Trump says U.S. forces will continue striking Iran

Alsharq Tribune-Ahmed Essam 

U.S. President Donald Trump said U.S. forces will continue striking Iran on Wednesday, one day after the United States launched strikes in southern Iran following the downing of a U.S. Army helicopter.

"We're going to hit them hard again today," he told reporters at the White House. "We're going to be attacking them and attacking them very hard."

Earlier on Wednesday, Trump said on Truth Social that Iran has "taken too long to negotiate a deal that would have been great for them, now they will have to pay the price."

He also told Fox News that he might order new strikes on Iran's power plants and bridges.

However, the president said he still hoped the two sides could reach a peace deal that is "meaningful" and "works."

"We were really close to a deal -- but they keep tapping us along," he said, adding that Iran "should sign the deal."

The U.S. military hit about 20 targets in its strikes on Iran on Tuesday. The targets included Iranian air defenses, radar sites and ground control stations, U.S. Central Command said in a statement on Tuesday.