US strikes Iran, Tehran claims Hormuz closure as both sides trade denials over ceasefire collapse

A second night of strikes

The US military launched dozens of Tomahawk cruise missiles at targets across Iran overnight, striking military surveillance facilities, communication systems and air-defence positions nationwide. The regional command CENTCOM described the operation as self-defence strikes responding to Iran's unjustified and ongoing aggression. The closest target to Tehran was a few dozen kilometres outside the capital, according to a Fox News reporter citing President Donald Trump. Iranian state media reported explosions near the southern port cities of Minab, Sirik, Bandar Abbas and on Qeshm Island, as well as in the commuter city of Karaj near Tehran. Two people were reported injured.

The strikes are a response to Iran's unjustified and ongoing aggression.

Hormuz: closed or open?

Iran's military leadership announced a complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation, warning that any ship attempting to transit the waterway would be attacked. State broadcaster reported that two vessels had already been fired upon. CENTCOM immediately contradicted the claim, posting on X that commercial ships were continuing to enter and exit the strait overnight. Iranian state media called the US assertion false. The strait is a critical chokepoint for global oil and gas shipments.

Counterstrikes on Gulf allies

Iran's regular army and the powerful Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed responsibility for attacks on US bases in Bahrain and Kuwait. The army said it targeted the US Navy's regional headquarters in Bahrain with kamikaze drones aimed at Patriot air-defence systems. The Revolutionary Guard stated it struck 18 targets in total, including two US air force bases in Kuwait and one in Bahrain. Sirens sounded in Bahrain early Thursday, and the interior ministry urged residents to remain calm and seek shelter. Kuwait temporarily closed its airspace, with the civil aviation authority rerouting flights and the army engaging hostile aerial threats.

Any ship attempting to pass through the strait will be attacked.

A broken truce and Trump's ultimatum

The latest escalation comes despite a ceasefire that has been in place for two months. Trump called it the most frequently broken truce in world history, according to Fox News reporter Trey Yingst. The president signalled that the bombing could end soon but threatened to bomb Iran into the ground if Tehran does not sign a framework agreement to end the war. Trump also claimed to be in direct contact with Iranian leadership, saying Tehran had asked him to stop the strikes. A senior Iranian official dismissed this as a false claim and a pretext to avoid war.

If Tehran does not sign a framework agreement to end the war, we will bomb them into the ground.

Secret tanker mission and diplomatic pressure

Trump disclosed what he described as a covert operation in which more than 200 unlit tankers, secured by the US Navy, transported millions of barrels of crude oil through the Strait of Hormuz without Iran's knowledge. He said the mission succeeded because Iran's radar system was no longer functioning. The president did not specify when the operation took place or which tankers were involved. Meanwhile, Germany and 21 other countries called on Iran to stop attacks on people on their soil, citing attempts to kill, kidnap and harass individuals on their territory.

Preceding hostilities

The overnight strikes followed an exchange of fire the previous night, when the US attacked air-defence installations, ground-control stations and radar facilities in Iran in response to the downing of a US combat helicopter. Iran retaliated by striking US bases in the Gulf region. The conflict, now in its fourth month, has seen the April ceasefire repeatedly violated by both sides.