The US military launched a fresh wave of airstrikes against Iran on Wednesday evening, prompting Tehran to claim it had struck two ships in the Strait of Hormuz and shut the vital waterway to all vessels.
US Central Command said the strikes, which began at 5:15 p.m. ET, were “self-defence” actions in response to “Iran’s unwarranted and continued aggression”. The attack came hours after President Donald Trump warned Iran would be hit “very hard” unless a peace deal was reached. “We hit them hard yesterday and we’re going to hit them again hard today,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
“US launches self-defence strikes on Iran; Tehran claims it hit two ships and closed the Strait of Hormuz.”
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) responded by announcing it had struck two ships in the Strait of Hormuz. State media reported the waterway was “completely closed to all type of vessel,” though US Central Command insisted “commercial ships are continuing to transit in and out”. Oil prices climbed, with Brent crude rising above $95 a barrel after a 2% jump in Asian trade.
The escalation follows the downing of a US Apache helicopter on Tuesday, which the US blamed on Iran. In retaliation, the IRGC said it launched strikes against 18 US targets in Kuwait and Bahrain, including Ali Al-Salem and Ahmad Al-Jaber air bases and Sheikh Isa Air Base. Sirens sounded in Bahrain, whose interior ministry urged residents to “remain calm and head to the nearest safe place”.
Trump, writing on Truth Social, said Iran’s leaders have “taken too long to negotiate a deal”. Iran’s foreign ministry accused the US of “damaging the diplomatic process through the contradictory messages it sends”. President Masoud Pezeshkian vowed Iran “will stand firm against any pressure or threat”.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said bombs would be “dropping on key facilities in Iran” and earlier warned the military would be “busy tonight”. The US fired at least 49 Tomahawk missiles, Trump told Fox News, and the latest strikes injured two residents in the city of Kargan with shrapnel wounds, according to state broadcaster IRIB.
UN Secretary General António Guterres warned the Middle East was “being pulled deeper into crisis”, adding that the fragile April ceasefire – initially meant to last two weeks – was “more like a lesser-fire”. Iran’s military has threatened a “crushing and decisive” response to any further “aggression”, as diplomatic efforts stall and attacks intensify.