Russia on Wednesday reported that its military had conducted large-scale strikes on Ukraine's energy facilities, while Ukraine said its forces had attacked a Russian chemical plant.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Russian forces had carried out large-scale strikes over the past 24 hours on energy facilities supplying Ukraine's military-industrial complex.
The attacks, it said, were launched in response to what Russia described as Ukrainian terrorist assaults on civilian targets inside Russia.
The ministry said that the operation involved long-range, high-precision weapons launched from air and land-based platforms, as well as combat drones and "Kinzhal" air-launched hypersonic ballistic missiles.
A day earlier, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported hitting a Russian chemical plant with British-made Storm Shadow missiles.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that Russia had once again conducted massive overnight air strikes on several regions. The country's energy ministry said emergency power outages were implemented across most parts of the country after extensive drone and missile attacks on energy infrastructure, adding that repair and restoration efforts were underway.
Russia hits Ukrainian energy facilities, Ukraine strikes Russian chemical plant
U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened to intensify airstrikes against Iran if a peace deal is not reached, while Tehran vowed it would not let Washington exit the crisis without paying a price.
"Assuming Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to, which is, perhaps, a big assumption, the already legendary Epic Fury will be at an end, and the highly effective Blockade will allow the Hormuz Strait to be OPEN TO ALL, including Iran," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.
"If they don't agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before," he added.
On the same day, Mohsen Rezaei, a senior military advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader, said in an interview that Iran would not allow the United States to extricate itself from the crisis without paying a price.
Rezaei dismissed the U.S. proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz as a "show" designed to facilitate a withdrawal from the region, asserting that Iran would not allow it.
He emphasized that the United States must compensate Iran for incurred losses, adding that Tehran "will certainly obtain its rights and compensation."
The United States and Iran are close to agreeing a one-page memo to end their war, U.S. online media outlet Axios reported on Wednesday.
A potential deal would involve Iran committing to a moratorium on nuclear enrichment and the United States agreeing to lift sanctions, with both sides lifting restrictions on transit through the Strait of Hormuz, it said.
The New York Post reported on Wednesday that Trump said it is "too soon" to start thinking about face-to-face peace talks between the United States and Iran, despite optimistic reports that the two nations were closing in on a potential framework to end their war.
The United States and Israel began attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities on Feb 28, killing senior Iranian officials and civilians, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Iran responded with missile and drone attacks against Israel and U.S. interests in the region and tightened control over the Strait of Hormuz.
A ceasefire took effect on April 8. Talks between the Iranian and U.S. delegations in Islamabad on April 11-12 ended without an agreement. After negotiations collapsed, the U.S. imposed a blockade of the strait.
Trump threatens heavier bombing if no deal reached, Iran seeks reparations
Trump threatens heavier bombing if no deal reached, Iran seeks reparations
