The United States (US) President Donald Trump on Wednesday ordered fresh military strikes against Iran, warning Tehran that further attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz would trigger a stronger response.
Iranian state media reported explosions at several locations along the country’s southern coast shortly after US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced a new wave of strikes.
According to Iran’s official news agency IRNA, warplanes were heard over Kish Island, while explosions were reported in the port cities of Bandar Abbas, Konarak and Chabahar. Parts of Chabahar also experienced power outages.
“This is in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “If it happens again, it will get much worse.”
Earlier on Wednesday, however, Trump said he expected the latest escalation to end quickly and indicated he remained open to further diplomatic talks.
CENTCOM said the strikes were aimed at reducing Iran’s ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, through which around one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies normally pass.
“The United States is holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping,” CENTCOM said in a statement posted on X.
Before authorising the strikes, Trump declared that the ceasefire with Iran was over, prompting Pakistan, Qatar and the United Nations to urge all sides to exercise restraint and pursue de-escalation.
The Strait of Hormuz has remained a major flashpoint since the conflict erupted on 28 February following US-Israeli strikes that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei. He is expected to be buried in his hometown of Mashhad on Thursday.
Since then, Tehran has insisted on controlling access through the strategic waterway, saying it intends to impose transit fees and warning that vessels departing from its authorised shipping route could be targeted.
Iranian forces have struck at least three commercial vessels in recent days, prompting extensive US attacks on Iranian military targets on Tuesday, followed by retaliatory strikes by Iran against Gulf states.
Speaking at a NATO summit in Ankara, Trump said, “We’re going to hit them hard tonight. They violate the agreement every day.”
He later added that he believed the latest confrontation would be resolved quickly.
Oil prices rose by about eight per cent after Trump’s earlier remarks that the ceasefire had effectively ended.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on all parties to exercise maximum restraint, while Pakistan, which has been mediating talks between Washington and Tehran, also appealed for calm.
Iran said Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held a telephone conversation with Qatar’s Prime Minister on Wednesday, during which both sides stressed the importance of resolving regional disputes through diplomatic means.
The United States and Iran each claimed to have struck dozens of military targets during the initial exchanges. Iranian state television said eight Iranian military personnel were killed.
CENTCOM said US forces hit more than 80 targets on Tuesday, including air defence systems, coastal radar installations and 60 small boats belonging to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps.
The Revolutionary Guards, meanwhile, claimed responsibility for attacks on dozens of US military facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain.
Kuwaiti authorities said they intercepted two ballistic missiles and 13 drones, while the Iranian military said it also targeted US forces stationed at Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain.
A US military official said on Wednesday that Iran’s latest attacks caused no American casualties and inflicted no significant damage.
“All missiles and drones fired by Iran were intercepted or failed to cause major damage,” the official told AFP.
In Bahrain, civil servant Nawal Saad expressed concern over the renewed escalation.
“The spectre of war is looming once more,” she said. “I do not want to go through that experience of fear and anxiety again.”
Oman, which lies across the Strait of Hormuz from Iran, condemned the attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait and commercial shipping without directly attributing responsibility to Tehran.
The Gulf state, which has sought to maintain a neutral role throughout the conflict, continues efforts to mediate discussions over navigation through the strategic waterway.
Washington has insisted that commercial vessels must continue to enjoy unrestricted passage, while Iran has maintained its demand for transit fees and has refused to allow ships to divert through Omani waters.
All three vessels targeted in recent attacks were sailing close to Oman, which had proposed a temporary shipping corridor along its coastline.
Commercial maritime traffic had only recently begun to recover following last month’s agreement between Washington and Tehran to end hostilities.
