, adding that clashes were continuing.

Iran Launches Retaliatory Drone Attack

Providing immediate operational context to this heavy bombardment on its soil, a significant geographical expansion of the ongoing West Asian conflict had unfolded earlier on Wednesday as the IRGC launched a retaliatory drone attack against the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, according to Tasnim News Agency.

Detailing that overnight operation, the Iranian broadcaster stated, "IRGC Navy forces launched a drone attack at 2:30 a.m. against the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain," citing an IRGC statement which warned that should what it described as US "aggression" continue, it would face consequences of greater severity.

US Confirms 'Proportional Response'

This cross-border escalation came hours after US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that American Air Force and Navy fighter jets had struck Iranian air defence installations, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites near the strategic Strait of Hormuz using precision munitions.

Detailing the objective behind the heavy aerial campaign, CENTCOM described the operation as "a proportional response to recent attacks on U.S. forces and international commercial ships transiting regional waters," asserting that US forces "remain vigilant and postured to defend against unjustified Iranian aggression." The high-stakes American strikes were themselves triggered by a maritime flashpoint on Monday, when Iran downed a US Army AH-64 Apache helicopter near the coast of Oman. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)