The White House said on Thursday that US President Donald Trump remains open to diplomacy with Iran despite renewed military hostilities, as US forces launched a fifth consecutive night of strikes against Iranian targets.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Washington was continuing talks with Tehran even as the United States pressed ahead with military operations aimed at curbing Iran’s ability to threaten shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

“The president will hold them accountable when they turn their back on the words that they state to the United States. But he is always open to diplomacy at the very same time,” Leavitt told reporters.

“They have expressed they still want to make a deal to the president. We’re talking to them, but again, the president is not going to allow them to fire on ships in the Strait without paying a consequence for that.”

Her remarks came a day after Trump thanked Iran for releasing Dena Karari, a US-Iranian citizen detained since December 2024, describing the move as a gesture of goodwill. The release was seen as a potential opening for diplomacy.

However, tensions have escalated sharply since then. A fragile ceasefire reached in June has come under increasing strain after the United States resumed strikes on Iranian targets in recent days.

Trump has warned that Washington could expand its military campaign to target Iran’s power plants and bridges unless Tehran returns to negotiations.

Meanwhile, the US military said its forces launched fresh strikes against Iran on Thursday evening.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the operation began at 1800 GMT and was intended to “further degrade Iranian military capabilities.”

The latest operation marked the fifth consecutive night of US strikes, underscoring the rapid deterioration in relations between Washington and Tehran despite continued diplomatic contacts.

Iranian media earlier reported that US strikes targeted areas near Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz and the port city of Bandar Abbas. Tehran has warned it will target infrastructure across the region if Washington broadens its military campaign.

— With input from AFP

Iranian news agencies on Thursday reported that the United States launched strikes around Iran’s Gulf island of Qeshm near the Strait of Hormuz, as renewed hostilities flared between Washington and Tehran.

The Fars news agency reported an “American missile strike in the vicinity of Qeshm”, citing local authorities, while Tasnim said one of its correspondents reported locations around the island “were struck by projectiles from the American enemy”.

Iranian state TV also reported that the port city of Bandar Abbas was targeted by the “American enemy’s aggression” on Thursday evening.

Rekindled fighting between the longtime foes comes a month after the signing of a preliminary deal that aimed to end the conflict, which broke out in late February with massive US-Israeli strikes on Iran.

On Thursday, Tehran warned it would target infrastructure across the region if US President Donald Trump followed through on a threat to attack power plants and bridges in Iran.

That followed a fresh exchange of strikes between the two countries.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they struck a US airbase in Jordan with ballistic missiles in response to what they described as an American attack near a children’s cancer hospital in the Islamic Republic.

Kuwait and Bahrain also reported incoming aerial attacks.

Syria said on Thursday it had foiled an attempt to smuggle weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon by seizing a shipment that included missiles at its border with Iraq.

“Specialised units thwarted an attempt to bring in a shipment of sophisticated weapons and missiles through the Syrian-Iraqi border,” a source from the interior ministry was quoted as saying by Syria’s official Sana news agency.

“Initial investigations established that the shipment was intended to transit through Syria for the benefit of the terrorist militia Hezbollah,” the source added.

The Iran-backed group in a statement dismissed the accusations as “fabricated narratives with no basis in fact, aimed at harming Hezbollah”.

Syrian authorities are hostile to the group, which was an ally of former president Bashar al-Assad before he was ousted in 2024.

They have previously announced several other seizures of weapons they say were bound for Hezbollah, but Thursday’s announcement is the first involving the border with Iraq.

According to Syria’s customs authority, the shipment was seized inside an oil tanker truck at the Al-Tanf border crossing.

The tanker was heading to Baniyas city, whose port Iraq has been using in recent months to export limited amounts of oil after its main route through the Strait of Hormuz was disrupted by the Middle East war.

The interior ministry said the shipment included long-range and anti-tank missiles, as well as drones.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi ordered the formation of an inquiry commission and Iraqi authorities will “coordinate” with Syria on the matter, the Iraqi government’s security media cell said in a statement.

The statement said Iraqi authorities would “hold those responsible for any negligence accountable, in order to ensure the safety and security of the shared border and prevent any attempt to undermine national security”.

