US launches new strikes on Iran, Trump warns they could get 'much worse'

The United States conducted another round of strikes against Iran on Wednesday, hours after President Donald Trump declared that recent Iranian attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz had effectively ended the fragile ceasefire. The action heightened fears of a resurgence of war in Iran, coming just a day after the US military struck various military sites and port facilities. Military officials stated on social media that the latest strikes aimed to "further degrade" Iran's ability "to threaten freedom of navigation" in the strait, through which a fifth of the world's traded oil and natural gas flowed before the war began with US and Israeli attacks on February 28.

Iranian state media reported explosions in multiple locations, including Bushehr, home to Iran's nuclear power plant complex, and the southern port cities of Chabahar, Konarak, Bandar Abbas, and Sirik. After leaving a NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Trump posted several videos on his social media site showing what he said were explosions in Iran and issued another warning: "This is in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!"

Earlier in the day, Trump had said the back-and-forth fighting would not lead to "long-term" military action, though he also suggested the US military might "just finish the job." He renewed past threats to hit Iran's civilian infrastructure, including electric plants and desalination plants, and to seize the oil-production hub of Kharg Island. After three tankers were hit Tuesday, the US launched strikes on Iran, and Iranian forces retaliated by attacking American military sites in the Persian Gulf.

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, was defiant on X: "The era of bullying and extortion is over. It leads nowhere. We don’t fold." Trump fueled concerns that the war could restart by saying the interim agreement to pause fighting was "over," although he added that negotiations could continue. He later said, "For me, I think it’s over," and expressed doubt about the talks.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi retorted that Trump's remarks "are not a sign of power but an admission of the failure" of US policy toward Iran. The new attacks on ships in the strait, despite ongoing negotiations, may reflect a divide among Iran's leadership: hard-liners seek lasting control over the waterway, while pragmatists want a permanent peace deal to lift sanctions.

On Tuesday, the US military's Central Command said American forces hit Iranian targets including air-defense systems, radars, and more than 60 small boats used by Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. On Wednesday morning, both Bahrain and Kuwait sounded missile alerts. The Revolutionary Guard acknowledged targeting US installations in both countries. Kuwait said it intercepted two ballistic missiles and 13 drones, and shrapnel damaged power lines.

After the Iranian strikes on shipping, the US revoked a license that had allowed Iran to conduct oil sales in US dollars as part of the interim deal. The interim deal had permitted ships to pass through the strait without charges for 60 days, but Tehran insists on controlling routes and plans to charge fees later. The ships attacked Tuesday appeared to be using a route close to Oman's shore, not the one ordered by Tehran.

Elsewhere, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Falah al-Zaidi, and other officials attended funeral ceremonies for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Najaf, Iraq. Khamenei's body will be returned to Iran for burial on Thursday at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad.