US launches second wave of strikes on Iran, targets Hormuz-linked military sites
The strikes mark the second US operation against Iran on Wednesday, further escalating tensions between the two countries as fighting over the Strait of Hormuz continues.
The United States launched a second wave of military strikes against Iran on Wednesday, targeting coastal defence systems, missile launch sites and other military assets that Washington said were being used to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's busiest energy corridors.
The latest operation came hours after an earlier round of US attacks, marking a sharp escalation in the conflict as Iran warned it was fighting an "existential war" with America and threatened to expand disruptions to regional energy exports.
According to US Central Command (CENTCOM), the operation began at 6 am ET (1100 GMT) and lasted about 90 minutes. The strikes targeted Iranian military positions on Greater Tunb Island, including coastal defence systems and cruise missile storage and launch facilities.
The Pentagon said the operation was carried out under the direction of President Donald Trump and was intended to hold Iran accountable for actions that threaten freedom of navigation through the strategic waterway.
The latest strikes come as fighting over the Strait of Hormuz continues to intensify following Iran's decision over the weekend to close the waterway, a move that has severely disrupted global shipping.
Before the conflict escalated, nearly one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas shipments passed through the narrow passage connecting the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea. Shipping traffic has since fallen sharply, while energy markets remain under pressure. Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, closed at a one-month high of $84.95 a barrel on Wednesday as traders reacted to the growing instability.
Iran's Mehr news agency reported that US projectiles struck a location on Hengam Island, another strategically located island near the Strait of Hormuz.
Responding to the attacks, Iran's top negotiator and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf defended Tehran's position, saying the country's security depended on maintaining what he described as Iranian control over the waterway.
"We are in an essential and existential war with America," Qalibaf said in a statement.
TRUMP RENEWS WARNING TO TEHRAN
US President Donald Trump also raised pressure on Iran by repeating warnings that more targets could be hit if Tehran refuses to return to negotiations.
"I'll save the energy targets for last, but ultimately we'll hit energy targets," Trump said on Tuesday.
Asked on Wednesday whether Iran had a deadline before the US targeted bridges and other infrastructure, Trump replied: "I don't like giving deadlines, but they pretty much know, they know the story ... they better behave."
Trump also said US officials had communicated with Iranian negotiators, urging Tehran to resume talks before the conflict escalates further.
According to three US officials quoted by Reuters, the current military campaign is designed not only to reopen the Strait of Hormuz but also to destroy Iranian military capabilities that could threaten future US operations in the region.
IRAN THREATENS WIDER ENERGY DISRUPTION
As Washington intensified its military campaign, Iran warned that disruptions to global energy supplies could spread beyond the Strait of Hormuz.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed it had launched attacks on US military targets across the region, including installations in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan.
The IRGC also warned that the United States "must brace for the closure of all other export corridors that benefit the US and its allies."
Analysts believe Tehran may attempt to use its Houthi allies in Yemen to threaten shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, another critical maritime chokepoint linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. Any disruption there would place two of the world's most important energy routes under simultaneous pressure.
CEASEFIRE EFFORTS CONTINUE TO COLLAPSE
The renewed fighting has further weakened hopes of reviving an interim ceasefire agreement reached last month, which was intended to pave the way for negotiations on Iran's nuclear programme and a broader peace deal.
"We have no plans for negotiations at the moment and are focused on defence," Tasnim news agency quoted Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei as saying.
Qalibaf also questioned the future of Tehran's understanding with Washington.
"If Iran did not benefit from its memorandum of understanding with the US, we have no reason to adhere to such an understanding."
At the same time, he said Iran should continue to pursue diplomacy alongside military preparedness, warning that relying solely on either negotiations or war would be a strategic mistake.
The US has accused Iran of attacking seven commercial ships over the past week, leaving nearly a dozen crew members dead, injured or missing.
Meanwhile, Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said at least 30 civilians had been killed in recent US strikes on southern Iran.
The United States launched a second wave of military strikes against Iran on Wednesday, targeting coastal defence systems, missile launch sites and other military assets that Washington said were being used to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's busiest energy corridors.
The latest operation came hours after an earlier round of US attacks, marking a sharp escalation in the conflict as Iran warned it was fighting an "existential war" with America and threatened to expand disruptions to regional energy exports.
According to US Central Command (CENTCOM), the operation began at 6 am ET (1100 GMT) and lasted about 90 minutes. The strikes targeted Iranian military positions on Greater Tunb Island, including coastal defence systems and cruise missile storage and launch facilities.
The Pentagon said the operation was carried out under the direction of President Donald Trump and was intended to hold Iran accountable for actions that threaten freedom of navigation through the strategic waterway.
The latest strikes come as fighting over the Strait of Hormuz continues to intensify following Iran's decision over the weekend to close the waterway, a move that has severely disrupted global shipping.
Before the conflict escalated, nearly one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas shipments passed through the narrow passage connecting the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea. Shipping traffic has since fallen sharply, while energy markets remain under pressure. Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, closed at a one-month high of $84.95 a barrel on Wednesday as traders reacted to the growing instability.
Iran's Mehr news agency reported that US projectiles struck a location on Hengam Island, another strategically located island near the Strait of Hormuz.
Responding to the attacks, Iran's top negotiator and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf defended Tehran's position, saying the country's security depended on maintaining what he described as Iranian control over the waterway.
"We are in an essential and existential war with America," Qalibaf said in a statement.
TRUMP RENEWS WARNING TO TEHRAN
US President Donald Trump also raised pressure on Iran by repeating warnings that more targets could be hit if Tehran refuses to return to negotiations.
