Ahmed Tolba, Enas Alashray and Bo Erickson
Dubai/Washington: The United States and Iran traded airstrikes on Thursday for the second day in a row, and US President Donald Trump vowed to carry out more strikes if Tehran does not immediately agree to a peace deal.
The escalation of hostilities began earlier this week and shoot down an American Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz, which sparked a series of tit-for-tat attacks across Iran and on US bases in the region.
It was the most serious threat to a ceasefire agreed in April, dimming hopes for a quick end to the war that began in late February with massive joint US-Israeli airstrikes against Iran.
The US military said its latest strikes targeted “military surveillance capabilities, communications systems, and air defense sites across Iran” in response to what it called Tehran’s “unprovoked and continued aggression”.
Trump told Fox News reporter Trey Yingst Wednesday evening (Washington time) that the U.S. airstrikes will stop soon but that he will resume heavy bombing if Iran’s leaders do not sign an agreement with the U.S. immediately, according to Yingst’s post on X.
Oil prices rose nearly $US3 ($4.30) following Trump’s threat to hike, extending gains in early Asian trade on Thursday.
The United States Army General Command announced that the attack had ended about four hours after it began, shortly after midnight in Tehran.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has said it has carried out counter-attacks against 18 US military bases in Kuwait and Bahrain air bases, as well as the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain.
It later said it had also targeted the al-Azraq air base in Jordan in a second overnight raid, firing 12 ballistic missiles at the US base.
Kuwaiti air defenses were targeting aerial targets, the US military said, while Bahraini air defenses intercepted and destroyed Iranian airstrikes, a press adviser to the king of Bahrain said on X.
The United States denies Iran’s claim that the sea channel has been closed
Iran’s top military command also warned it would fire on any ship trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been largely closed for months. Iranian media said two US ships were fired upon.
The US Central Command denied that the strait was closed or that any of its ships were hit, saying commercial ships were still crossing the sea despite Iranian threats.
Iranian news agencies reported explosions in several cities across the country of 93 million people, including Sirik, Kargan, Bandar Abbas, Minab, and Karaj near the strait, as well as Varamin in the far north, near the Caspian Sea.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth presented the move as an effort to force Iran to enter into an agreement to end the conflict.
The strikes will “advance our military interests and also increase our diplomatic position”, he told reporters during a visit to the Central Command in Florida.
“We will hit them hard tonight, and we hope Iran will make a good decision,” he said. “If we need to negotiate with bombs, we will negotiate with bombs.”
The US and Iran have exchanged fire several times since the temporary ceasefire, even as negotiators have tried unsuccessfully to end the war, now in its fourth month.
Trump has repeatedly said the plan is close, although there has been no sign of success, while also threatening to resume bombing.
Earlier on Wednesday, the US military targeted air defense and radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz after Monday downing a US attack helicopter near the strategic waterway.
Iran responded with missile and drone attacks on US bases in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain. A US official said there was no major damage.
Iran accused the United States impressive dams that provided drinking water for 10 villages and violate international law.
“This is not collateral damage – it is a calculated war crime and a clear violation of human rights,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghei said.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The war has killed thousands of people and disrupted about a third of the world’s supply of crude oil and liquefied natural gas, sending prices skyrocketing.
Iran has blocked traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, while the United States maintains its blockade of Iranian ports.
The dispute has become a political headache for the White House. Polls show Trump’s approval ratings plummeting as voters rage over high gasoline prices.
Some Republicans are clearly worried that unpopularity with the war could cost them control of Congress in November’s midterm elections.
Fighting in Lebanon continues
Fighting continued in a parallel war in Lebanon between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia.
Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon killed at least 13 people on Wednesday, Lebanese security sources said, as Hezbollah claimed new attacks on Israeli troops.
The Israeli military said two “launchers” were detected falling near an area where Israeli troops are operating in southern Lebanon, after sirens were heard in several areas of northern Israel early Thursday.
Tehran’s demands include a halt to Israeli attacks in Lebanon, the lifting of sanctions against Iran, the release of billions of dollars in frozen assets, and the recognition of its control over the strait.
Trump says Iran must end its blockade of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. He also says any peace agreement must ensure Iran cannot develop nuclear weapons. Iran denies such ambitions.
Reuters
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