Since a religious coalition took power in Syria in 2024, the authorities say they have dismantled several Hezbollah-linked cells preparing attacks in Syria, but Hezbollah has denied the accusation.

The group has been weakened by the war it has waged against Israel since March in support of Iran.

US President Donald Trump has recently floated the idea of Syria intervening in Lebanon against Hezbollah.

But Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has said he has no interest in taking military action, despite Trump’s suggestions.

Kuwait and Bahrain faced renewed aerial attacks from Iran on Thursday, their militaries said, as Tehran and Washington exchanged strikes in a battle for control of the vital Strait of Hormuz.

The Kuwaiti army said it was responding to a fresh salvo of drones, blaming “Iranian aggression”, while an AFP journalist reported hearing explosions near the Gulf state’s capital Kuwait City.

Kuwait and the island kingdom of Bahrain both said earlier on Thursday that their air defences had dealt with a previous round of Iranian attacks, with warning sirens sounding in Manama, the Bahraini capital.

Iran said it targeted radar systems, an air defence system, and fuel storage facilities at the Ali al-Salem airbase in Kuwait, as well as US military installations at Sheikh Isa Airbase in Bahrain.

The two Gulf nations have faced repeated attacks from Iran since a July 7 resumption of hostilities between Washington and Tehran.

The renewed fighting comes despite a June agreement for a 60-day truce aimed at reaching a permanent end to the war and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has said it is attacking the US military in the region, but both Bahrain and Kuwait have accused the Islamic republic of targeting civilian sites.

Hostilities have reached a level not seen since before an April 8 ceasefire, with the latest fighting sparked by Iran’s targeting of ships transiting Hormuz, which is a vital waterway for Gulf exports of oil and gas.

The United States struck Iran and Tehran hit back at US allies in the Gulf on Thursday, as the foes battled over the vital Strait of Hormuz in the renewed Middle East war, despite a call from mediator Pakistan to resume talks.

The rekindled fighting came a month after a preliminary deal was signed that aimed to end the conflict, which broke out in late February with massive US-Israeli strikes on Iran.

On Thursday, Tehran threatened to target infrastructure across the region if US President Donald Trump followed through on a threat to attack power plants and bridges in Iran.

It followed another exchange of strikes between the two countries, with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards saying they struck a US air base in Jordan with ballistic missiles, in response to what they described as an American attack near a children’s cancer hospital in the Islamic Republic.

State media said the hospital in Ahvaz, in the southwest, was evacuated following US airstrikes on the area and the patients transferred to other medical centres.

Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei slammed the attack as “barbaric”.

Hani, a 34-year-old teacher from Ahvaz, said the strikes were “very intense”, adding: “My hands are shaking. There were at least 11, 12 explosions. My ears are exploding.”

The US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces hit Iranian military targets in multiple locations, including coastal Bandar Abbas to “degrade Iran’s ability to threaten innocent mariners” in the Strait of Hormuz.

Earlier strikes had targeted coastal defence and cruise missile sites on Greater Tunb Island in the Gulf, CENTCOM added.

Iranian state news agency IRNA said a projectile struck parts of Semnan airport in the north, without injuring anyone. It also reported explosions elsewhere in the country, including Lorestan in the west, while air defences were triggered in parts of Tehran.

Soon after, US allies in the Gulf began reporting attacks, with Kuwait saying it intercepted Iranian drones and Bahrain sounding air raid sirens.

‘End violence’

At the heart of the fighting is the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway crucial to global oil and gas flows.

Iran blockaded Hormuz after the war erupted on February 28, using the waterway for leverage against its foes for months.

The strait was briefly reopened after the US-Iran deal last month, before Tehran vowed last week it would be closed again “until the US ends its aggression”.

The United States has also reimposed a blockade of Iran’s ports.

Pakistan’s foreign office spokesman, Tahir Andrabi, said Islamabad would “continue to encourage all sides to end violence and resume technical-level talks” under the memorandum of understanding it helped mediate last month.

But Iran’s top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has warned that a deal “only has meaning when its clauses are valid and being implemented”.

“If Iran is not to derive any benefit from the memorandum of understanding, we have no reason to adhere.”

Trump threatened to hit power plants and bridges unless Tehran returned to the negotiating table.