"I'll save the energy targets for last, but ultimately we'll hit energy targets," Trump said on Tuesday.
Asked on Wednesday whether Iran had a deadline before the US targeted bridges and other infrastructure, Trump replied: "I don't like giving deadlines, but they pretty much know, they know the story ... they better behave."
Trump also said US officials had communicated with Iranian negotiators, urging Tehran to resume talks before the conflict escalates further.
According to three US officials quoted by Reuters, the current military campaign is designed not only to reopen the Strait of Hormuz but also to destroy Iranian military capabilities that could threaten future US operations in the region.
IRAN THREATENS WIDER ENERGY DISRUPTION
As Washington intensified its military campaign, Iran warned that disruptions to global energy supplies could spread beyond the Strait of Hormuz.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed it had launched attacks on US military targets across the region, including installations in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan.
The IRGC also warned that the United States "must brace for the closure of all other export corridors that benefit the US and its allies."
Analysts believe Tehran may attempt to use its Houthi allies in Yemen to threaten shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, another critical maritime chokepoint linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. Any disruption there would place two of the world's most important energy routes under simultaneous pressure.
CEASEFIRE EFFORTS CONTINUE TO COLLAPSE
The renewed fighting has further weakened hopes of reviving an interim ceasefire agreement reached last month, which was intended to pave the way for negotiations on Iran's nuclear programme and a broader peace deal.
"We have no plans for negotiations at the moment and are focused on defence," Tasnim news agency quoted Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei as saying.
Qalibaf also questioned the future of Tehran's understanding with Washington.
"If Iran did not benefit from its memorandum of understanding with the US, we have no reason to adhere to such an understanding."
At the same time, he said Iran should continue to pursue diplomacy alongside military preparedness, warning that relying solely on either negotiations or war would be a strategic mistake.
The US has accused Iran of attacking seven commercial ships over the past week, leaving nearly a dozen crew members dead, injured or missing.
Meanwhile, Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said at least 30 civilians had been killed in recent US strikes on southern Iran.
The United States launched a second wave of military strikes against Iran on Wednesday, targeting coastal defence systems, missile launch sites and other military assets that Washington said were being used to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's busiest energy corridors.
The latest operation came hours after an earlier round of US attacks, marking a sharp escalation in the conflict as Iran warned it was fighting an "existential war" with America and threatened to expand disruptions to regional energy exports.
According to US Central Command (CENTCOM), the operation began at 6 am ET (1100 GMT) and lasted about 90 minutes. The strikes targeted Iranian military positions on Greater Tunb Island, including coastal defence systems and cruise missile storage and launch facilities.
The Pentagon said the operation was carried out under the direction of President Donald Trump and was intended to hold Iran accountable for actions that threaten freedom of navigation through the strategic waterway.
The latest strikes come as fighting over the Strait of Hormuz continues to intensify following Iran's decision over the weekend to close the waterway, a move that has severely disrupted global shipping.
Before the conflict escalated, nearly one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas shipments passed through the narrow passage connecting the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea. Shipping traffic has since fallen sharply, while energy markets remain under pressure. Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, closed at a one-month high of $84.95 a barrel on Wednesday as traders reacted to the growing instability.
Iran's Mehr news agency reported that US projectiles struck a location on Hengam Island, another strategically located island near the Strait of Hormuz.
Responding to the attacks, Iran's top negotiator and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf defended Tehran's position, saying the country's security depended on maintaining what he described as Iranian control over the waterway.
"We are in an essential and existential war with America," Qalibaf said in a statement.
TRUMP RENEWS WARNING TO TEHRAN
US President Donald Trump also raised pressure on Iran by repeating warnings that more targets could be hit if Tehran refuses to return to negotiations.
"I'll save the energy targets for last, but ultimately we'll hit energy targets," Trump said on Tuesday.
Asked on Wednesday whether Iran had a deadline before the US targeted bridges and other infrastructure, Trump replied: "I don't like giving deadlines, but they pretty much know, they know the story ... they better behave."
Trump also said US officials had communicated with Iranian negotiators, urging Tehran to resume talks before the conflict escalates further.
According to three US officials quoted by Reuters, the current military campaign is designed not only to reopen the Strait of Hormuz but also to destroy Iranian military capabilities that could threaten future US operations in the region.
IRAN THREATENS WIDER ENERGY DISRUPTION
As Washington intensified its military campaign, Iran warned that disruptions to global energy supplies could spread beyond the Strait of Hormuz.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed it had launched attacks on US military targets across the region, including installations in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan.
The IRGC also warned that the United States "must brace for the closure of all other export corridors that benefit the US and its allies."
Analysts believe Tehran may attempt to use its Houthi allies in Yemen to threaten shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, another critical maritime chokepoint linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. Any disruption there would place two of the world's most important energy routes under simultaneous pressure.
CEASEFIRE EFFORTS CONTINUE TO COLLAPSE
The renewed fighting has further weakened hopes of reviving an interim ceasefire agreement reached last month, which was intended to pave the way for negotiations on Iran's nuclear programme and a broader peace deal.
"We have no plans for negotiations at the moment and are focused on defence," Tasnim news agency quoted Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei as saying.
Qalibaf also questioned the future of Tehran's understanding with Washington.
"If Iran did not benefit from its memorandum of understanding with the US, we have no reason to adhere to such an understanding."
At the same time, he said Iran should continue to pursue diplomacy alongside military preparedness, warning that relying solely on either negotiations or war would be a strategic mistake.
The US has accused Iran of attacking seven commercial ships over the past week, leaving nearly a dozen crew members dead, injured or missing.
Meanwhile, Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said at least 30 civilians had been killed in recent US strikes on southern Iran.
