The US military launches strikes against Iran for a second consecutive day this week, an escalation that has rattled financial markets and cast fresh doubt on a ceasefire that both Washington and Tehran now accuse each other of violating.
In Brief
- US Central Command says it struck Iranian targets tied to threats against shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
- President Donald Trump said at the NATO summit in Turkey that further US strikes were likely.
- Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps says it hit military bases in Kuwait and Bahrain following Tuesday's US attacks.
- Trump revoked a waiver that had allowed Iran to sell oil internationally.
- Oil prices jumped and stocks fell after Trump said he believed the ceasefire was "over."
Why the US Says It Struck Again
Centcom said in a social media post that the fresh round of strikes was ordered by the commander in chief to "further degrade" Iran's ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. The statement pointed to recent attacks on commercial vessels and civilian crews in the waterway, which the administration blames on Iran. "The United States is holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping," Centcom said.
The strikes followed Tuesday's US action, which included revoking the waiver that had let Tehran sell oil on global markets. That earlier move was itself framed as a direct response to the shipping attacks in the strait.
Iran's Response and the Kuwait, Bahrain Strikes
An adviser to Iran's supreme leader posted on X that Tehran would deliver an