“Next week it gets really bad for them,” he told Fox News.

On Thursday, the spokesman for Iran’s military headquarters said that if the US followed through on its threats, “all infrastructure in the region” would be “crushed under the steel blows” of Iran’s armed forces.

‘Gesture of goodwill’

Iran’s Guards said US forces had “used air bases located in Jordan to target various parts” of the Islamic Republic and that its aerospace force had responded by “launching two waves of missile strikes” on a base in the country.

Iran’s military separately said it targeted US facilities in Jordan with drones.

Earlier, the US military said one of its aircraft fired on and disabled an empty oil tanker that was trying to break the naval blockade of Iran’s ports.

In Iraq, Kurdish forces said the US-led coalition downed eight explosive-laden drones over Erbil, the capital of the northern Kurdistan region, where AFP journalists heard explosions and saw smoke near the US consulate.

Trump said Wednesday that an American citizen — identified by her lawyer as Dena Karari — had left Iran in “good condition” after being detained there since December 2024.

He said the US appreciated “this gesture of goodwill by Iran”.

Since last week, renewed US attacks have killed at least 30 people in Iran, government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said.

Separately, the Iranian military said several of its personnel were killed in Wednesday’s strikes in the southeast.

Iran has asked Yemen’s Houthi movement to stand ready to close the Red Sea oil route if the United States strikes Iranian power infrastructure, three sources told Reuters on Thursday, posing a potent new threat ​to global energy supplies.

The idea has been discussed within the Islamic Republic’s leadership, and the message has been conveyed to Iran’s Houthi allies, two senior Iranian ‌sources and a regional source familiar with the matter said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The sources said the Houthis had been informed recently of Tehran’s request, which has not been previously reported.

They did not give further details on how it had been conveyed or whether it was after US President Donald Trump’s threat to attack Iranian power infrastructure on Tuesday.

Iran’s foreign ministry and a spokesperson for the Houthi group were not immediately available to respond to ​Reuters’ request.

HOUTHIS DEPLOY DRONES NEAR BAB EL-MANDEB, SAYS SOURCE

A source close to the Houthis said the group had completed preparations to attack shipping by deploying missiles and drones ​near Bab el-Mandeb strait, the gateway to the Red Sea, in Yemen’s highlands overlooking Hodeidah and the Gulf of Aden and was awaiting the ⁠order to begin.

Any threat to the Red Sea and its Bab el-Mandeb gateway risks hugely exacerbating the global energy crisis triggered by Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz and underscores the explosive ​risks stemming from a new round of warfare.

With the Hormuz strait already shut, any Houthi attacks on vessels or ports in the Red Sea would leave the Middle East’s two main oil export ​routes disrupted simultaneously, opening a new front in both the energy crisis and Iran’s wider conflict with the United States.

Representatives of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) who are already in Yemen will control the decision on when to close the Bab el-Mandeb strait, said the source close to the Houthis.

In a sign of escalating tensions in the region, the Houthis fired missiles at Saudi Arabia after accusing the kingdom of bombing an airport under ​their control on Monday, breaking a four-year truce in the conflict between the kingdom and the group.

Torbjorn Solvedt, principal Middle East analyst with risk intelligence company Verisk Maplecroft, said the flare-up between ​the Houthis and Saudi Arabia had come at a bad time.

“If fighting intensifies and spills over into Red Sea export infrastructure and shipping, it will threaten the only major alternative route for oil exports from ‌the region,” he ⁠said.

Two regional sources close to Riyadh said the kingdom was taking threats from Iran and the Houthis very seriously, adding that Riyadh was aware the Yemeni group was now closely coordinating with Iran over the Red Sea.

The conflict began on February 28, when Israel and the United States attacked Iran, leading Tehran to shut the Strait of Hormuz, the main route before the war for around a fifth of global energy supplies.

Tensions have mounted since a fragile June truce between Tehran and Washington collapsed, reviving fears of full-scale war and disrupting energy flows through the Strait.

RED SEA CLOSURE ​WOULD NOT BE DIFFICULT, SOURCE SAYS

A significant amount ​of Gulf oil has since been diverted ⁠to the Red Sea through a Saudi pipeline, and the waterway now carries around 7% of global energy supplies.

