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US-Iran conflict: Iran vows 'hard slap' after US strikes, warns America to wait
Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesperson for the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, said on Wednesday that Iranians would deliver a “hard slap” in response to US attacks. In a post on X, he said the late Ali Khamenei had taught Iranians “not to fear America” and urged people to “wait for the hard slap by Iranians.”
US launches new airstrikes on Iran, with Tehran firing back at 3 Gulf Arab states
The United States launched new airstrikes against Iran early Thursday, and Tehran responded by hitting Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar in crossfire that again threatened an interim deal intended to help end the war in the Persian Gulf.
The strikes came hours after US President Donald Trump said recent Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz signaled the end of the fragile ceasefire. The US struck a variety of military sites and port facilities early Wednesday following Iran’s targeting of several merchant vessels off the coast of Oman, sparking Iranian fire then as well.
But Thursday's attacks appeared bigger all around, with sirens sounding at least twice in Bahrain, home to the US Navy's 5th Fleet headquarters. There was no immediate word of damage in the three Gulf Arab countries. Kuwait’s military said it was actively intercepting incoming drones and missiles.
Military officials said in a social media post that the latest strikes were intended to “further degrade” Iran's ability “to threaten freedom of navigation” in the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s traded oil and natural gas passed before the war began with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Feb. 28.
Iranian state media reported explosions in several locations, including Bushehr, home to Iran’s nuclear power plant complex, and the southern port cities of Chabahar, Konarak, Bandar Abbas and Sirik.
Trump warns that ‘it will get much worse’ if attacks on shipping happen again
After leaving a NATO summit in Turkey, Trump posted several videos on his social media site of what he said were explosions in Iran and issued another warning to the Islamic Republic.
“This is in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!” Trump wrote.
'We're going to punch back harder than ever': Vance warns Iran over Hormuz attacks
Vice President JD Vance has accused Iran of violating a recent understanding with the United States by resuming attacks on commercial shipping, warning that any further attempts to disrupt maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz would trigger a stronger US military response.
Speaking in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Wednesday (local time), Vance said the Trump administration had reached an agreement with Tehran after recent hostilities, but alleged that Iran had failed to uphold its side of the arrangement.
"We made a deal with the Iranians," Vance said, adding that the agreement came after the United States had negotiated "from maximum leverage and maximum strength."
He credited President Donald Trump and the US military with weakening Iran's capabilities before diplomacy resumed.
"Thanks to the incredible efforts of our amazing US military, …the President of the United States, just amazing people. But most of all, thanks to the troops, we came into the situation with maximum leverage and maximum strength. Their nuclear programme was destroyed, their conventional military was destroyed, and you've got some people within the Iranian system who are saying, 'You know what? We want to change our relationship with the United States. We want to turn over a new leaf,'" Vance said.
According to Vance, the understanding between Washington and Tehran centred on freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important oil shipping lanes.
Iran War News: US forces strike Iran for 2nd straight day
US forces conducted strikes against Iran for a second straight day to "degrade" Iran's ability "to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz," the United States Central Command has announced.
The United States is "holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews freely navigating a vital international waterway," the command said in a post on X on Wednesday (Washington time).
More than 20 US Navy warships were patrolling waters across the Middle East on Wednesday, the command said in an earlier post.
The move came after US President Donald Trump warned at the NATO summit in Ankara earlier the same day that the US military would probably hit Iran again, reports Xinhua news agency.
"I'll give a little warning: We're going to hit them hard tonight," Trump said, adding that he did not expect a full-fledged conflict with Iran.
Following Trump's remarks at the summit, Iran's Press TV, citing an informed source, reported that Iran would close the Strait of Hormuz and strike twice as many targets given any fresh US attack.
Iran War News: Missile alerts sound in Bahrain and Qatar after US launches new round of airstrikes against Iran
Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar sounded missile alert sirens early Thursday morning warning of an Iranian attack after the United States launched a new round of airstrikes targeting Iran.
There was no immediate word of damage in the three Gulf Arab countries. Kuwait’s military said it was actively intercepting incoming drones and missiles.
On Wednesday, Iran launched attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait over an earlier round of US airstrikes against Iran. The latest U.S. strikes began Wednesday, hours after President Donald Trump said that recent Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz signaled the end of the fragile ceasefire.
The action raised fears that the war in Iran could reignite, coming just a day after the US military hit a variety of military sites and port facilities following Iran’s targeting of several merchant vessels off the coast of Oman.
Military officials said in a social media post Wednesday that the latest strikes were intended to “further degrade” Iran's ability “to threaten freedom of navigation” in the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s traded oil and natural gas passed before the war began with US and Israeli attacks on Feb. 28.
Iranian state media reported explosions in several locations, including Bushehr, home to Iran’s nuclear power plant complex, and the southern port cities of Chabahar, Konarak, Bandar Abbas and Sirik.
Iran War News: The United States launched fresh airstrikes on Iran early Thursday, prompting Tehran to retaliate with missile and drone attacks targeting Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, further undermining an already fragile interim ceasefire aimed at ending the Persian Gulf war.
The latest escalation came hours after US President Donald Trump declared that Iran's recent attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz had effectively ended the temporary truce. The US strikes followed Iran's targeting of several merchant vessels off the coast of Oman, which Washington said threatened freedom of navigation through one of the world's busiest energy corridors.
Thursday's exchanges marked the biggest flare-up since the ceasefire was announced. Air raid sirens sounded at least twice in Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet headquarters, while Kuwait said its military was intercepting incoming missiles and drones. There were no immediate reports of damage in Bahrain, Kuwait or Qatar.
The U.S. military said the strikes were intended to "further degrade" Iran's ability to threaten shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a route that handled roughly one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade before the conflict erupted on February 28.
Iranian state media reported explosions in multiple locations, including Bushehr, home to Iran's nuclear power complex, and the southern port cities of Chabahar, Konarak, Bandar Abbas and Sirik.
After leaving a NATO summit in Turkey, Trump shared videos on social media that he said showed explosions inside Iran and warned Tehran against any future attacks on shipping.
"This is in retribution for yesterday's bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!" he wrote.
Earlier in the day, Trump had suggested the military action would not become a prolonged campaign.
"Anything that happens is going to happen very fast," he said, while adding that the US could also "just finish the job."
He also renewed earlier threats to target Iran's civilian infrastructure, including power stations and desalination plants, and to seize the country's key oil-export hub at Kharg Island.
The latest US strikes followed attacks on three commercial tankers on Tuesday. Iran responded by targeting American military facilities across the Persian Gulf.
Iran has maintained that the interim ceasefire allows it to regulate traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf defended Tehran's position in a post on X.
"America still hasn't learned that bullying and breaking promises are no longer cost-free. Let me put it plainly: if you strike, you'll get hit," he wrote.
Trump's remarks raised fresh doubts over the future of the ceasefire, saying the agreement was effectively "over," even as he allowed diplomatic efforts to continue.
