U.S. forces launched a new round of strikes against Iranian military targets Wednesday after President Donald Trump declared the U.S.-brokered ceasefire with Tehran was “over,” escalating Washington’s military response to Iran’s attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
The operation marked the second consecutive day of U.S. strikes after Iran fired on three commercial vessels transiting the strategic waterway, prompting Washington to accuse Tehran of violating the memorandum of understanding reached last month and to resume military action.
U.S. officials said Wednesday’s operation was broader than Tuesday night’s strikes and targeted additional military infrastructure supporting Iran’s operations in and around the strait.
“At the direction of the Commander in Chief, U.S. Central Command forces have started conducting additional strikes against Iran to further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,” U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.
“The United States is holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews freely navigating a vital international waterway,” it added.
Trump later wrote on Truth Social that the strikes were “in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran,” warning, “If it happens again, it will get much worse!”
Iranian state media reported explosions in Bandar Abbas, Sirik, Chabahar, Konarak, Lavan Island, and other areas along Iran’s southern coast near the Strait of Hormuz, while air defenses were reportedly activated in several locations.
A U.S. official told Axios the targets included Iranian coastal radars, anti-ship missile positions, and air defense systems. Another U.S. official told Reuters that Wednesday’s strikes were broader than those carried out the previous night.
Trump had also warned earlier Wednesday that the United States would likely strike Iran again later that night following Tehran’s latest attacks on commercial shipping.
“For me, I think it’s over,” Trump said when asked whether the ceasefire was finished.
“I don’t want to deal with them anymore,” he added. “They’re scum. They’re sick people. They’re led by sick people, and they’re vicious, violent, and if they had a nuclear weapon, they’d use it.”
Speaking alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Trump said Iran had launched drones and a missile at ships in the strait before warning that further U.S. military action was likely.
“We’ll probably hit them hard again tonight,” Trump said. “I’ll give them a little warning. We’re going to hit them hard tonight.”
Trump later defended the administration’s response, saying: “They hit a couple of ships and so we hit them much harder. When they hit, we hit ten times harder.”
Vice President JD Vance also defended the administration’s policy, saying the understanding with Tehran had been straightforward: the United States would lift its blockade if Iran stopped attacking commercial shipping, but would respond with even greater force if those attacks resumed.
“They said they would stop shooting at ships and what happened 24 hours ago, they started shooting at ships again,” Vance said. “If you shoot at ships, we’re going to knock the hell out of them.”
Iranian officials threatened retaliation after the latest U.S. strikes began. Nour News, which is affiliated with Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, quoted an Iranian military source as saying Tehran would “soon launch a massive attack against U.S. military bases in the region.”
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Trump’s remarks were “not a sign of strength” but “an admission of the failure” of a policy built on force, sanctions, and threats.
“With the criminal and murderous Trump, one must speak in his own language,” Gharibabadi said. “Apparently, he understands the language of force better.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also responded to Trump’s remarks, writing Wednesday on X that Iran would “not answer vulgarity with vulgarity, but with action.”
Pakistan, which helped mediate the memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran, urged restraint as the fighting widened.
“A renewed conflict is in no one’s interest,” Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said, calling on all parties to “exercise restraint” and avoid steps that could further undermine regional peace and stability.
The latest U.S. operation came one night after CENTCOM said American forces struck more than 80 targets across Iran with precision munitions in response to Iranian attacks on commercial shipping. Those targets included Iranian air defense 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 of Hormuz.
CENTCOM said Iran attacked three commercial vessels earlier this week in the Strait of Hormuz: the Marshall Islands-flagged M/T Al Rekayyat, the Saudi Arabia-flagged M/T Wedyan, and the Liberian-flagged M/T Cyprus Prosperity.
The attacks prompted condemnations from several Gulf states and led the Treasury Department to revoke a temporary license allowing Iranian oil sales under the memorandum of understanding.
The June memorandum of understanding was intended to halt hostilities, restore the free flow of commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, and create space for negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program and other unresolved disputes.
But after Iran repeatedly targeted commercial vessels in the strategic waterway, the United States resumed military operations, reimposed oil sanctions, and Trump declared Wednesday that, “as far as I’m concerned,” the ceasefire and memorandum of understanding were “over,” signaling a return to direct military confrontation unless Tehran changes course.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.
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