When the Houthis attacked shipping during the Gaza war, major shipping companies diverted their cargoes to the much longer, more expensive route around Africa.

With Saudi Arabia having diverted 70% ​of its energy exports through its Red Sea port of Yanbu, any direct attacks there would also be a big problem for oil ​markets.

One of the regional ⁠sources said Iran’s clerical rulers were seeking to pressure the United States by raising the potential cost to the global economy, threatening Red Sea shipping and the flow of Saudi oil exports through the waterway, in what the source described as part of “Iranian thinking.”

Closing down the strait would not be difficult, the source said, adding: “Anybody with a firing rifle can interrupt the shipping. You don’t have to have sophisticated ⁠missiles to ​interrupt the shipping.”

Iran views the Houthis as part of its regional “Axis of Resistance”, an alliance that also includes Lebanon’s ​Hezbollah and Iraqi Shi’ite armed groups that have already joined the regional conflict between Tehran and Washington.

But the Houthi rebels have not formally entered the fray.

The United States says Iran has provided the Houthis with weapons, funding and training, including ​support channelled through Hezbollah. Tehran has denied the accusation.

Pakistan on Thursday rejected the impression that it had stepped back from its mediation efforts between the United States and Iran, reaffirming its commitment to promoting dialogue, regional stability and safe maritime trade through the Strait of Hormuz.

Speaking at a weekly media briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts to ease tensions between Tehran and Washington were continuing despite the recent escalation in the region.

“There is no end to the peace process. It may face temporary setbacks, but efforts for peace continue,” Andrabi said, expressing hope that diplomacy would ultimately prevail over confrontation.

He said the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) remained an effective and relevant framework for restoring dialogue between the two sides.

“The Islamabad MoU has neither lapsed nor become ineffective. It remains a viable framework, and when the parties choose to move away from confrontation, it can once again serve as the basis for peace negotiations,” he said.

Andrabi reiterated that Pakistan’s position remained unchanged, stressing that Islamabad continued to support the peaceful resolution of disputes through dialogue and diplomacy.

The spokesperson said Pakistan would continue urging all sides to step away from violence and return to the negotiating table, in line with the June 2026 Pakistan-Qatar Joint Communiqué.

The spokesperson condemned armed attacks against any country and reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states.

He also underscored Pakistan’s support for the uninterrupted flow of international trade and energy supplies through the Strait of Hormuz, warning that prolonged instability in the Middle East could disrupt global energy markets, trade routes and food security, with developing countries likely to bear the greatest impact.

Expressing concern over the renewed tensions between Iran and the United States, Andrabi said Pakistan was closely monitoring the evolving situation and would continue its diplomatic engagement to help reduce tensions.

Highlighting recent diplomatic contacts, he said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, accompanied by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, visited Qatar on July 13 to convey condolences and express solidarity with the Qatari leadership.

He added that on July 10, Prime Minister Shehbaz separately spoke with the Qatari leadership and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, urging all parties to exercise maximum restraint and avoid further escalation.

According to Andrabi, the Qatari leadership appreciated Pakistan’s constructive role in promoting regional peace.

During the briefing, the spokesperson also strongly condemned India’s filing of charge sheets against Hurriyat leaders in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), saying New Delhi could not suppress the voices of Kashmiris through politically motivated cases.

Rejecting India’s allegations against Pakistan over the Pahalgam incident, Andrabi said New Delhi had failed to present any credible evidence and was relying solely on political rhetoric.

Responding to another question, he said ensuring the safety and security of Chinese nationals residing in Pakistan remained a top priority, adding that Islamabad maintained close coordination with Beijing on the matter.

Commenting on a child sexual abuse case in the United Kingdom involving British national Shabbir Hussain, Andrabi condemned the crime but said the matter fell within the UK’s legal jurisdiction and had no legal connection with the Government of Pakistan.

US Vice President JD Vance said some members of the Israeli government had tried to influence US public opinion to oppose a deal by the US to end the war with Iran, ​in a podcast episode with host Joe Rogan posted on Wednesday.

The comments echoed earlier criticism ‌of Israeli government policy by Vance, whom many view as a potential future presidential candidate, in a widening public rift between the two countries.

