DUBAI — The United States launched fresh attacks against Iran on Thursday, prompting Tehran to retaliate by targeting US bases across the Gulf, as US leaders accused their counterparts of dragging out negotiations for a deal to end the three-month war.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said American forces began “additional self-defense strikes” at 5:15 pm on Wednesday in Washington (early Thursday in Iran) in response to what it called Tehran’s “unwarranted and continued aggression”.
The second consecutive day of attacks came after US President Donald Trump, who had repeatedly said negotiations with Tehran were close to an end, said Tehran had taken “too long to make a deal” to end the war.
Iranian media reported explosions across in cities in the south near the Strait of Hormuz, with explosions heard in Bandar Abbas, Qeshm and Minab, and sources reporting hits by “enemy projectiles” in Kargan and Sirik.
CENTCOM said later that it had “completed” its strikes on “Iranian military surveillance capabilities, communication systems, and air defense sites”.
American forces “fired precision munitions on Iranian targets that posed a threat to US forces and international commercial ships transiting regional waters”, the command said.
In response, Iran said it had attacked US military bases in Bahrain and Kuwait, the same targets of retaliatory Iranian strikes conducted the day before.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said they had struck US targets on bases in Kuwait and Bahrain, and that they also “hit and destroyed Sheikh Isa air bases”, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.
Iranian media said the army had conducted drone strikes targeting communications antennas and radar facilities belonging to the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain.
An air raid alert was issued in Bahrain and residents were urged to “head to the nearest safe place”, the Gulf nation’s interior ministry said on X.
Kuwait closed its airspace temporarily as its military said its air defence systems were working to intercept “hostile aerial targets”.
In the latest flare-up, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps also said it had struck two oil tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media reported, although there was no immediate confirmation.
That came after Iranian state media reported that the Strait of Hormuz was “completely closed to all type of vessel”. CENTCOM, however, said “commercial ships are continuing to transit in and out of the Strait of Hormuz”.
Oil prices rose shortly after the closure of the shipping channel and the apparent attack on the ships was announced.
Brent crude oil, seen as the global benchmark, climbed above $95 a barrel after rising by about 2% during morning trade in Asia.
Hours before the US launched its latest attack, Trump had warned: “We hit them hard yesterday and we’re going to hit them hard again today.”
Trump wrote on Truth Social that Iranian leaders have “taken too long to negotiate a deal”.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Iran had been given a chance to make a deal but had not taken it, adding that bombs would be “dropping on key facilities” in the country.
Hegseth suggested the strikes could extend into a third night, saying they would be “strong” and “clear”.
The escalation drew international calls for restraint on the eve of the World Cup, which the United States is co-hosting and Iran is participating in.
UN Secretary General António Guterres cautioned against a return to “full war”.
In a statement on X, UN Secretary General António Guterres said the Middle East was “being pulled deeper into crisis”, and recent attacks meant “the ceasefire is more like a lesser-fire”.
“We should not minimize the risks of lesser fire becoming full fire. All parties must work towards a diplomatic settlement. No more attacks. No more excuses,” he said.
Iran’s UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani, meanwhile, rejected Trump’s threat, saying “no sustainable deal can be reached through threats, intimidation, or the use of force”.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran “will stand firm against any pressure or threat”. The Iranian foreign ministry earlier accused the US of “damaging the diplomatic process through the contradictory messages it sends”.
In April, the US and Iran agreed a ceasefire that was initially meant to last for two weeks. Both sides have since exchanged intermittent fire, without returning to full-scale hostilities.
However, recent efforts to broker negotiations between Washington and Tehran have stalled and attacks have ramped up.
This week, a US helicopter was downed in an attack that was blamed on Iran. The IRGC responded by targeting US bases across the Middle East.
Iranian media reported explosions and air defense activity in several locations across Hormozgan province early Thursday.
Iran’s state television said five “enemy projectiles” struck a site in the Kargan area near the city of Minab.
Additional explosions were reported in Bandar Abbas, while local media also reported blasts and air defense activity in Jask, Qeshm and Sirik.
Iranian authorities did not immediately provide details on casualties or damage.
Escalation follows Apache helicopter incident
The latest strikes come after the United States blamed Iran for the downing of a US Army Apache helicopter earlier this week.
Trump ordered military action after describing the incident as further evidence of Iranian aggression, although investigations into the exact cause of the helicopter’s loss remain ongoing.
The Apache incident marked a significant escalation in a conflict that has intensified since late February following Israeli and US strikes on Iranian targets.
The confrontation has triggered months of military exchanges, retaliatory attacks and diplomatic tensions across the Middle East.
Despite ongoing diplomatic efforts, relations between Washington and Tehran remain strained as both sides continue to exchange accusations and military actions.
CENTCOM said US forces remain prepared to respond to further threats in the region.
Source: Saudi Gazette