Attacks on three locations across Iran came after three tankers in the strait of Hormuz
President Donald Trump declared that a temporary deal to stop the conflict was "over," as the US military continued to strike Iran for a second day. The US attack on Iran killed three people and wounded several others in the west of the country.
Late on Wednesday, explosions were reported by Iranian state media in the southern coastal city of Sirik, the port city of Bandar Abbas on the Strait of Hormuz, and the southwestern province of Bushehr, which houses Iran's nuclear power plant complex.
On Tuesday, an attack on three cargo ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz resulted in the largest exchange of fire between the two parties since the interim agreement was signed last month. Additionally, temporary sanctions relief for Tehran's oil exports was rescinded by the US Treasury.
A memorandum of understanding was signed between the two sides on June 17, moving toward a permanent deal to end the war. Iran attacked US military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait on Wednesday. Then, on Thursday, Iran again tried to target Bahrain, with sirens sounding at least twice.
No damage was immediately reported. Kuwait's military claimed to be actively intercepting incoming missiles and drones.
According to an unidentified US official who spoke to Reuters, the overnight strikes were expected to be larger than those carried out in the first round. Iranian state TV reported explosions on Abu Musa Island, one of the small islands that is strategically important for Iran's control of the Strait of Hormuz.
According to Iran's Mehr news agency, the Bushehr nuclear power station was unaffected by the attacks on Bushehr province.
Following Iran's targeting of multiple merchant vessels off the coast of Oman, the US launched a first round of attacks against several military locations and port infrastructure. At the NATO summit in Ankara, Trump declared that the United States would "probably hit [Iran] hard again tonight." Still, he later clarified that the most recent attacks would not lead to "long-term" military action.
Iran has claimed the authority to control transportation through the strait under the temporary ceasefire agreement."The era of bullying and extortion is over," wrote Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of the country's parliament and a key negotiator in talks for a permanent end to the war, on X. "It doesn't lead anywhere. We don't fold."
The new round of attacks coincided with Iranians preparing to bury Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country's supreme leader, in his hometown of Mashhad in northeastern Iran. Khamenei was killed on the first day of the US-Israeli strikes that sparked the conflict.