Vance defended a deal reached last month to end the war with Iran, which critics in the ​US and Israel have slammed for failing to curb Iran’s missile program and providing no clear ​path to dismantling its nuclear facilities, while constraining Israel in its war with ⁠Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.

“I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that there have been people within ​the Israeli government who are trying to, like, actually shift us away from that policy because they ​want to continue the military campaign,” Vance said.

The vice president said that, while he has “good relationships” with some members of the Israeli government, “there are some people within their system that we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that are ​manipulating and trying to change American public opinion to keep the war going on indefinitely”.

Vance said that ​many countries, allies and adversaries try to influence American policy and that “it doesn’t bother me that Israel tries to do ‌this; it frankly doesn’t even bother me that Russia or some of these other countries do it”. He said it was “just the nature of being a political leader in 2026”.

“What does bother me is when those operations, those influence campaigns, actually affect American political judgment,” said the vice president.

Vance lashed out at Israeli critics of ​the Iran deal in ​June, saying President Donald ⁠Trump is Israel’s only ally, in a sharp rebuke that referenced the billions in US defence aid the country receives.

Israeli senior officials, speaking anonymously, have said ​the deal’s terms were bad for Israel because they failed to address concerns over ​Iran’s nuclear ⁠and ballistic missile program, a view they say is shared across Israel’s leadership.

When asked if he thought the US would have engaged in the most recent war with Iran were it not for Israeli influence, Vance said, “Yes, ⁠yes ​I do.”

“I think the president, separate from any influence from ​Israel, believes very strongly, and again I agree with this, that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon,” Vance said.

The Israeli Prime ​Minister’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Iran on Thursday warned it would retaliate by targeting infrastructure across the region if the US strikes Iranian infrastructure, as tensions between the two countries continued to escalate over the Strait of Hormuz.

According to the semi-official Fars News Agency, Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam Al Anbiya Central Headquarters, said Tehran would respond decisively to any attack on its infrastructure.

“Destroy our infrastructure, and we will destroy whatever infrastructure remains in the region,” Zolfaghari said.

He also declared that Iran would “under no circumstances” allow the US, which he described as a foreign and extra-regional power, to interfere in the Strait of Hormuz.

“The Strait of Hormuz is Iran’s unbreakable red line,” he said.

Zolfaghari warned that any Iranian response would not be proportionate but would instead be “superior,” adding that retaliation would be “more severe, wider and more destructive than ever.”

The warning comes as Washington and Tehran continue to exchange military strikes despite a Pakistan-mediated memorandum of understanding intended to end the conflict and pave the way for a lasting peace agreement.

Iran vows to resist US intervention

Meanwhile, Iran’s army on Thursday reaffirmed its determination to maintain control over the Strait of Hormuz, vowing to resist any US intervention in the strategic waterway.

According to the state-run IRNA news agency, Iranian Army spokesperson Brigadier General Mohammad Akaminia said Tehran would continue to confront “US interference in the region.”

“We will undoubtedly resist until the end and neutralise US interventions in the region,” Akaminia said.

In a post on X, IRNA said the United States had “miscalculated” by believing that strikes on certain Iranian bases would enable it to gain control of the Strait of Hormuz.

The agency asserted that Iran would continue to exercise its “dominance” over the vital maritime corridor regardless of coastlines or islands.

Oil prices turned lower on Thursday as traders took profits and evaluated the risks ​from a new wave of US strikes on Iranian military installations, which fuelled fears of renewed full-scale ‌conflict and supply disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.

The United States struck Iran’s coastal defences and missile sites on Wednesday after reimposing a naval blockade of its ports, while Iran threatened to shut off more regional energy exports, saying it was engaged in an “existential war” with America.

After initially rising ​for a fourth straight session, Brent crude futures slipped 24 cents, or 0.28%, to $84.95 a barrel as of 0435 GMT, while ​US West Texas Intermediate futures fell 15 cents, or 0.19%, to $79.45 a barrel.

Brent had gained almost $1 earlier ⁠in the session, and both contracts remained close to one-month highs.

“Geopolitical risks remain firmly supportive for oil, but after a ​strong rally, traders are adopting a wait-and-watch approach,” Phillip Nova senior market analyst Priyanka Sachdeva said.

