US Hits Iran Targets After Trump Declares Ceasefire Over
The U.S. military launched additional strikes against Iran on Wednesday, hours after President Donald Trump declared the fragile ceasefire with Iran “over” following Tehran’s attacks on three commercial ships in the strategic waterway.
“At the direction of the Commander in Chief, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces have started conducting additional strikes against Iran to further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,” CENTCOM said in a statement.
CENTCOM did not immediately disclose the targets, saying only that the operation was intended to hold Iran accountable for what it called “unjustified aggression” against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency later reported about 10 explosions in the southeastern cities of Chabahar and Konarak, adding that parts of Chabahar experienced power outages.
Separately, state broadcaster IRIB reported explosions in the southern cities of Bandar Abbas and Sirik.
The latest strikes came hours after U.S. forces struck more than 80 Iranian targets, including air defense systems, coastal radar sites, anti-ship missile capabilities and more than 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps small boats near the Strait of Hormuz, in retaliation for Iran’s attacks on three commercial vessels transiting the waterway.
Iran retaliated against the recent U.S. strikes by targeting Bahrain and Kuwait, according to Iran-linked media.
The latest escalation came weeks after Iran and the U.S. agreed to halt military operations and begin negotiations aimed at reaching a final agreement.
Speaking to reporters at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Trump said Iran’s attacks on commercial shipping had effectively ended the ceasefire. “To me, I think it’s over. I don’t want to deal with them anymore; they’re scum,” Trump said.
“As far as I’m concerned, it’s just a waste of time dealing with them,” Trump said, though he added that his administration would allow negotiations to continue if officials believed talks remained worthwhile.
It remained unclear whether Iran was willing to continue negotiations, but its officials signaled they would not back down from U.S. pressure.
“The era of bullying and extortion is over,” Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf wrote on X. “It leads nowhere. We don’t fold.”
