- US launched new strikes against Iran over Strait shipping threats.
- CENTCOM confirmed strikes degrading Iran’s ability to threaten navigation.
- President Trump declared interim agreement
- Iran issued retaliation warnings, attacking US military sites regionally.
The United States launched a fresh wave of military strikes against Iran on Wednesday, targeting what it described as Tehran’s ability to threaten shipping through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz. The operation came just hours after President Donald Trump declared that an interim agreement aimed at ending the conflict was effectively “over”.
According to the U.S. military, the latest attacks were carried out in response to Tuesday’s assault on three cargo vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The strikes reportedly shook several cities along Iran’s southern coastline and caused power outages in parts of the region.
The renewed military action marks another sharp escalation in tensions between Washington and Tehran, further clouding prospects for diplomacy and raising fresh concerns over stability in one of the world’s most important energy corridors.
CENTCOM Says Strikes Aim to Protect Global Shipping
In a statement posted on X, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces had begun conducting additional strikes to weaken Iran’s capacity to threaten maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
“U.S. Central Command forces have started conducting additional strikes against Iran to further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,” CENTCOM said. It added that the United States was holding Iran responsible for what it described as “recent unjustified aggression” against commercial vessels and civilian crews using the international waterway.
A U.S. official, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said Wednesday’s military operation would involve a greater number of strikes than those carried out a day earlier. Trump also defended the action on Truth Social, warning that any repeat of the attacks would trigger an even stronger response. “This is in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!” he wrote.
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Hormuz Remains at Centre of Escalating Conflict
The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world’s most strategically significant maritime routes. Before the conflict began with U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Iran on February 28, roughly one-fifth of global oil supplies passed through the narrow waterway.
Although Iran has not claimed responsibility for the attacks on the cargo ships, analysts have said such incidents are often used by Tehran to strengthen its position during negotiations. The waterway has long provided Iran with significant strategic leverage due to its importance to global energy markets.
Meanwhile, Iran issued fresh warnings of retaliation. Nournews, which is affiliated with Iran’s top security body, quoted a military source as saying Tehran would soon launch a “massive attack” on U.S. bases across the region. The warning was echoed by Mohsen Rezaei, a senior adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who wrote on X that “the aggressor enemy and its accomplices will be severely punished.”
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Trump Questions Future of Diplomacy
The latest military escalation has further weakened hopes that a memorandum of understanding signed on June 17 could eventually lead to a lasting agreement to end the conflict.
Iran said on Wednesday that it had launched attacks on U.S. military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait in response to earlier American strikes on infrastructure, which themselves followed the attacks on commercial shipping.
Speaking before a NATO summit in Turkey, Trump was asked whether the interim memorandum remained in effect. “It’s a very interesting question. To me, I think it’s over. I don’t want to deal with them,” he said. The president later added that he was uncertain any future agreement would endure, saying, “If we make a deal with Iran, I’m not sure that will stick. I found them to be very dishonourable people.” Even so, Trump said he did not expect the situation to return to full-scale war and acknowledged that it remained unclear whether negotiations towards a permanent settlement would continue.