“The focus has shifted from the ​threat itself to whether there is any tangible disruption to oil flows and how both the US and Iran choose to respond in the coming days.”

Oil prices have gained this week as attacks deepened supply disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, which handled about a fifth of ​the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas trade before the war began.

Fewer vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz on ​Wednesday, the first day after the US reimposed its naval blockade on Iran.

Seven crossed on Wednesday, down from 13 the previous day.

Hostilities ‌between Iran ⁠and the US reignited last week, fraying an already fragile truce reached in June after several months of fighting.

“While mediation efforts by neighbouring countries continue and the consensus view is that a full-scale war is unlikely, WTI could still rise to $85–$87 depending on how the conflict develops,” said Hiroyuki Kikukawa, chief strategist of Nissan Securities Investment.

Analysts say Iran has signalled it may ​use its Houthi allies in Yemen ​to shut the Bab El Mandeb gateway ⁠to the Red Sea, opening a new front against Washington and putting a second of the world’s most vital energy arteries at risk.

Reuters also reported on Wednesday that US officials said the strikes ​on Iran could pave the way for “more complex” operations against the country, adding to market jitters.

Goldman ​Sachs said Brent could ⁠exceed $110 in the fourth quarter if the Gulf export recovery continues to stall, but could fall into the $60s by year-end if tensions ease and production recovers faster than expected.

ING analysts cautioned in a note that the supply disruptions are flaring back up at ⁠a time ​when US commercial oil inventories are at the lowest levels since 2022, ​and the lowest levels for the season since 2018.

“The concern is that renewed oil supply disruptions come amid the large inventory drawdowns through the second quarter, ​leaving the market more vulnerable.”

Iran activated its air defence systems across parts of Tehran early Thursday after explosions were reported in and around the capital, as hostilities with the United States continued to intensify.

The semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported that air defences were activated in several areas, including eastern and western Tehran.

Initial reports also indicated explosions near Parchin and Pakdasht, southeast of the capital.

The governor of Pakdasht separately confirmed that air defence systems had been activated in the city and that explosions were heard.

Later, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said there were no casualties in Parchin and Pakdasht, according to the semi-official Fars News Agency.

Fars also quoted a spokesperson for Semnan province as saying that parts of Semnan Airport had been targeted in “enemy air strikes.”

The spokesperson said rescue teams had been deployed and were taking the necessary measures in response to the attacks.

The official added that no residential areas in Semnan province’s cities or villages had come under attack and urged the public not to pay attention to rumours or reports circulated by “enemy media.”

The reported strikes and activation of Iran’s air defences came as tensions between Washington and Tehran continued to escalate over the Strait of Hormuz.

The two sides have exchanged a series of military attacks despite a Pakistan-mediated memorandum of understanding intended to end the conflict and pave the way for a lasting peace agreement.

The US military carried out a fresh wave of air strikes against Iran late Wednesday, targeting military infrastructure that Washington said was linked to threats against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran struck back by targeting US military sites in neighbouring countries in what it called an “existential war” with America.

In a statement posted on X, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said American forces concluded an evening round of strikes at 9pm ET on July 15, hitting Iranian command centres, air defence systems, missile and drone capabilities, and coastal surveillance facilities.

CENTCOM said the operation was aimed at further reducing Iran’s ability to threaten commercial vessels transiting the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

The command added that US forces used precision-guided munitions to strike multiple targets, including sites in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas.

Earlier on Wednesday, US forces also carried out a separate 90-minute strike targeting Iranian coastal defence and cruise missile positions on Greater Tunb Island, according to CENTCOM.

“The US military is holding Iran accountable at the Commander in Chief’s direction,” the statement said.

“US forces struck ​Iranian command centres, air defence sites, missile and drone capabilities, and coastal surveillance facilities,” it said, adding it also hit targets in Bandar Abbas, ⁠home to Iran’s largest port and key navy and Iran’s Revolutionary Guards facilities on the Strait of Hormuz.

“Earlier this morning, American forces struck coastal defence and cruise missile sites on Greater Tunb Island during a 90-minute wave,” ​the US military added.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Wednesday it had struck US military targets in the region, including in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan.

