The US and Iran exchanged strikes on Thursday for the second day running as Washington and Tehran battled over the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
The important oil shipping corridor has become a hotspot in the Middle East battle, with Tehran pressing on control of the strait despite its previous openness to unrestricted passage prior to the US-Israeli attacks in February.
Following the exchange of fire on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump declared the cease-fire with Iran to be “over” but kept the door open for further talks and stated that any strikes would be short-lived.
The US military said that the new airstrikes on Iran were aimed at “their ability to threaten the freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,” noting recent strikes on commercial ships in the canal.
The US Central Command reported that around 90 military targets had been destroyed, including missile and drone storage facilities as well as military logistics installations along Iran’s coastline.
Iran responded promptly, with the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) claiming to have targeted “key infrastructure and facilities” at US bases in Arifjan and Ali Al Salem in Kuwait, as well as Juffair and Sheikh Isa in Bahrain.
An AFP journalist heard explosions in Bahrain’s capital, Manama, and Kuwait claimed to have intercepted “hostile missile and drone attacks.”
American strikes targeted a railway bridge in northeast Iran, according to several official media outlets, and the official IRNA news agency reported strikes on a military installation in seaside Bushehr, which houses the country’s only civilian nuclear power plant.
Earlier, airplanes were heard above Iran’s Kish Island, and explosions rocked the port cities of Bandar Abbas, Konarak, and Chabahar, leaving some without power, according to IRNA.
“This is in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday. “If it happens again, it will get much worse!”
Late on Wednesday, when speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump stated that the Iranian side had “called a little while ago” and that they wanted “to make a deal so badly.”
Trump did not disclose any other information on the call, including who was on the line, but went on to question the usefulness of any deal, calling the Iranians “sort of crazy.”
Iran’s senior negotiator stated on Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz would be opened only under “Iranian arrangements.”
“The United States still has not learned that bullying and breaking its promises no longer come without consequences,” Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on X. “Let me be clear: If you strike, you will be struck.”
Since US-Israeli bombs ignited war in February, Tehran has persisted in controlling the strait, threatening to hit vessels that depart from its authorized route and charging passage fees.
Its military has hit at least three ships in recent days, prompting significant US assaults on Iranian targets on Tuesday.
The new bombings come soon before the burial of Ali Khamenei, Iran’s former supreme leader, who was murdered at the start of the conflict on February 28.
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Pakistan, a crucial mediator in the US-Iran talks, urged all sides to exhibit greatest caution.
Iran claimed Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Qatar’s prime minister spoke on the phone on Wednesday and “underscored the importance of using diplomatic means to resolve regional issues.”
Both the US and Iran claimed to have hit dozens of targets in the initial wave of attacks, which Iranian state television reported killed eight Iranian military members.
CENTCOM said its forces targeted more than 80 targets on Tuesday, while the Guards claimed they damaged dozens of US military locations in Kuwait and Bahrain.
The latest Iranian attacks did not result in any American casualties or significant facility damage, according to a US military officer on Wednesday.
Oman, which is on the other side of the Strait of Hormuz from Iran, criticized the targeting of Bahrain and Kuwait, as well as the naval strikes, but did not blame Iran.
Throughout the war, the former mediator has avoided blaming Iran for strikes in order to maintain its neutrality, which is being tested by talks with Tehran over Hormuz governance.
Washington seeks free access for ships, whereas Iran insists on taxes and has refused to allow vessels to pass through Omani waters.
All three vessels that were recently attacked were traveling close to Oman, which had proposed a temporary transit lane along its coastline.
Maritime commerce has cautiously resumed after Washington and Tehran reached a cease-fire agreement last month.
However, about 6,000 sailors are still stranded in the area, according to International Maritime Organization chief Arsenio Dominguez.
