U.S. forces struck Iran again on Wednesday, saying the strikes were meant to keep the Strait of Hormuz open to shipping. The attacks triggered Iranian retaliation against Kuwait and Bahrain, pushing the conflict further from any resolution.
The latest round of U.S. strikes came in response to Tuesday’s assault on three cargo ships passing through the strait. The action followed comments from President Donald Trump, who said hours earlier that he believed an interim ceasefire with Iran was finished.
“U.S. Central Command forces have started conducting additional strikes against Iran to further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,” CENTCOM, the U.S. military’s Middle East command, wrote on X. “The United States is holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews freely navigating a vital international waterway.”
The strikes hit several cities along Iran’s southern coast and knocked out power in some areas. Iran answered with a second consecutive day of attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain, both hosts to U.S. military bases in the region.
Kuwait’s Defense Ministry said it intercepted missiles and drones fired at its territory. Qatar briefly raised an “elevated security threat” alert before standing it down.
A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that Wednesday’s strikes on Iran would exceed Tuesday’s in number. Trump addressed the escalation directly on Truth Social: “This is in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!”
Before the war, a fifth of global oil supplies moved through the Strait of Hormuz. Control over that passage has handed Tehran significant leverage, letting it hold the world’s most powerful military to a stalemate. Iran has not claimed responsibility for the ship attacks, though analysts say Tehran has used similar actions in the past to strengthen its position at the negotiating table.
Iran’s top negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, posted a warning of his own on X: “The U.S. has yet to learn that bullying and breaking its commitments no longer come without a cost. Let me be clear: If you strike, you will be struck back.” He added, “The Strait of Hormuz will be reopened only under Iranian arrangements, not through U.S. threats.”
The exchange of strikes has clouded prospects for turning a memorandum of understanding signed June 17 into a lasting deal to end the war, which began with U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28.
Speaking to reporters before a NATO summit in Turkey on Wednesday, Trump was asked whether the memorandum was dead. “It’s a very interesting question. To me, I think it’s over. I don’t want to deal with them,” he said. He later added, “If we make a deal with Iran I’m not sure that will stick. I found them to be very dishonourable people.”
Trump has threatened to escalate military action before and then pulled back. On Wednesday he said he doubted the conflict would return to full-scale war, though he acknowledged it remained unclear whether talks on a permanent deal would continue. “Anything that happens is going to be over very quickly,” he said, “and will only make it safer, including for oil.”
Oil prices climbed after Wednesday’s strikes. Brent crude futures rose about 1% to $78.80 a barrel by 0054 GMT, still far below the late-April peak of more than $120 a barrel.
Strikes concentrate on southern coast
Iranian media reported that Wednesday’s strikes hit locations from the Strait of Hormuz to the Gulf of Oman. Bandar Abbas, home to Iran’s largest port along with major navy and Revolutionary Guards facilities, was among the targets. Konarak and Chabahar, two coastal cities near Iran’s border with Pakistan, were also hit.
Power had been restored to most of Chabahar after the strikes cut electricity in parts of the city, the Mehr news agency reported, citing the local utility. Iranian media also reported a strike on a maritime traffic control tower in Chabahar.
A firefighter died in a strike on the airport in Iranshahr, in southeastern Iran, according to state media. In the north, a U.S. attack struck a railway bridge near the town of Aqqala, Press TV reported.
Before Wednesday’s new strikes, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said earlier U.S. attacks had already violated the memorandum of understanding. He pointed to a clause stating the agreement “emphasizes the Islamic Republic of Iran’s responsibility in determining arrangements for the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz.”
A spokesperson for parliament’s National Security Commission said Iran was weighing several retaliatory options, including withdrawal from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, a change to Iran’s nuclear doctrine, and closure of the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, another major shipping route at the mouth of the Red Sea.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations also sent a letter to the Security Council on Wednesday accusing the United States of a “blatant violation of the Charter of the United Nations and its international obligations.” The letter said the U.S. strikes broke the terms of the memorandum signed by the two countries.
