US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday (local time) that he received a call from Iranian leaders directly, who urged him to stop the strikes against the Islamic Republic. The fresh strikes comes even as the Republican leader continues to claim that the US and Iran are “close to a deal” to end the over three-month-long conflict in the Middle East.
In an interview with Fox News, the US President said Iran was hit with 49 Tomahawk missiles. If Iran does not accept US terms for ending the war, “we’ll bomb the S- out of them tomorrow night,” Trump said.
However, Iran was quick to deny Trump’s claim that Tehran asked Trump to stop the bombing. Calling it a “sheer lie”, the Iranians said that there was “no contact” between Trump and Tehran’s leadership, adding that Iran will “respond militarily to the US aggressions”.
“Trump’s claim that Iranian officials have contacted him is strongly denied and is a cover for escaping war,” Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said in a statement.
The escalating situation in Mideast
The strikes were conducted early Thursday, with Iran claiming that explosions were heard in multiple cities including Bandar Abbas, Minab, Sirik, Kargan and the Qeshm Island. Iran has vowed to hit back and targeted US bases in Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan.ย
Iran has claimed that it has closed the Strait of Hormuz and targeted the US Fifth fleet, but the American military has refuted them. In a statement, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) also said that it has completed its “additional self-defense strikes against multiple targets in Iran”.
“CENTCOM forces launched strikes on Iranian military surveillance capabilities, communication systems, and air defense sites across Iran. U.S. Marine Corps, Air Force, and Navy assets fired precision munitions on Iranian targets that posed a threat to U.S. forces and international commercial ships transiting regional waters,” it added.
The strikes are expected to derail the talks, with Iran’s United Nations envoy saying the US should refrain from threats of force if it wants a deal. “Iran has never negotiated under threats and pressure and will never submit to pressure or question,” Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani said.
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