Dubai | The United States launched new airstrikes against Iran early Thursday, and Tehran responded by targeting Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar in crossfire that again threatened an interim deal intended to help end the war in the Persian Gulf.
The strikes came hours after US President Donald Trump said recent Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz signalled the end of the fragile ceasefire.
The US struck a variety of military sites and port facilities early Wednesday after Iran targeted several merchant vessels off the coast of Oman, sparking Iranian fire then as well.
But Thursday's attacks appeared bigger all around, with sirens sounding at least twice in Bahrain, home to the US Navy's 5th Fleet headquarters. There was no immediate word of damage in the three Gulf Arab countries. Kuwait's military said it was actively intercepting incoming drones and missiles. Iran's Revolutionary Guard claimed attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait.
The US military's Central Command said it hit some 90 targets across Iran, releasing black-and-white footage of what appeared to be strikes on an airport runway and missile launchers.
"US forces remain vigilant, lethal, and prepared to execute operations directed by the Commander in Chief," it added.
The US says the strikes were intended 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 passed before the war began with US and Israeli attacks on February 28.
Iranian state media reported explosions in several locations, including Bushehr, home to Iran's nuclear power plant complex, and the southern port cities of Chabahar, Konarak, Bandar Abbas and Sirik. In Iranshahr, authorities said a strike had killed a firefighter at an airport.
For the first time since April, it also appeared the US strikes targeted Iranian bridges. State media reported a strike on a railway bridge in Iran's northeastern Golestan province, and the Revolutionary Guard said two bridges had been attacked on the route to Mashhad, where officials plan to bury the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday. But it wasn't clear if the Golestan attack was the same one mentioned by the Guard.
Trump warns that it will get 'much worse' if attacks on shipping happen again . After leaving a NATO summit in Turkiye, Trump posted several videos on his social media site of what he said were explosions in Iran and issued another warning to the Islamic Republic.
"This is in retribution for yesterday's bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!" Trump wrote.
Trump had said earlier in the day that the latest back-and-forth fighting would not result in "long-term" military action.
"Anything that happens is going to happen very fast," Trump said, though he also suggested the US military might "just finish the job." Trump also renewed his past threats to hit Iran's civilian infrastructure, including electric plants and desalinisation 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 targeting 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 in talks seeking a permanent end to the war, was defiant in a post on X on Thursday morning: "America still hasn't learned that bullying and breaking promises are no longer cost-free. Let me put it plainly: if you strike, you'll get hit."
Strikes raise fears that war could resume
Trump fuelled concerns that the war could restart by saying the interim agreement to pause fighting was "over," although he added that he would allow negotiations to continue.
Attacks have repeatedly threatened the shaky ceasefire, but Trump's comments added new uncertainty, and oil prices shot up after he spoke. A renewed conflict could engulf the wider Middle East and would likely again halt energy shipments through the strait.
"For me, I think it's over," Trump said when asked about the status of the ceasefire. He added that US representatives can continue negotiations, but he cast doubt on the outcome. "They can talk, but I think they're wasting their time," he said.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, also a top negotiator, retorted on X that Trump's remarks "are not a sign of power but an admission of the failure" of US policy toward Iran.
Trump has made other threats to seize Kharg Island, including last month, when he also questioned whether the US "has the stomach for it." Some 90 per cent of Iranian oil exports pass through the island.
The new attacks on ships in the strait, despite the negotiations, could reflect a divide among Iran's leadership. Hard-liners seek lasting control over the waterway, which is a globally important conduit for fuel shipments and has become a critical lever in confronting the West. Pragmatists want a permanent peace deal to lift international sanctions and provide desperately needed economic relief.
Negotiations to reach a final deal were due to start after the funeral for Khamenei, who was killed February 28 in the war's first moments. The funeral, which ends Thursday, was supposed to be a period of lower tensions.
The talks are meant to focus on the toughest matters, including fully reopening the strait and rolling back Tehran's disputed nuclear programme. (AP)
