US President Donald Trump warned on Wednesday that Iran “will have to pay the price” for what he called a stalled negotiating process, even as Qatari mediators travelled to Tehran to try to finalise an agreement that would halt the war, Ada Derana reported citing Reuters.
“Iran is all talk and no action,” Trump wrote in a social media post. “They’ve taken too long to negotiate a deal that would have been great for them, now they will have to pay the price!!!”
In a later Fox News interview, the president said he was close to ordering new strikes against Iranian power plants and bridges if Tehran refused to sign an agreement, signalling a possible escalation against civilian infrastructure that international law experts had flagged when similar threats were first issued in March.
Asked about Iran’s latest strikes against US military bases in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain — retaliation for the American strikes on Iranian targets around the Strait of Hormuz that followed the downing of a US Army Apache near the Strait — Trump told the network that Iran still had a chance to sign a deal and survive, but indicated he may keep ordering further strikes given the slow pace of talks.
A source with knowledge of the situation told Reuters that Qatari negotiators travelled to Tehran on Wednesday morning after consultations with Washington. The talks have been focused on building a framework to halt the active fighting, ease tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, and open the way for further negotiations over Iran’s nuclear material.
The exchange marks the second escalation cycle in 24 hours after the Trump–Netanyahu “deal close, Hormuz to reopen” framing from June 9 was overtaken by the Apache downing and the cross-firing on US bases. For Sri Lanka, which imports almost all of its crude through Hormuz, the renewed threat of strikes on Iranian power infrastructure keeps the supply premium elevated even as diplomatic channels stay open through Doha.
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the post or the Qatari delegation’s travel. Brent crude opened higher on the news after closing on Tuesday with an Apache-driven jump to USD 92.29 per barrel.