The Guards said they targeted a gathering for US military personnel and ​a radar system at Ali Al Salem air base in Kuwait with a missile and drone attack.

Three US officials told Reuters that US strikes aimed at forcing open the strait are also targeting Iranian military capabilities the US would want to destroy before executing more complex operations.

The US military also said it disabled an unladen oil tanker attempting to sail toward Iran’s Kharg Island after it ignored multiple warnings, firing Hellfire missiles into the ship’s smokestack.

Iranian news media reported a series of explosions, mainly in coastal areas such as Bandar Abbas.

Other explosions or projectile strikes were reported around the city of Ahvaz, ​just inland from the northern end of the Gulf, and Konarak, Sirik and Qeshm in southern Iran.

Press TV reported at least two explosions in the central Iranian city of Khondab, about 250km southwest of Tehran.

Mehr news agency reported ‌Iran activated its ⁠air defences in Tehran to counter “hostile threats.”

Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported that the US attacks struck near a hospital in Ahvaz that houses a pediatric cancer centre, forcing the temporary evacuation of the hospital.

Families have come out to the streets around the hospital to care for their children, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) said.

The latest attacks come as tensions between Washington and Tehran continue to escalate over the Strait of Hormuz.

The strikes follow a series of military exchanges in which US forces have targeted Iranian positions, while Tehran has responded with attacks on American military bases across the region, despite a Pakistan-mediated framework agreement intended to pave the way for a lasting settlement.

Several explosions were heard Wednesday near the US consulate in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s northern Kurdistan region, AFP journalists said.

Air defences were activated near the consulate, which was a target of repeated drone and rocket attacks during the Middle East war.

AFP journalists reported seeing several drones hovering over Erbil, before they were hit by the air defence system, followed by explosions and visible smoke.

No group has claimed responsibility for any attacks.

The blasts coincide with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s one-week visit to Washington, where he met President Donald Trump.

They also come against the backdrop of renewed military escalation between the United States and Iran.

During the Middle East war, the Kurdistan region, which hosts US troops and numerous foreign oil companies, was a primary target for drone attacks, carried out mostly by pro-Iran Iraqi armed groups.

Those groups targeted US facilities in Iraq more than 600 times in support of Tehran.

Since the start of the war, and even after a fragile ceasefire began in April, Iran has also repeatedly struck Iranian Kurdish rebel groups, which have camps and bases in Iraq’s Kurdistan.

Iran has no plans to hold talks with the United States at this stage and remains focused on defending the country, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baqaei said on Wednesday amid ongoing tensions between Tehran and Washington.

Speaking to reporters, Baqaei said there was currently no plan for negotiations between the two countries, according to Al Jazeera.

He said Iran’s priority was safeguarding its national security and defence.

“Our commitments remain in effect only as long as the other side fulfils its pledges,” Baqaei said.

He added that Iran had suspended its obligations under the temporary memorandum of understanding (MoU) after the United States failed to fulfil its commitments.

“After the other party violated its obligations, we also refrained from implementing ours in any area where it was required.”

The remarks come as tensions between Iran and the United States remain high following the recent escalation in the region.

Baqaei said any future agreement or negotiations would depend on whether Washington honoured its commitments.

He reiterated Iran’s longstanding position that it had fulfilled all of its obligations under the Islamabad MoU and would not be the first to violate an agreement.

He had previously warned that while Iran does not break its commitments first, it would stop implementing the agreement if the United States failed to honour its pledge to end hostilities.

The United States military said it completed a 90-minute wave of precision strikes against Iranian military targets on Wednesday, claiming the operation further degraded Tehran’s ability to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

In a statement posted on X, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it targeted coastal defence systems, cruise missile storage facilities and missile launch sites on Greater Tunb Island using precision-guided munitions.

According to CENTCOM, the operation concluded at 7.30am US time after approximately 90 minutes of strikes.

“The strikes further degraded Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” the command said.

The latest operation came hours after CENTCOM announced the launch of a new round of military action against Iran at 6am US time, saying the strikes were aimed at military capabilities allegedly used to threaten commercial vessels transiting the strategic waterway.

There was no immediate official response from Iran to the latest US strikes.

