Trump says he’s close to ordering new strikes against Iranian power plants and bridgesTehran taking too long to make a deal
Trump said on Fox News that he is close to authorizing new strikes against Iranian infrastructure, including power plants and bridges, while accusing Tehran of dragging out negotiations and refusing to accept a deal that Washington believes should already have been reached.
Just earlier, Trump portrayed Iran as a defeated military power and warned that its leadership had squandered opportunities for diplomacy. He also claimed that much of the country’s naval and air capabilities “don’t even exist anymore” and that Iran had been “completely defeated.” He further described the Islamic Republic as “all talk and no action” and declared that “the Bully of the Middle East is DEAD.”
The comments came as the United States and Iran continue to exchange limited military strikes despite the ceasefire. Trump has become increasingly frustrated with the pace of negotiations and believes Tehran is intentionally delaying a settlement. He has publicly argued that Iran rejected what he described as a favorable agreement and now faces growing military consequences as a result.
The remarks follow a dangerous week of escalation in the Gulf. The US carried out what officials described as proportional retaliatory strikes on Iranian military targets after the downing of a US Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded with missile and drone attacks directed at US-aligned facilities in several regional countries, raising fears that the conflict could broaden despite both sides claiming to prefer a negotiated outcome.
Without a surprising breakthrough or a dovish Fed, risk assets are likely to remain under pressure going forward…
This article was written by Giuseppe Dellamotta at investinglive.com.