Trump Readying New Strikes On Iranian Infrastructure After Warning Tehran Must ‘Pay The Price’

President Trump said Wednesday that he is considering a new round of military strikes against Iranian infrastructure, warning that Tehran will “have to pay the price” after what he described as repeated delays in negotiations and continued aggression against U.S. forces.

Speaking with Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst, Trump said he is “getting close to ordering new strikes against Iranian power plants and bridges” as tensions between Washington and Tehran continue to escalate.

The president also accused Iran of dragging out peace negotiations.

According to Yingst, Trump said Iranian officials have been “tapping the United States along when it comes to the negotiating process.”

Earlier Wednesday, Trump issued a sharp warning on Truth Social following the downing of a U.S. Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz earlier this week.

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

The president also claimed Iran’s military capabilities have been severely degraded.

“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 Bully of the Middle East is DEAD!!!”

Trump also recounted details of the Apache helicopter incident during his conversation with Yingst.

According to the president, an Iranian drone struck the aircraft and became lodged between the two pilots before catching fire without detonating.

“And these pilots very quickly, within seconds, because they’re flying very low, take the helicopter down into the sea,” Yingst said while recounting Trump’s description of the event.

The two crew members survived and were rescued approximately two hours later in what military officials described as the first successful rescue conducted by an unmanned maritime drone.

The United States responded Tuesday with what Central Command described as self-defense strikes against Iranian targets.

According to Fox News, Trump said those operations targeted runways, radar installations and air-defense systems that Iran had attempted to rebuild during the recent cease-fire period.

The president claimed American forces destroyed roughly 55% of the military infrastructure Iran had managed to restore.

Iran responded Wednesday morning with drone and missile attacks aimed at military installations in Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait.

The latest exchange represents one of the most significant escalations since the cease-fire that temporarily reduced hostilities between the United States, Israel and Iran earlier this year.

Despite the renewed violence, Trump had maintained as recently as this week that negotiations remained close to producing an agreement.

He previously suggested a deal could be reached within “two to three days” and described talks as being in their “final throes.”

Iran, meanwhile, urged neighboring Gulf nations to prevent the United States and Israel from using their territory to conduct military operations.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry argued that regional governments have a “legal and moral responsibility” to stop their facilities from being used to support actions against Iran and warned of additional consequences if the strikes continue.

With both sides exchanging military action while diplomatic talks remain stalled, the prospects for a negotiated settlement appear increasingly uncertain.