US launches second night of strikes on Iran as Trump declares ceasefire over
American forces struck Iranian military targets for a second consecutive night on Wednesday, hours after President Donald Trump declared the interim ceasefire with Tehran 'over' and threatened much worse retaliation if Iran attacks commercial ships again.
Second wave of strikes
US Central Command confirmed it had begun "additional strikes against Iran to further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz" late on Wednesday afternoon Washington time. The attacks hit port cities and military sites along Iran's southern coast, including Bandar Abbas, Sirik, and Bushehr province, according to Iranian state media. The strikes followed a first wave on Tuesday night that struck more than 80 targets, including Kharg Island, through which roughly 90% of Iranian oil is exported, and dozens of fast boats belonging to the Revolutionary Guard.
This is in retribution for yesterday's bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!
Ceasefire collapse
Speaking at the NATO summit in Ankara earlier on Wednesday, Trump used some of his most bellicose language since the ceasefire was extended in mid-June, calling Iran's leaders "scum" and "sick people". He said the interim agreement was finished. "As far as I'm concerned, it's over," Trump told reporters. He predicted any further military action would be resolved quickly and would not become a full-blown war, but added the US might "just finish the job". Vice President JD Vance said the US would keep striking until the issue was resolved.
Iran's response
Iranian officials rejected the US threats. Mohsen Rezaei, military adviser to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, posted a Quranic verse on X and warned that "the aggressor enemy and its accomplices will be severely punished". Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, a key negotiator in talks for a permanent end to the war, wrote: "The era of bullying and extortion is over. It leads nowhere. We don't fold." Iran's Revolutionary Guard claimed early Thursday to have struck 85 US military installations in Kuwait and Bahrain in retaliation, though those reports could not be independently verified.
The era of bullying and extortion is over. It leads nowhere. We don't fold.
Oil markets react
Renewed clashes in the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for about a fifth of global oil and gas flows, sent energy prices sharply higher. Brent crude rose 6.6% in after-hours trading to $79.06 a barrel, after earlier touching above $80, its highest level in more than two weeks. Since the latest ceasefire in mid-June, Iran has attacked five vessels, including tankers from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, according to US officials.
- Iran attacks three commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Oman.
- US launches first wave of strikes, hitting more than 80 Iranian military targets including Kharg Island.
- Trump at NATO summit in Ankara says ceasefire is over and threatens further strikes.
- US begins second wave of strikes on Bandar Abbas, Sirik, and Bushehr province.
- Iran's Revolutionary Guard claims to have hit 85 US installations in Kuwait and Bahrain.
What comes next
The US strikes targeted underground missile facilities, coastal defence systems, radar and surveillance sites, and more than 60 small boats, Centcom said. Trump's threat of "much worse" retaliation leaves open the possibility of further escalation if Iran strikes commercial shipping again. The Iranian government maintains that the ceasefire deal gave it the right to manage traffic through the strait, a claim Washington rejects.
