Trump Claims Iran Requested Airstrike Halt; Tehran Denies Claim

President Donald Trump announced that he had engaged in direct communication with Iranian officials who subsequently requested the cessation of U.S. airstrikes. Trump stated that U.S. fighter jets were operating over Iran and indicated that the bombing campaign would soon conclude, though he left the possibility of further strikes open.

However, Iran's state broadcaster, IRIB, swiftly refuted Trump's assertion. Citing a high-ranking official, the broadcaster declared the claim of Iranian officials contacting the U.S. to be "complete nonsense." The official suggested that Trump's statement was a fabricated excuse to mask an intention to disengage from the conflict with Iran.

This exchange follows an announcement by the U.S. Central Command via social media platform X. The command confirmed that, under the President's directive, additional self-defense airstrikes against numerous targets within Iran commenced at 5:15 PM Eastern Time. The U.S. stated these strikes were a response to Iran's "unjust and ongoing attacks."

Trump had earlier previewed the escalation, telling reporters at the White House on the same day, "We hit them hard yesterday, and we're going to hit them hard again today." The conflicting accounts highlight the volatile situation and the challenges in verifying information during the ongoing military actions.

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We hit them hard yesterday, and we're going to hit them hard again today.