Tehran, Iran. The United States launched new overnight strikes against multiple targets in Iran, the U.S. military said on Wednesday, as President Donald Trump said more attacks would follow if no peace deal is reached. The strikes marked the latest escalation in renewed hostilities after a fragile ceasefire agreed in early April.
U.S. military announces overnight strikes
The U.S. military’s Central Command said the operation was completed about four hours after it began shortly after midnight in Tehran. In a post on X, it said the targets included military surveillance capabilities, communication systems, and air defense sites across Iran.
Central Command said the strikes were carried out in response to what it described as Iran’s unwarranted and continued aggression.
Escalation after ceasefire
The attacks were the latest development in an exchange of strikes that has raised the risk of a return to full-scale war. The conflict had been paused in early April when both sides agreed to a fragile ceasefire.
Iran reports counter-attacks
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said early on Thursday that it had launched counter-attacks on 18 U.S. military targets at airbases in Kuwait and Bahrain. Bahrain’s interior ministry said sirens were sounded.
Iranian news agencies also reported explosions in several cities, including Sirik, Kargan, Bandar Abbas, Minab, Varamin and Karaj.
Strait of Hormuz tensions
Iran’s top joint military command warned it would fire on any vessel attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, which it said had been largely closed for months. Iranian media reported that two ships were fired upon.
U.S. Central Command denied that the strait was closed and said commercial ships were still transiting the waterway despite Iranian threats. Earlier on Wednesday, Trump said vessels had been crossing the strait without Iran’s permission as part of what he described as a clandestine military mission.
Trump and Hegseth statements
Trump told Fox News reporter Trey Yingst on Wednesday evening that the strikes would stop shortly, but said he would “bomb the shit out of them” if Iran’s leaders did not sign an agreement with the United States immediately, according to Yingst’s post on X.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said during a visit to Central Command in Florida that the strikes were intended to pressure Iran into an agreement to end the conflict. He told reporters the action would advance U.S. military interests and enhance its diplomatic position.