The conflict between the United States and Iran has flared up again. After the Apache helicopters, the US military launched retaliatory strikes against Iran. Iran denies having carried out any aggressive aerial military operations and states that it has fired missiles and drones at US targets in the region.
However, on June 9th local time, U.S. President Donald Trump insisted in an interview with the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) that negotiations with Iran are progressing actively, and that the U.S. is "trying to complete" the negotiations.
But at the same time, he threatened to destroy Iran’s infrastructure and hinted that the United States would be involved in the reconstruction process, along with obtaining “half” of Iran’s oil.
During the interview, Trump did not rule out the possibility of taking further military action, but suggested that reaching an agreement would be preferable.
I believe the progress is smooth, there's no problem to be solved. Trump said talks are still ongoing, and an agreement may be reached within a day or two, or "at least one idea" will come out of it. He also stated that the US blockade on Iran's ports is still "100% effective".
He also said, "In fact, negotiations are quite simple. The party with power wins, and the United States has all the power."
Trump mentioned that some of his “close friends” wish him to resume bombing Iran, but “they don’t understand the situation.” He gave as an example that a return to large-scale military attacks by the United States would be costly and could lead to another months of closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump's recent interview with US media – video screenshot
On the morning of the 9th, Trump posted a message on social media stating that peace talks aimed at reaching an agreement were underway, but “on the condition that no one is hindered by ignorance or stupidity.” When asked what this meant, Trump threatened, “If someone acts stupidly, we will be in a situation where we must destroy the entire infrastructure of a country. I don’t think this is a good thing, because someone will have to rebuild it.”
He hinted that if the United States destroys Iran’s infrastructure, it might eventually help Iran in its future reconstruction efforts.
Someone has to build all those basic facilities, new bridges, new this, new that, new power plants," he said. "This could amount to tens of billions, possibly more. This is why we might get involved in rebuilding, helping them rebuild."
When asked whether the reconstruction plan would be similar to the Iranian version of the “Marshall Plan,” Trump replied, “Yes.” He then quickly added, “But we will get half of their oil.” The Marshall Plan was a U.S. program aimed at assisting the reconstruction of Western European countries after World War II.
Furthermore, Trump told ABC that he had advised Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in their recent phone call to "use his judgment" but warned him not to jeopardize the US efforts towards a peace agreement with Iran.
The US Central Command announced that, under Trump's instructions, the US military began launching ‘self-defense strikes’ against Iran at 5 p.m. Eastern Time on the 9th. The US military stated that this operation was a ‘countermeasure’ in response to Iran’s ‘unprovoked provocation’.
Just as the U.S. military announced its countermeasures, Trump was being interviewed by ABC reporters. Trump confirmed that Iran had shot down a U.S. Apache armed helicopter in the Hormuz Strait, and said, "I think it's very important to respond. They shot down an helicopter, and we are responding immediately... I believe the response should be strong and effective, and that's exactly what we are doing."
US military Apache armed helicopter - footage from US media
However, regarding the downing of the US helicopter, Iranian official media quoted military sources as stating that Iran had not carried out any offensive aerial military operations in the Hormuz Strait during the past 24 hours.
In the early hours of the 10th local time, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran announced on its telegram platform that Iran had launched missiles and drones at American targets within the region. Previously, explosions had been reported multiple times in Iran.
Shortly thereafter, an American official confirmed to ABC that after a series of air strikes by the US military, Iran launched several missiles and drones. However, according to preliminary assessments, almost all of the missiles and drones were intercepted. The official also said that there were no reports of casualties among US military personnel, and no damage was found to any US military facilities in the area.
However, the Public Relations Department of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stated that the Aerospace Forces of the Revolutionary Guard used long-range solid-fuel missiles to ‘target and destroy’ four important targets at the US military base in Azrak, Jordan. These targets included the command center and the F-35 fighter jet hangar.
The statement emphasizes that Iranian forces are prepared to respond decisively to any new rounds of enemy aggression, and that the United States will bear all consequences arising therefrom.
