US launches fresh Iran strikes after Trump declares ceasefire deal ‘over’

The United States launched a fresh wave of airstrikes on Iran early Thursday, targeting military sites along the country’s southern coast in a bid to keep the strategic Strait of Hormuz open after President Donald Trump declared an interim ceasefire agreement with Tehran was “over.”

Trump said the strikes were retaliation for Iran’s alleged attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and warned of “much worse” consequences if Tehran continued to threaten shipping through the vital waterway.

The new offensive triggered explosions across several Iranian coastal cities, including Bandar Abbas, Chabahar, Konarak and Kish Island, while Iran’s state media also reported blasts near Bushehr, home to the country’s nuclear power plant. Authorities in Iranshahr said a firefighter was killed in a strike on an airport.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the operation targeted around 90 military sites, including air defence systems, missile and drone storage facilities, naval assets, coastal surveillance infrastructure and logistics hubs. The military said the objective was to further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, a route that carried roughly one-fifth of the world’s traded oil and natural gas before the conflict escalated.

Air raid sirens sounded at least twice in Bahrain, which hosts the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, underscoring fears of a wider regional conflict.

The latest strikes came after three commercial tankers were attacked earlier this week, prompting US retaliation. Iran has maintained that the interim ceasefire allowed it to regulate maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

CENTCOM also revealed that US forces struck around 80 Iranian military targets on July 7, including more than 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps boats, saying the operation imposed heavy costs on Tehran for violating the ceasefire by attacking commercial vessels.

Despite earlier suggesting any military action would be short-lived, Trump renewed threats to target Iran’s civilian infrastructure, including power and desalination plants, and warned that further Iranian attacks would invite an even stronger US response.