US, Iran exchange attacks as Trump threatens further escalation

The US has launched new strikes against multiple targets overnight in Iran, while the IRGC responded with counter-attacks at US military airbases located in Kuwait and Bahrain early on Thursday.

The US military's Central Command announced the strikes were complete about four hours after they began shortly after midnight in Tehran, saying in a post on social media platform X that the targets included "military surveillance capabilities, communication systems, and air defense sites across Iran".

"The strikes are in response to Iran's unwarranted and continued aggression," Central Command said.

The attacks were the latest development in an escalating exchange of strikes that threatens to reignite a full-scale war, which was paused in early April when the two sides agreed to a fragile ceasefire.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said early on Thursday they had launched counter-attacks on 18 US military targets at airbases in Kuwait and Bahrain, and Bahrain's interior ministry said sirens were sounded.

Iran's top joint military command also warned it would fire on any vessel attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been largely closed for months. Iranian media reported that two ships were fired upon.

US Central Command denied that the strait was closed, saying commercial ships were still transiting the strait despite Iran's threats.

Trump said earlier in the day that vessels have been crossing the strait without Iran's permission as part of a clandestine military mission.

Iranian news agencies reported explosions in several cities, including Sirik, Kargan, Bandar Abbas, Minab, Varamin and Karaj.

"We're going to be attacking them, attacking them very hard," Trump had told reporters at the White House, saying the US would strike Iran on Wednesday.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth presented the move as an effort to force Iran into a deal to end the conflict, telling reporters during a visit to Central Command in Florida that the strikes would "advance our military interests and also enhance our diplomatic position."

"We will strike them hard tonight, and hopefully Iran makes a good decision," he said. "If we need to negotiate with bombs, we'll negotiate with bombs."

The United States and Iran have traded fire several times since the tentative ceasefire took hold, even as negotiators have unsuccessfully sought an end to the war, now in its fourth month.

Trump has repeatedly said a deal is close, though there has been no sign of a breakthrough, while also threatening to resume bombing.

The US military earlier targeted air defenses and radar sites around the Strait of Hormuz after a US attack helicopter was downed near the strategic waterway on Monday. Iran responded with missile and drone attacks on US bases in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain. A US official said there was no significant damage.

Iran accused the US of striking reservoirs that supplied drinking water to 10 villages and violating international law.

"This is not collateral damage -- it is a calculated war crime and a flagrant violation of human rights," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghei said.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump, who has threatened before to destroy Iran's civilian infrastructure, did not say whether the coming strikes would target power plants and bridges.

Despite the belligerent language from both sides, there were signs of continuing diplomatic efforts.

A delegation from Qatar, which has been mediating between the United States and Iran, landed in Tehran on Wednesday to hold talks on the latest developments, Iranian media reported.

TRUMP CLAIMS A SECRET MISSION

The war has killed thousands and disrupted roughly one-fifth of the world's supply of oil and natural gas, sending prices sharply higher. Iran has blocked traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, while the US has maintained its own blockade on Iranian ports.

The conflict has become a political headache for the White House, with public polls showing Trump's approval ratings sinking amid voter anger over high gasoline prices. Some Republicans have openly worried the war's unpopularity could cost them control of Congress in November's midterm elections.

Oil prices rose nearly $3 following Trump's threat of escalation, and extended gains in early Asian trade on Thursday.

Trump told reporters at the White House on Wednesday that vessels carrying 100 million barrels of oil have defied Iran to travel through the strait as part of a secret military mission.

Hegseth said ships have been transiting the strait "in the middle of the night, protected by the United States in a way that Iran can't stop, they can't see it."

Separately, the US military said it disabled an oil tanker transporting Iranian crude in the Gulf of Oman on Tuesday for a second consecutive day.

FIGHTING IN LEBANON CONTINUES

Fighting in a parallel war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon has continued. Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon killed at least 13 people on Wednesday, Lebanese security sources said, while Hezbollah claimed fresh attacks against Israeli forces.

Tehran's demands include an end to Israel's attacks in Lebanon, the lifting of sanctions on Iran, the release of billions of dollars in frozen assets, and recognition of its control of the strait.

Trump says Iran must end its restrictions on shipping through Hormuz. He also says any peace deal must ensure Iran cannot develop a nuclear weapon.

Iran denies any such ambition.

The UN nuclear watchdog's 35-nation Board of Governors passed a US-backed resolution on Wednesday telling Iran to declare its remaining enriched uranium stocks and let inspectors verify them. Iran branded the resolution as "political".