Iranian officials contacted President Donald Trump on Wednesday night, June 10, seeking an end to U.S. airstrikes that hammered Iran.
American forces launched dozens of Tomahawk missiles and fighter jet attacks against targets inside Iran, according to comments relayed from the White House Situation Room.
Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst reported speaking with Trump while the president oversaw the strikes from the Situation Room.
Trump Says Iranian Officials Contacted Him During Active Air Campaign
At the time of their conversation, 49 Tomahawk missiles had already been launched, with additional strikes from fighter jets. The closest target sat roughly 40 miles outside Tehran.
Trump told Yingst the bombing would stop shortly because of the calls he had received from Tehran. But he warned that if Tehran does not sign the agreement under discussion, the U.S. would respond with far greater force in the coming days, if not hours.
However, Iranian state media, Tasnim News Agency, citing an informed source, called Trump’s assertion of Iranian officials speaking to him a “pure falsehood.”
Helicopter Shootdown Triggers Fresh U.S. Military Response
The strikes came after Tehran downed a U.S. Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz earlier this week, escalating tensions that had already simmered for weeks.
Negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program and regional security had stalled, with the U.S. engaging both moderate and hard-line voices inside Iran, according to Vice President JD Vance.
Yingst said Vance described the U.S. approach as involving a range of Iranian factions during the talks.
Trump described the current situation as stemming from “the most violated ceasefire in the history of the world.”
Details of the targets hit were limited in initial reports, but the operation focused on military sites, radar systems and air defenses, especially in southwestern Iran.
In Tehran, residents reported hearing distant explosions and heightened activity around government buildings.
Also Read: Trump Reveals Secret Mission U.S. Forces Have Been Carrying Out in the Strait of Hormuz
Social media posts from inside the country showed streets emptying quickly after dark, with some residents stocking up on supplies at stores before curfews tightened.
Iranian state television aired footage of officials in urgent meetings, though it downplayed the damage from the American attacks.
The strikes represent a sharp turn in U.S.-Iran relations during this period of diplomatic negotiations. After earlier attempts at diplomacy, the downing of the American helicopter near vital shipping lanes pushed the administration toward fresh direct military action.
Trump has long criticized past deals with Iran as weak. He has pushed for a new agreement that would limit Tehran’s nuclear ambitions and secure the Strait of Hormuz, through which much of the world’s oil passes.
CENTCOM Says Strait of Hormuz Remains Open Despite Claims
Meanwhile, CENTCOM has pushed back on claims from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that the Strait of Hormuz has been closed.
While Iranian statements suggested the key shipping lane was shut down after CENTCOM launched powerful strikes against Iran, U.S. military officials say commercial vessels are continuing to move in and out of the waterway without interruption.
The Strait remains one of the world’s most critical energy corridors, and despite heightened tensions and military posturing in the region, maritime traffic has not stopped entirely.
Also Read: Trump Moves to Dismantle ODNI, as Former Aide Calls It a ‘Fake Agency’
U.S. officials claim that shipping activity is ongoing, even as both sides continue to trade conflicting statements over control and access to the route.
Trump, according to Yingst’s account, remained in direct communication as strikes unfolded.
The president has often blended personal diplomacy with shows of force in past dealings with foreign leaders.
” We’ll bomb the shit out of them,” Trump had earlier warned Tehran before Wednesday evening strikes.
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