Donald Trump has ordered a new round of airstrikes on Iran following attacks by the regime on commercial vessels moving through the Strait of Hormuz.
Speaking at the NATO summit in Turkey, the President said the US-Iran ceasefire was “over” and signaled that additional military action could be on the way.
US Central Command said Wednesday evening that the latest strikes were intended “to further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation” in the Persian Gulf.
“The United States is holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews freely navigating a vital international waterway,” a US Central Command spokesperson said.
Trump framed the operation as a direct response to Tehran’s actions the previous day.
Writing on Truth Social, he said: “This is in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!”
Earlier Wednesday, Trump had hinted at the possibility of strikes while addressing reporters at a NATO summit in Ankara.
“We’re gonna hit ’em hard tonight. They violate the agreement every day,” he said.
Donald Trump has unleashed a fresh wave of airstrikes on Iran after the regime attacked commercial ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz
The strikes follow up bombings that caused large fires at Iranian ports last night
Trump had said earlier in the day that the latest back-and-forth 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 U.S. military might ‘just finish the job.’
Trump also renewed his past threats to hit Iran’s civilian infrastructure, including electric plants and desalinization plants, and to seize the oil-production hub of Kharg Island.
The President’s move against the regime follows a funeral eulogy for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in which a state-backed speaker openly called for Trump’s death.
US strikes hit Iran’s southern port city of Chabahar, knocking out power in parts of the city, according to Iranian state media.
Around 10 explosions were also reportedly heard in the coastal city of Konarak.
Trump earlier threatened to reimpose the US naval blockade on Iranian ports, the lifting of which was a crucial term of the ceasefire deal signed last month.
‘We hit them very hard last night … probably hit them hard again tonight. I’ll give a little warning, we’re going to hit them hard tonight,’ the President said. The President added that he’s considering reinstating the blockade on Iran.
Oil prices surged overnight with global benchmark Brent crude hitting $78.39 per barrel – its highest price since June 19.
All three major US stock market indexes ticked down after Trump declared the MOU was over.
Futures for the NASDAQ, Dow Jones and S&P 500 were all down roughly a point on Wednesday pre-market.
The Pentagon struck more than 80 Iranian targets late Tuesday, including air defenses, radar sites and anti-ship missile batteries, in an operation overseen by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
But despite Trump’s boasts that Iran’s navy has been destroyed, the regime has previously managed to choke off traffic through the strait using small fast-attack speedboats, explosive one-way drones and sea mines.
At the heart of negotiations between the US and Iran is the regime’s nuclear weapons program and its enriched uranium stockpile.
Trump is demanding that Tehran stop trying to produce a nuclear bomb and hand over its entire stockpile of enriched uranium.
Iran, meanwhile, wants control over the Strait of Hormuz, the lifting of US sanctions and the unfreezing of billions in overseas assets.
Iran has asserted 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 seeking a permanent end to the war, was defiant in a post on X: ‘The era of bullying and extortion is over. It leads nowhere. We don’t fold.’
An oil tanker burns after being hit by an Iranian strike in the ship-to-ship transfer zone at Khor al-Zubair port near Basra, Iraq, late Wednesday, March 11
Trump earlier threatened to reimpose the US naval blockade on Iranian ports, the lifting of which was a crucial term of the ceasefire deal signed last month
Trump fueled concerns that the war could restart by saying the interim agreement to pause fighting was ‘over,’ although he added that he would allow negotiations to continue.
Attacks have repeatedly threatened the shaky ceasefire, but Trump’s comments added new uncertainty, and oil prices shot up after he spoke.
A renewed conflict could engulf the wider Middle East and would likely again halt energy shipments through the strait.
‘For me, I think it’s over,’ Trump said when asked about the status of the ceasefire. He added that U.S. representatives can continue negotiations, but he 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 top negotiator, retorted on X that Trump’s remarks ‘are not a sign of power but an admission of the failure’ of U.S. policy toward Iran.
Trump has threatened to seize Kharg Island at previous points in the war, including last month, when he also questioned whether the U.S. ‘has the stomach for it.’ Some 90 percent of Iranian oil exports pass through the island.
