Trump says Iran ‘took too long’ to negotiate and now will ‘pay the price’

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday restated claims that Iran’s military is a “complete and total mess” and like its 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!!!” he said in a post on Truth Social.

“They’ve taken too long to negotiate a deal that would have been great for them, now they will have to pay the price!!!” he added, without elaborating.

The US says it has carried out a series of strikes on Iranian military and surveillance sites in response to the downing of an American helicopter in the Gulf.

Air defence systems, ground control stations and radar sites were targeted near the Strait of Hormuz, the US military Central Command (Centcom) said.

In response, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it launched strikes on 21 targets at US bases in the region, one in Bahrain and the other in Jordan, while Kuwait's army said it was also intercepting an attack.