Trump says Iran will pay ‘many times over’ for deaths of U.S. soldiers as mediators seek truce

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Or sign-in if you have an account.A heavily-damaged bridge which was hit by a U.S. strike is pictured along the road connecting Roudan and Bandar Abbas in southern Iran on July 18, 2026. Photo by Hossein KHORGOOEI/ISNA/AFP via Getty ImagesU.S. forces struck Iranian targets after President Donald Trump vowed Tehran “will pay” for killing three U.S. soldiers, even as mediators proposed a new truce with the Middle East war widening further.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERSEnjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. 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Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLESCreate an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountU.S. Central Command said the military began a new wave of strikes around 4 p.m. ET on Monday, the 10th straight day of attacks. “Every time Iran kills an American Soldier they will pay for that killing many times over!” Trump wrote in a social media post.Earlier, Iran had said mediators were in touch with proposals on how to ease hostilities after more than a week of worsening clashes. Tensions remain high and the conflict looked set to expand further after Tehran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen threatened to blockade Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea.Columnist Jesse Kline keeps you up to date with what’s happening in Israel and the effects of antisemitism on life here in Canada. Friday mornings.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Channel Israel will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againEsmail Baghaei, the Islamic Republic’s foreign ministry spokesman, said “ideas from some mediators have been conveyed” to Tehran, without giving further details. Tehran said its interior minister, Eskandar Momeni, is traveling to Pakistan on Monday.Qatar and Pakistan, the main intermediaries in the conflict, see a return to U.S.-Iran positions before July 9 as a first step, according to the semi-official Iranian Students’ News Agency. Fighting over control of the Strait of Hormuz began that day, effectively unraveling an interim peace deal signed last month.Asked about a Reuters report that mediators proposed a 10-day ceasefire, a U.S. official said Trump is currently focused on punishing Iran for attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. strikes will continue until the president chooses a different course of action, the official said, but diplomatic efforts to end the war were continuing.Oil swung between gains and losses on Monday on the prospects for further escalation and detente in the conflict.Yahya Saree, a spokesman for the Houthis in Yemen, said on Monday that they would impose a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia in retaliation for what they say is the kingdom’s siege on the Yemeni capital, Sana’a.That announcement adds to a slew of risks facing global oil supplies, as it puts at risk the flow of millions of barrels that the kingdom exports via the Red Sea.U.S. gasoline prices have climbed back over the $4-a-gallon mark, potentially hurting Trump and his Republican party ahead of midterm elections in November.The U.S. earlier conducted a ninth straight day of airstrikes on Iran. Tehran is refusing to relent on attacking shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, insisting it has a right to manage traffic through the critical waterway. Iran also continued to attack U.S. bases across Kuwait, Jordan, Bahrain and Iraq.The tit-for-tat attacks are getting deadlier.The U.S. military announced the death of a service member in northern Iraq on Saturday during a “controlled detonation” of a downed Iranian drone. That was a day after two others were killed in an Iranian attack on Jordan, with another service member still missing.This advertisement has not loaded yet.This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.Iran says U.S. strikes have struck bridges, killed more than 50 people and wounded over 500 since the most recent flare-up between the two sides began just under two weeks ago.Trump warned Iran last week he’d escalate airstrikes and widen the scope of targets until it backed down. The latest U.S. attacks were “in honor” of the personnel killed, Trump told reporters. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday the president will attend a dignified transfer ceremony for “our fallen heroes” on Tuesday evening.A breakthrough is unlikely to happen until the U.S. and Iran can reach an agreement over shipping in the Hormuz strait, through which one fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies flowed before the conflict.Shipping volumes have slumped and the number of vessels going through Hormuz is now roughly the same level as during the height of the conflict in March and early April.Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, said his country wouldn’t abandon diplomacy but also won’t be forced back to the negotiating table while under military attack.“Iran’s actions in the Strait of Hormuz and Persian Gulf had global consequences and we became a global player,” he said in an interview published on his Telegram channel, underscoring how Tehran sees control of the strait as a source of leverage over the U.S. and as vital to its security.U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran continues to send signals it wants to negotiate. He also reiterated the American view that the Iranian government is split between those that want a peace agreement and hardliners who want to fight more.Kuwait continues to experience some of the worst attacks from Iran. Over the weekend, Kuwait’s main state energy company said an unspecified site sustained “significant material losses,” causing its evacuation and a number of injuries, while two power and desalination plants have been hit in recent days.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due to convene defense chiefs on Monday evening, a member of his security cabinet, Eli Cohen, said in a radio interview about the Iran tensions.“If Iran makes the mistake of attacking the State of Israel, we’ll respond with a might surpassing that of the last campaign,” Cohen told Army Radio on Monday.The U.S. is sending more warplanes to the Middle East, the New York Times reported, citing anonymous U.S. officials. The planes include F-35 and F-16 fighter jets, as well as aerial-refueling aircraft.“The Americans keep bringing new military equipment into the region while claiming they want to stop the war,” Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who has participated in talks with the U.S., posted on X. “We have become experts at recognizing these American tactics and have prepared accordingly.”Notice for the Postmedia NetworkThis website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.