The US military said on Wednesday it had begun another round of strikes against Iran after President Donald Trump said more strikes were coming. The escalating attacks threatened to derail efforts to end the war, with Trump warning that Tehran would “pay the price” for stalled negotiations.
US Central Command said in a social media post that the military was striking “multiple targets in Iran,” attacks that were “in response to Iran’s ongoing and unprovoked aggression.”
The second day of US strikes came hours after Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan – all of which host US forces – came under Iranian fire. This was the third time this week that successive strikes tested the two-month-old ceasefire. It also came a day after the US struck Iran following a military helicopter crash near the Strait of Hormuz that Trump blamed on the Islamic Republic.
Trump urged Iran to sign an agreement to end the war and suggested earlier this week that an agreement could be reached within days.
Iranian media reported hearing explosions in Bandar Abbas, Sirik, and Minab, in the south of the country.
Iran has proven its resilience despite weeks of heavy bombardment. It is betting that its ability to effectively close the Strait of Hormuz — a crucial passage for oil and natural gas — gives it a powerful bargaining chip.
Iran’s envoy to the United Nations said that the United States must refrain from threatening to use force if it wants to reach an agreement.
“Iran has never negotiated under threat or pressure and will never yield to pressure or question,” Ambassador Amir Saeed Iravani told the UN Security Council on Wednesday.
However, both countries appear to be searching for a way to end the conflict, if they can market it as a victory at home.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears intent on pursuing goals that make compromise more difficult: the collapse of Iran’s theocracy, the elimination of its nuclear program, and the destruction of the Iran-allied Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon. On Monday, Iran and Israel targeted each other.
Trump says the United States is smuggling oil through the Strait of Hormuz
Since the United States and Israel started the war with the February 28 attacks on Iran, the conflict has rocked the global economy, sent energy prices up around the world and made food and other essentials more expensive.
The global benchmark for crude oil was trading above $93 a barrel on Wednesday, up more than 25% since the start of the war.
Trump said on Wednesday that the US military had carried out a “secret mission” since last month to infiltrate oil shipments through Iranian forces in the Strait of Hormuz. He said that the ships were sneaking in at night, and this was aided by the destruction of Iranian radar equipment.
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Trump said that as a result, more than 100 million barrels of oil escaped Iran’s stranglehold on the strait. There was no immediate confirmation of this figure, which corresponds to roughly five days’ worth of oil shipments through the waterway before the war began.
The army’s role was not immediately clear. Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for Central Command, said US forces were “communicating and coordinating” with commercial ships in the area, but did not provide details about the military support provided.
American and Iranian strikes shake the Middle East
Earlier on Wednesday, the US military said a US aircraft fired “precision munitions” into the engine room of the Palau-flagged ship M/T Sitipilo as it attempted to break through the naval blockade with a cargo of Iranian oil. This was the eighth commercial ship disabled by US forces in the waters off Iran.
The Indian Foreign Ministry said that three Indian sailors were missing after the ship Sitipilo was targeted, while 21 others were rescued. Its statement did not mention the US military or the blockade.
Hawkins of US Central Command said US forces warned the crew before firing on the ship.
The US military said the strikes earlier on Wednesday targeted “air defense, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites.”
Iran said the US strikes hit two water tanks in the southern city of Sirik, temporarily cutting off water to thousands of people. US Central Command had no immediate comment.
Tehran later claimed responsibility for attacks in Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan.
Jordan said it shot down five missiles that Iran said targeted an air base hosting US military aircraft.
Bahrain and Kuwait said they intercepted the incoming fire.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the American attacks and described them as a violation of Iranian sovereignty. Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei said in televised statements that after the new attacks, Iran will review its position on negotiations to end the war.
Mediation efforts continued to reach an agreement. After consultations with the United States, a delegation from Qatar arrived in Tehran for talks on Wednesday, according to an official familiar with the visit who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the talks.
The exchange of fire came a day after a US Army attack helicopter crashed near the Strait of Hormuz. The helicopter collided with an Iranian drone, according to a US official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation. It was not clear whether the collision was intentional.
A drone boat rescued the two-person helicopter crew. Trump said they were not hurt.
Major differences stand in the way of reaching a quick peace agreement
Concerned about rising gas prices in the run-up to the November congressional elections, Trump appears to be looking for a quick win. But it also poses demands that will be difficult for Iran to accept.
The United States wants to see Iran give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. While Iran insists that its nuclear program is peaceful, this uranium is only a short technical step away from weapons-grade levels.
Iran refuses to give up uranium and demands relief from sanctions. It also wants the frozen assets to be released even before a final agreement is reached, which Trump has rejected.
It is not clear how these differences can be bridged. In a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, Trump said Iran was taking “too long to negotiate a deal” and “now they will have to pay the price!!!”
Iran insists that any agreement to end the war must also end the fighting between its ally Hezbollah and Israel. Instead, Israel intensified its military campaign against the armed group based in Lebanon.
The Lebanese National News Agency reported that an air strike on the village of East Tyre killed at least six people. She added that two other people were killed in an Israeli drone strike on a car in the southern city of Sidon.
Prices reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Konstantin Torobin and Will Weissert in Washington; Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations; Natalie Melzer in Nahariya, Israel; David Rising in Bangkok; Basem Marwa in Beirut; Michelle L. Price in New York; Ross Bynum in Savannah, Georgia, and Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City contributed to this report.
