The United States launched new strikes against Iran on Wednesday in a bid to curb Tehran's ability to target shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, the US military said.
US forces "have started conducting additional strikes against Iran to further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz," US Central Command said on X, adding that Washington is "holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping."
It comes after US President Donald Trump said earlier on Wednesday that he expected the military flare-up with Iran overnight to end very quickly despite earlier statements saying the ceasefire was "over."
"I think anything that happens is going to be over very quickly and will only make it safer, including for oil...Anything that happens is going to happen very fast. We're not looking for long term," he said at the end of a two-day NATO summit in Ankara.
Earlier on Wednesday, Trump warned that US forces would strike Iran "hard" in the coming night, after earlier declaring Washington's ceasefire with Iran over at a NATO summit in Ankara.
"We're gonna hit 'em hard tonight," he said before holding talks with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying: "They violate the agreement every day."
Trump also threatened to strike Iran’s civilian infrastructure and to seize Kharg Island, which is home to extensive oil infrastructure.
"Maybe we’ll take over Kharg Island. We may take over Kharg Island. There’s not a thing they could do about it," Trump said.
Trump had said that the ceasefire with Iran is "over" after Washington launched strikes on the country overnight, to which Iran responded by targeting US bases in the Gulf.
"As far as I am concerned, it's over", Trump said at a NATO summit in Ankara on Wednesday morning. He was responding to a question on whether the truce with Iran was now finished.
"I don't want to deal with them any more, they're scum," Trump continued.
"They're scum, they're sick people, they're led by sick people, and they're vicious, violent people. And if they had a nuclear weapon, they'd use it," he said. "As far as I'm concerned, it's over."
Trump said he would speak to businessman-turned-negotiator Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who have represented the US in talks with Iran, but insisted it was up to Tehran to return to the table.
"As far as I'm concerned, it's just a waste of time dealing with them. They're liars."
Trump accused the Islamic Republic of repeatedly misrepresenting what had been agreed in the framework deal that Washington and Tehran signed on 17 June.
"Everyone's agreed, no nuclear weapon. We make a deal. They go outside, joke to the press, they say we never even talked about it. There's something wrong with them, they're cuckoo," Trump added.
Chief of Staff and Deputy Coordinator of the Iranian Army Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said on Wednesday afternoon that “Iran’s armed forces, standing alongside the people, are so strong and steadfast that the enemy knows any attempt to land troops on Iran’s coastlines would mean entering a living hell from which there would be no escape.”
“Our response is clear: ‘If you dare, come,' Sayyari said.
"The people of Iran should be assured that, with their support, Iran’s armed forces remain standing. Our borders are secure, and we will not allow the enemy to inflict any kind of damage on our borders.”
Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters — Iran's joint military command — has warned neighbouring countries "providing support" to US forces "will be considered a legitimate target for Iran’s armed forces," according to state-run television.
The IRGC said that it has already targeted "85 locations at key US military facilities in the region."
Iranian parliament’s National Security Commission spokesperson Ebrahim Rezaei further added that the Islamic Republic was "not intimidated by the bluster and threats of figures like Trump."
"We are prepared to confront any evil," Rezaei said on Wednesday.
Rutte: Overnight strikes 'absolutely necessary'
The US had launched strikes on Iran just a few hours earlier, hitting more than 80 targets, according to US Central Command (CENTCOM), which said the attacks were conducted in response to Tehran's attacks on three ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
"US forces struck Iranian defence systems, command and control networks, coastal radar sites, anti-ship missile capabilities, and more than 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps small boats in and near the strait," the US military said in a statement posted to X.
The overnight strikes were "absolutely necessary", NATO chief Mark Rutte said on Wednesday as the alliance began its meeting in Ankara.
"I think it was absolutely necessary because when you have a ceasefire and Iran is basically violating the ceasefire - we see what happened yesterday with ships being attacked - I think it is totally crucial that the US forcefully react," Rutte said.
Iran immediately warned Washington it would “take whatever measures it deems necessary," raising the risks that the framework deal that halted the fighting could break down, putting the wider Middle East again at risk of a wider conflict.
Bahrain, home to the US Navy's 5th Fleet, sounded its missile alert sirens Wednesday morning after the American attack on Iran.
Meanwhile, the Kuwaiti army said "Kuwaiti air defenses are currently engaging hostile missile and drone attacks," in a post on X, without saying where they were coming from.
"The General Staff of the Army notes that any explosions heard are a result of air defense systems intercepting hostile attacks."
CENTCOM said US forces launched the strikes “to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway.”
It said it hit Iranian targets including air defence systems, radars and over 60 small boats used by Iran’s IRGC.
The US military remains “postured and prepared to hold Iran accountable when the agreement is not adhered to or obeyed,” it added, saying this round of attacks had ended.
Iran also accused the US of repeatedly violating the memorandum of understanding agreed between the two sides and threatened retaliation.
“The era of bullying and extortion is over,” Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf wrote on X. “It leads nowhere. We don’t fold.”
Iranian state media reported the sound of explosions in Bandar Abbas, Qeshm and Sirik, as Iran's central military command warned it “will respond decisively to this aggression and terrorist act."
“Under no circumstances will (the Iranian armed forces) allow interference in the affairs of the Strait of Hormuz, nor will they permit others to manage it,” it said.
A similar spate of Iranian attacks on shipping and US strikes occurred late last month, which drew Iranian attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait.
The US also revoked a licence that authorised the sale of Iranian oil as part of the interim deal following the attacks on shipping.
One tanker was travelling off the coast of Oman when it was hit and caught fire, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said, adding that the other two ships sustained some damage, but no one was injured, and both continued on their way in the Strait of Hormuz.
