US launches second wave of strikes on Iran; Trump says it may 'cease to exist'

Ceasefire shattered

A fragile 60-day truce governing navigation through the Strait of Hormuz collapsed this week after Iran attacked a Singapore-flagged commercial vessel on Thursday. Under the agreement, Iran was to guarantee safe passage for merchant shipping in exchange for the US lifting a blockade of its ports. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps responded by declaring that ships must transit exclusively via Iranian-designated routes, warning it would act against vessels using alternatives 'announced by other authorities.'

US retaliation intensifies

The United States launched its first retaliatory strikes on Iranian targets on Friday. Before dawn on Saturday, an Iranian drone struck the Panamanian-flagged tanker M/T Kiku, which was carrying more than two million barrels of crude near the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM announced a second wave of American airstrikes shortly afterwards, describing them as a 'direct response to ongoing Iranian aggression against commercial shipping.' US military aircraft hit intelligence infrastructure, communication systems, air-defence facilities, drone depots and mine-laying installations. 'Iran was given the chance to comply with the ceasefire agreement but chose not to, as its forces conducted a drone attack that struck the M/T Kiku today at 4.30 a.m. Eastern Time,' the command said.

Trump draws a red line

President Donald Trump escalated Washington's rhetoric in a Truth Social post confirming the strikes.

“American planes just attacked Iranian missile and drone warehouses and coastal radar stations for violating the ceasefire agreement — AGAIN! It is very possible they will never learn! There may come a time when we are no longer able to be reasonable and will be forced to finish militarily what we very effectively started. If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will cease to exist!”

Vice President J.D. Vance had already set the tone on Friday, stating that

“the response to violence will be violence.”

Iran strikes Gulf neighbours

Tehran's reprisal came before dawn on Sunday. Kuwait's military announced that its air defences were 'responding to hostile missile and drone attacks,' while Bahrain, which hosts a large US naval base, activated anti-aircraft sirens. An anonymous US official told Reuters that Iran fired multiple missiles and drones at both countries.

Strategic waterway under strain

Commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is continuing, and US forces remain 'vigilant, effective and ready,' according to CENTCOM. The exchange of fire across the Gulf, combined with Trump's existential ultimatum, has brought the region to its most perilous juncture since the original ceasefire was brokered.