President Trump vows response after US military helicopter crash
President Donald Trump said the United States “must respond” after accusing Iran of shooting down a U.S. Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz.
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump said the United States will launch a new attack against Iran on Wednesday, June 10, after warning that Middle Eastern countries “will have to pay a price” for stalled peace deal negotiations.
Trump’s escalation of the war comes after the US military launched an attack on Iran the day before in retaliation for Iran’s downing of a US Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz.
“They took too long to negotiate a deal that would have been great for them. Now they’re going to have to pay the price!!!” President Trump said in a June 10 Truth Social post, which signaled a shift in rhetoric after previously downplaying the slow pace of peace deal negotiations.
“We’re going to attack them, and we’re going to attack them very, very hard,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office later, when asked what he meant by the threat.
“We hit them hard yesterday, and we’re going to hit them hard today,” Trump said. “And look what happens with this deal. We were really close to a deal and they keep taking us. They keep making fun of us.”
President Trump dismissed concerns about a sharp rise in consumer prices as gasoline prices remain high as a result of the U.S. war with Iran, telling reporters he welcomes the fact that gasoline prices remain high.
President Trump made the remark on Wednesday when asked if he was concerned about the Labor Department’s latest consumer price index, which showed prices up 4.2% in May from a year ago — a statement that is sure to win support from Democrats. It was the first time since 2023 that the inflation rate exceeded 4%, and the growth rate was the largest in three years.
“No, I love it. The numbers were great. You know what I really love? I love inflation. You know why?” Trump said. “Because as soon as this war is over, you can say now what you didn’t know.”
The president also revealed that the United States was secretly extracting “millions of barrels of oil” through the Strait of Hormuz, an effort he said was helping to prevent oil prices from skyrocketing during the war that started with the U.S. attack in late February.
President Donald Trump tells reporters he loves inflation
Asked if he was concerned about the latest inflation numbers, President Donald Trump told reporters he loves inflation.
As the Iran war drags on and peace talks remain stalled, Mr. Trump and the Republican Party risk making the conflict’s soaring gasoline prices a focus of November’s midterm elections. Republicans face an uphill battle to maintain their slim majority in the House, and Democrats are increasingly confident they have a path to control the Senate.
Asked if he expected inflation to fall by November, President Trump said, “Once the war is over, inflation will start to fall.” “It will fall like a rock.”
– Joey Garrison
President Trump said the U.S. military was conducting a “secret mission” to help oil tankers transit the Strait of Hormuz, resulting in 100 million barrels of oil reaching the market as the conflict with Iran over the waterway sparks new hostilities.
“Last month, I directed our great American military to carry out a top-secret mission to assist oil tankers and other commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump said in a social media post Wednesday. “Today, I am pleased to announce that as a result of this effort, more than 100 million barrels of oil have been transported through the Straits to the open market.”
President Trump downplayed concerns about inflation at an Oval Office event Wednesday, saying the military mission is helping prevent oil prices from rising further. Iran’s stranglehold on the strait, which carried about 20% of the world’s oil supplies before the war, has disrupted the global economy and frustrated President Trump as he seeks to secure a deal to end the conflict.
In a social media post, President Trump said 200 commercial ships had “safely passed through the strait” and that “the United States controls the Strait of Hormuz.” But American forces have clashed with Iran over the strait in recent days, and Reuters reported late last month that shipping remains restricted and remains well below pre-war levels.
– Zack Anderson
U.S. Central Command said in a statement that the U.S. military has disabled an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman, accusing it of violating the current U.S. blockade by attempting to transport oil from Iran.
Late on Tuesday, June 9, U.S. forces fired ammunition into the oil tanker’s engine compartment after the crew “repeatedly failed to follow instructions,” the statement said.
The incident marks the eighth time the U.S. military has disabled a ship since a blockade of Iranian ports and ships went into effect in April. Centcom said more than 130 ships had been ordered to turn back.
– Christopher Kang
President Trump has insisted for weeks that Iran wants a deal with the United States, even as the country presses forward with demands against the disposal of highly enriched uranium and abandonment of its nuclear weapons program. Iran said waiving enrichment rights was non-negotiable.
President Trump has previously spoken of his intention to “wait out” Iran in long-term negotiations. President Trump said on May 27 that he mistakenly assumed that Iran would backtrack on its demands during negotiations to avoid a prolonged standoff leading up to the 2026 midterm elections. “‘We’re going to outsmart him. He’s got the midterms in his hands,'” Trump said. “I don’t care about the midterms.”
As the U.S. war with Iran drags on, Trump and the Republican Party risk making the conflict’s soaring gasoline prices a focus of November’s midterm elections. Republicans face an uphill battle to maintain their slim majority in the House, and Democrats are increasingly confident they have a path to control the Senate.
President Trump has frequently said that the U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which has cut Iran off from vital trade, has proven more effective than bombing Iran.
Most recently, on Tuesday, June 9, President Trump expressed hesitation in resuming military action against Iran. “If we bomb, a lot of people will be killed. Who would want to do that? I don’t want to do that,” Trump told reporters, adding that the deal signed with Iran would be “actually more powerful than the bombing.”
U.S. Central Command, which oversees operations in the region, announced that U.S. forces launched their latest attack on Iran at around 5 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Military officials described the attack as a “self-defense” attack in “response” to the attack on the helicopter. President Trump said the two pilots on board were unharmed and safe.
Iranian state media reported that the US attacked two areas near Hormuz: Bandar Abbas, Sirik and Qeshm.
“This operation was a proportionate response to recent attacks on U.S. military and international commercial vessels transiting nearby waters,” military officials said.
