The United States launched new airstrikes against Iran early Thursday, while Tehran responded by targeting Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar in crossfire that again threatened an interim deal aimed at helping 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 signalled the end of the fragile ceasefire. The US struck a range of military sites and port facilities early Wednesday after Iran targeted several merchant vessels off the coast of Oman, prompting Iranian retaliation at the time as well.
But Thursday’s attacks appeared larger in scale, with air raid sirens sounding at least twice in Bahrain, home to the headquarters of the US Navy’s 5th Fleet. There was no immediate report of damage in the three Gulf Arab countries from attacks claimed by Iran’s military.
In Iran, the two days of American airstrikes have killed at least 14 people and wounded another 78, the Health Ministry said on Thursday in its first overall casualty count.
The US military’s Central Command said it had hit about 90 targets across Iran, releasing black-and-white footage showing what appeared to be strikes on an airport runway and missile launchers.
“US forces remain vigilant, lethal, and prepared to execute operations directed by the Commander in Chief,” it said.
The US said the strikes were intended to “further degrade” Iran’s ability “to threaten freedom of navigation” in the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s traded oil and natural gas passed before the war began with US and Israeli attacks on 28 February.
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.
In Iran’s southwestern Khuzestan province, at least three people were killed on Thursday, state media reported. In Iranshahr, authorities said a strike also killed a firefighter at an airport. The fatalities followed the deaths of at least nine members of Iran’s armed forces in Wednesday’s strikes. It was unclear when the remaining fatality occurred or who was killed.
For the first time since April, it also appeared that US strikes had targeted Iranian bridges. State media reported a strike on a railway bridge in Iran’s northeastern Golestan province, while the Revolutionary Guard said two bridges had been attacked on the route to Mashhad, where officials plan to bury the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday. It was unclear whether the Golestan attack was the same incident mentioned by the Guard.
After leaving a NATO summit in Turkey, Trump posted several videos on his social media platform showing what he said were explosions in Iran and issued another warning to Tehran.
“This is in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!” Trump wrote.
Earlier in the day, Trump had said the latest round of fighting would not result in “long-term” military action.
“Anything that happens is going to happen very fast,” Trump said, though he also suggested the US military might “just finish the job”.
Trump also renewed previous threats to strike Iran’s civilian infrastructure, including power plants and desalination facilities, and to seize the oil-producing hub of Kharg Island.
After three tankers were hit on Tuesday, the US launched strikes on Iran, prompting Iranian forces to retaliate by targeting American military sites in the Persian Gulf.
Iran has argued that the interim ceasefire deal gives it the right to manage traffic through the strait. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, a key negotiator in talks aimed at securing a permanent end to the war, issued a defiant message on X on Thursday morning.
“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 fuelled concerns that the war could restart by saying the interim agreement to halt fighting was “over”, although he added that negotiations would continue.
Attacks have repeatedly threatened the fragile ceasefire, but Trump’s comments added fresh uncertainty, sending oil prices higher. A renewed conflict could engulf the wider Middle East and likely halt energy shipments through the strait once again.
“For me, I think it’s over,” Trump said when asked about the status of the ceasefire. He added that US representatives could continue negotiations but cast doubt on the outcome.
“They can talk, but I think they’re wasting their time,” he said.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, also a senior negotiator, responded on X that Trump’s remarks “are not a sign of power but an admission of the failure” of US policy towards Iran.
Trump has previously threatened to seize Kharg Island, including last month, when he questioned whether the US “has the stomach for it”. Around 90% of Iran’s oil exports pass through the island.
The latest attacks on ships in the strait, despite ongoing negotiations, could reflect divisions within Iran’s leadership. Hard-liners want lasting control over the waterway, a globally important route for fuel shipments and a key lever in confronting the West. Pragmatists, meanwhile, seek a permanent peace deal that would lift international sanctions and provide much-needed economic relief.
Negotiations on a final agreement were due to begin after Khamenei’s funeral. The supreme leader was killed on 28 February in the opening moments of the war. The funeral, which concludes on Thursday, had been expected to provide a period of reduced tensions.
The talks are expected to focus on the most difficult issues, including fully reopening the strait and scaling back Tehran’s disputed nuclear programme.