The US military struck Iran for the second straight day, an escalation of violence that threatens efforts to reach a permanent peace deal.
US Central Command said its forces completed another round of strikes Wednesday “to further degrade” Tehran’s ability to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. About 90 targets were hit, including air defense systems, coastal surveillance assets, and missile and drone storage sites, it said on X.
US forces remain vigilant, lethal, and prepared to execute operations directed by the Commander in Chief,” it said.
The attacks came just hours after President Donald Trump at the NATO summit in Turkey said the US would probably target Iran again. Washington launched attacks on Tuesday and revoked a waiver allowing new sales of Iranian oil in response to attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz that the administration blamed on the Islamic Republic.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had struck US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain and threatened to expand the attacks, according to Press TV. Earlier, parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf issued a warning that “the US still hasn’t learned that bullying and breaking its commitments no longer come without a cost.”
Brent crude rallied for a third day, climbing above $79 a barrel before paring gains as the latest strikes stoked fears the conflict could disrupt shipping through the waterway.
Kuwait’s army said in a post on X early Thursday that the country’s air defenses were “confronting hostile missile and drone attacks.” Bahrain’s Ministry of the Interior said sirens had sounded and urged residents to head to the nearest safe place.
Trump told reporters on the flight back to Washington that “they hit, we hit back much harder.” Asked if a full-scale military campaign would resume, Trump said, “I don’t know,” but it would be won “very quickly.”
The US military also attacked two railway bridges in northern Iran with cruise missiles as part of the strikes on Wednesday, a reporter with Axios said on X, citing a US official.
Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz came to a near standstill on Thursday. Observable movements in the world’s most vital energy conduit largely occurred along an Iran-approved route nearer to the waterway’s north, while the US-supported Omani corridor was quiet, ship-tracking data show.
The US and Iran have accused each other of violating a memorandum of understanding that established a short-term truce and set in motion a 60-day period for talks on a broader peace deal.