The United States launched another round of military strikes against Iran, saying the operation was aimed at degrading Tehran's ability to threaten shipping through the Strait of Hormuz after what Washington described as recent attacks on commercial vessels in the strategic waterway.
The latest operation came hours after President Donald Trump declared that he believed the fragile ceasefire with Iran was effectively over and warned Tehran that further attacks on commercial shipping would invite a stronger US response.
In a statement posted on social media, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said: "At the direction of the Commander in Chief, US 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."
It added: "The United States is holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews freely navigating a vital international waterway." The strikes marked the second consecutive day of US military action against Iranian targets linked to the security of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important energy corridors.
According to The New York Times, Iranian state media reported explosions in several locations in southern Iran, including areas around Bandar Abbas, Sirik and Chabahar. Trump described the latest attacks as retaliation for Iranian strikes on commercial vessels.
"If it happens again, it will get much worse!" he wrote in a social media post. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One while returning to Washington from the NATO summit, Trump said Iran had contacted the United States. "They want to make a deal so badly," he said.
"I don't know that they're going to honour the deal." Earlier in the day, Trump said the United States had struck Iran "very hard last night" and would "probably hit them hard again tonight." He also said he believed any renewed military action would conclude quickly.
"I don't think it's going to start again," Trump said. "I think it's going to go very quickly. They hit a couple of ships, and so we hit them much harder. ... We use their language. We speak their language." According to The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal, the latest strikes followed an earlier wave of more than 80 US strikes against Iranian-linked military targets near the Strait of Hormuz and were broader than Tuesday's operation.
The Wall Street Journal, citing a senior US official, reported that the targets included missile and drone storage areas around the Persian Gulf, while The Washington Post, citing CENTCOM, reported that the operation targeted air defence systems, command-and-control networks, coastal radar sites, anti-ship missile systems and more than 60 small boats associated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The renewed US action also came a day after Washington revoked a licence that had allowed Iran to sell oil on international markets, removing a key economic incentive under the interim understanding reached between the two countries.
The Strait of Hormuz carries about one-fifth of the world's traded oil and is critical to global energy security. Any disruption to shipping through the narrow waterway can quickly affect crude prices, freight costs and energy supplies, including for major importers such as India.