WASHINGTON: The United States carried out a new round of attacks on Iran on Thursday, triggering a retaliatory response from Tehran, as hopes for a swift agreement to end the three-month conflict appeared to diminish.
The latest exchange marked the second consecutive day of tit-for-tat military action between the two countries. Iran targeted US military installations across the Gulf region, while rising tensions pushed global oil prices higher.
US President Donald Trump, who had repeatedly expressed optimism about nearing a diplomatic breakthrough with Tehran, accused Iran of delaying negotiations. Speaking on Wednesday, he said Iran was “playing us for suckers” and warned that it would now “have to pay the price”.
Hours later, the US Central Command (Centcom) announced that American forces had launched additional “self-defence strikes” at 5:15pm Washington time on Wednesday, corresponding to the early hours of Thursday in Iran.
According to Centcom, the operation was carried out in response to what it described as Iran’s “unwarranted and continued aggression”.
Iranian media reported multiple explosions across the country’s southern region near the Strait of Hormuz. Blasts were heard in Bandar Abbas, Qeshm and Minab, while sources reported that “enemy projectiles” had struck targets in Kargan and Sirik.
Centcom later confirmed that the strikes had concluded and targeted Iran’s military surveillance systems, communication infrastructure and air defence installations.
The command stated that American forces used precision-guided munitions against Iranian positions considered a threat to US personnel and international commercial shipping operating in regional waters.
The renewed hostilities came as US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested that military pressure could accompany diplomacy, saying that if President Trump required it, “we’ll negotiate with bombs, and we’re very good at it”.
In response, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced strikes on US-linked targets at military bases in Kuwait and Bahrain. According to the state-run IRNA news agency, Iranian forces also struck and destroyed facilities at Sheikh Isa Air Base.
Iranian media further reported that the country’s military conducted drone attacks against communications antennas and radar systems associated with the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain.
Following the attacks, Bahraini authorities issued an air raid alert and urged residents to move to the nearest safe location. The warning was announced by the Gulf nation’s Interior Ministry on social media platform X.
Kuwait also temporarily closed its airspace after its military reported that air defence systems were actively intercepting what it described as hostile aerial threats.
Iran renewed warnings regarding the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical maritime routes for oil and gas shipments and a waterway that Tehran claims to have effectively shut down.
Majid Mousavi, head of the IRGC Aerospace Force, warned in a social media post that if the United States made the Strait of Hormuz unsafe, Iran would make the entire region “hell” for its adversaries.
The Iranian Navy claimed to have struck two vessels attempting to pass through the strait, according to reports by state broadcaster IRIB and the Mehr news agency.
Meanwhile, the Tasnim news agency quoted Iran’s military operational command as saying that the Strait of Hormuz was now “completely closed” and that any vessel attempting to transit the waterway would be targeted.
However, Centcom rejected those claims, stating that commercial shipping continued to move through the strait in both directions.
Trump also asserted on Wednesday that the US military had secretly assisted in ensuring the passage of around 100 million barrels of oil through the strategically important waterway.
Trump issues fresh warning
Earlier in the day, US broadcaster Fox News reported that Trump claimed Iranian leaders had directly contacted him in the White House Situation Room as American strikes were underway.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards swiftly denied the claim, with IRNA reporting that no such communication had taken place.
According to Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst, Trump said US forces had launched 49 Tomahawk missiles against Iranian targets, some located as close as 60 kilometres from Tehran.
The reporter further quoted Trump as warning that if Iran failed to accept American terms for ending the conflict, the United States would launch even more extensive bombing operations the following night.