President Trump said Iran requested a halt to U.S. strikes and that the bombing would end soon, while threatening to resume if no deal is reached. Separately, the U.S. military denied an Iranian claim that an American warship had been hit, stating no vessel was damaged. Iranian state media called Trump's claim of contact with Tehran a 'complete lie'.
The Pentagon has denied an Iranian claim that an American warship was hit or damaged during the exchanges, stating that no U.S. Navy vessel was affected. This denial, which came late Wednesday (Israel time), is the latest development in a fast-moving sequence of claims and counter-claims between Washington and Tehran. President Trump simultaneously reiterated his claim that Iranian officials had contacted him to request a halt to U.S. strikes, a claim Tehran has flatly denied.
As The Zioneer reported earlier Wednesday evening (23:35, 23:29, 23:39), Trump disclosed the use of 49 Tomahawk missiles in the retaliatory strikes, tying the military pressure to an ultimatum for Iran to sign a nuclear deal. The president's claim of direct Iranian outreach was immediately rejected by Iranian state media as a "complete lie." The Pentagon's denial of the warship claim adds another layer to a thread that began with the downing of a U.S. Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz (first reported June 9, 13:52 UTC) and escalated through multiple rounds of strikes and ultimatums.
Throughout the thread, the source quality has evolved from initial unconfirmed reports (June 9) to official statements from both the White House and CENTCOM. The Trump administration has framed the strikes as a limited response to the Apache incident, while maintaining the threat of escalation. Iran has consistently denied any diplomatic contact and countered U.S. military claims regarding the warship and the Strait of Hormuz.
The Iranian denial of contact and the Pentagon's warship denial both remain unverified by independent sources. The existence or nature of any backchannel between Washington and Tehran has not been confirmed by any party beyond Trump's own statement.
11 developments
- DevelopingTrump says US military on alert, urges Iran to return to negotiations after missile barrage
- DevelopingIran state media calls Trump outreach claim 'complete lie' as Tehran pledges military response
- DevelopingTrump, angered, says Iran is 'stalling' nuclear deal, threatens immediate attack
- StrongTrump says Iran will halt fire on Israel for at least a week, warns of 'wipe out' if talks fail
Source and signal
- Internal intake