Trump continues to claim Iran wants to make a deal, despite 12 consecutive nights of strikes

Supervising Producer

WASHINGTON —

President Donald Trump and Iranian leaders are trading threats over civilian infrastructure as U.S. strikes continued for the 12th straight night since the conflict escalated.

On Wednesday, Trump said on social media that for every ship Iran attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. will bomb one bridge or power plant.

In response, Iran’s Foreign Minister said, “Any aggression against Iran, including our infrastructure, will compel a powerful and decisive response.”

Earlier this week, Trump told reporters that the U.S. has no interest in meeting with Iran. He also indicated that American forces might soon target an underground Iranian nuclear site under construction, known as Pickaxe Mountain. The U.S. bombed a site nearby last summer, but Iran has continued digging at the location.

Despite the ongoing strikes, Trump claimed that Iran is under significant pressure.

“They’re getting hit so hard and they want to make a deal, but I say they’re not ready to make a deal,” Trump said. “Because every time they make a deal, they want to change it and everything; they’re not ready. They’ll be ready very soon.”

Human cost of war rises

This comes as the number of U.S. soldiers killed since the war began has increased to 18.

Trump participated in a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base Wednesday as the remains of four service members returned to the U.S.

On Tuesday, the Pentagon identified the fourth U.S. soldier killed since Friday. Sgt. Angel Rampersad, 28, of New York, is believed to have died during an Iranian attack in Jordan.

Rampersad was one of three soldiers killed in the incident last Friday. The Pentagon previously identified 19-year-old Isabella Gonzales of Texas and 25-year-old Tyler Feehan of Hawaii.

Trump suggested on Tuesday someone other than Iran was responsible for the soldiers’ deaths. “They [Iran] did slip something through in Jordan, and if we had other operators, it would have– would not have happened, unfortunately,” Trump said. “When you let other people do your job, with the United States, we let other people do the job, and sometimes it doesn’t work out so well.”

The Pentagon also identified a service member killed in Iraq during the controlled detonation of an Iranian drone on Sunday as Sgt. Michael Swinton, 30, of North Carolina.

Congressional Republicans grow restless

The reignited conflict has contributed to rising gas prices ahead of the midterm elections, with some Republicans beginning to express concerns about the nearly six-month-long war.

While addressing the war on Tuesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson said a congressional war authorization is not needed, adding, “I think we need to bring this to a resolution… Now we got to wrap it up.”

In supporting a bill the House passed on Wednesday to give the Department of Defense $60 billion, largely toward the war effort, Budget Committee Chair Rep. Jodey Arrington described the effort as “bullets and bombs to finish the job.”

The House and Senate are set to vote on symbolic measures on Thursday to restrict the war in Iran.

On Thursday, AAA reported the national average for a gallon of regular gas is $4.09. According to AAA data compiled by Hearst Television’s Get the Facts Data Team, the average price for a gallon of regular gas was $2.98 when the war started. It had fallen back to $3.79 a few weeks ago before the fighting ramped back up.

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