US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday Iran had taken too long to negotiate a deal and would now "have to pay the price," while Tehran said it would reassess diplomatic engagement with Washington after tit-for-tat strikes overnight.

Iran launched missile and drone attacks on US bases in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain in retaliation for American strikes on Iranian targets around the Strait of Hormuz.

The exchange of fire, which came after Trump said Iran had downed a US Apache helicopter near the strait, marks one of the most significant escalations since Washington and Tehran agreed to a ceasefire in April.

"Iran is all talk and no action," Trump said in a social media post on Wednesday. "They've taken too long to negotiate a deal that would have been great for them, now they will have to pay the price!!!"

The US military said it had targeted Iranian air defenses, ground control stations and surveillance radar sites in what it described as a "proportional response" to the downing of the helicopter, whose two crew members were rescued.

Iran's Gulf neighbors and Jordan activated air defenses to intercept incoming missiles and there were no immediate reports of damage to US bases.

The escalation – just days after Iran exchanged strikes with Israel for the first time since the ceasefire – cast fresh doubt on prospects for a deal to end the war, which began on February 28 with joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Tehran would "reassess" its diplomatic engagement with Washington after what it called repeated ceasefire violations.

"Any diplomatic process requires a minimum stable environment," Esmaeil Baghaei said.

The US strikes lasted about four hours, with Central Command saying shortly before 0100 GMT that operations had ended. A US official said nearly 20 Iranian targets were hit.

Iran targets US bases 

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Qeshm Island and the port of Sirik were attacked. Iranian media also reported explosions in Bandar Abbas, another port city, and later near Jask at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz.

The IRGC said it had attacked US bases in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan with drones and missiles in response to the new "US aggression".

It said it had fired long-range missiles at four sites at the US al-Azraq base in Jordan, including F-35 fighter jet hangars and a command-and-control center, and it was ready to deliver a "crushing and decisive" response to any further US action.

Jordan's military said it had intercepted and shot down five missiles launched from Iran toward al-Azraq, and that falling debris caused no injuries or damage.

Kuwait's defense ministry said it had intercepted "hostile aerial targets", while Bahrain's air defenses had repelled Iranian attacks, a media adviser to the king said on X. Kuwait houses US military facilities including a major airbase, while Bahrain is headquarters of the US Navy's regional fleet.

Asian stocks fell and oil prices rose amid the renewed hostilities, though moves were more muted than in previous Gulf flare-ups.

Trump downplays helicopter loss 

The US attack helicopter was brought down by a one-way Iranian attack drone, a US official said. Trump said two US crew members were uninjured, but the US military's Central Command said the two crew were rescued after two hours and said they were in stable condition – a more cautious assessment than Trump's description.

The helicopter went down in waters off Oman's coast while on patrol at around 2300 GMT Monday, the US military said, adding that a Navy surface drone had located and rescued the crew.

Iran's state media, citing a military source, said no offensive air operations had been conducted in the Strait of Hormuz in the preceding 24 hours.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi did not directly address the incident but warned in a post on X that foreign forces in the region risk accidents or crossfire.

"To reduce risk, best solution is for them to leave," he wrote.

Speaking later to the Wall Street Journal, Trump played down the incident, saying it "wasn't a big deal" and stressing that "the pilot is fine".

Nevertheless, the episode is likely to add further strain to efforts to broker a peace deal to end the wider Middle East war and reopen Hormuz.

Peace deal appears remote 

The ceasefire in early April was announced with plans for peace talks. Diplomats have since sought to reopen Hormuz, end a US blockade of Iranian ports and create a pathway for negotiations over Iran's nuclear program.

Trump has repeatedly said a deal is close, but despite several rounds of indirect talks mediated by Pakistan and Qatar, the two sides still appear far apart.

Fighting in a parallel war between Israel and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon has continued, and Tehran has maintained restrictions on most shipping through the strait, which before the war carried a fifth of the world's crude oil and liquefied natural gas. Washington has kept its own blockade of Iranian ports in place.

Trump has said any peace deal must ensure Iran cannot develop a nuclear weapon. Iran denies any such ambitions.

Iran's demands include the lifting of international sanctions, the release of billions of dollars in frozen assets, recognition of its control of the strait and an end to fighting in Lebanon.