Escalation enters fifth day

The fresh strikes followed nearly seven hours of US attacks across multiple locations in Iran on Tuesday night, during which dozens of targets were reportedly hit.

The US military said the operations were carried out amid the reimposition of a naval blockade on Iran, further escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran.

The renewed conflict has also raised concerns over the fragile ceasefire reached earlier, with reports of missile and drone attacks targeting countries hosting US military bases.

On Wednesday morning, authorities in Bahrain and Kuwait issued missile threat alerts and advised residents to take precautions amid fears of possible Iranian retaliation. Reports said such alerts have been issued daily in recent days as regional tensions continue to mount.

Iran claims strike on US Fifth Fleet facilities

Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed it had targeted facilities linked to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain.

According to Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB, the IRGC said it struck the NSI Management Centre, Command and Control Centre, military equipment warehouses and fuel storage facilities associated with the Fifth Fleet.

However, neither the US nor Bahrain immediately commented on the claim, and there was no independent verification of the alleged attack or any reported damage.

Iran reports casualties

Iranian authorities said the latest US attacks have killed more than 30 civilians in southern Iran over the past several days.

Iran’s Tasnim News Agency reported that 13 US missiles struck military barracks in Bampur, killing seven personnel from the 388th Brigade and wounding several others.

The Iranian military said its defensive measures had helped limit casualties, claiming the strikes were intended to inflict greater losses by targeting guest houses, guard posts and residential facilities.

Health Ministry spokesman Hossein Kermanpour said more than 260 people had been injured in the recent attacks, adding that 222 had been discharged from hospital after receiving treatment.

He said the injured included three children under the age of 18, while at least two people were killed in the latest wave of attacks.

Trump renews warning

US President Donald Trump had earlier warned Iran to return to negotiations, threatening further military action if a new agreement was not reached.

In an interview with Fox News, Trump said the United States would launch more intensive strikes “tonight and tomorrow night.”

He also warned that Iran’s power plants and major bridges could be targeted next week unless Tehran returned to the negotiating table.

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on Wednesday that Tehran would enforce its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz “at any cost” and would never accept the use of the southern shipping route through the strategic waterway.

Speaking after talks in Oman, Gharibabadi said Iran had proposed to Muscat an alternative northern navigation route close to its territorial waters, but no agreement had been reached.

He rejected reports that Iran had held negotiations with the United States in Oman, saying Tehran’s discussions were solely with Omani officials.

“Our last talks were with Oman. We have not had any negotiations with the US,” he said, adding that there had been no discussions resembling the reported lengthy talks between Iranian and American officials.

Gharibabadi also said no negotiations had taken place under the Pakistan-mediated Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding signed last month, accusing Washington of violating the agreement by resuming military operations and imposing a naval blockade.

According to the deputy foreign minister, the working groups envisaged under the memorandum were never established because of “repeated US violations, including actions related to Lebanon”.

He said Clause 5 of the memorandum required Iran to ensure the safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz free of charge for 60 days, but stressed that the provision did not apply to military vessels.

Gharibabadi said Iran had opened and cleared a new northern shipping route near its territorial waters and formally notified Oman, neighbouring countries and the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).

He accused the United States of pressuring Oman to keep the southern route open and alleged that US drones prevented commercial vessels from using the northern passage after Iranian naval forces directed them to do so.

“The US pushed for the southern route to undermine Iran’s effective control over the Strait of Hormuz,” he said.

The deputy foreign minister said Iran had documented 42 US violations of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding and claimed Washington had effectively nullified the agreement by resuming military operations and reinstating its naval blockade.

He reiterated that the Strait of Hormuz had become a matter of Iran’s national security and said Tehran would use all available capabilities to safeguard its interests.

“Iran will enforce its sovereignty over the strait at any cost,” he said.

Gharibabadi also ruled out Iran seeking fresh negotiations with the United States, saying Tehran would not be the first party to request talks following what he described as US “criminal actions.”

He said Iran’s diplomatic and military leadership remained fully coordinated, adding that all major foreign policy decisions during the conflict were taken in consultation with senior military commanders.

The deputy foreign minister also warned that some Gulf countries had allowed their territories to be used for US military operations against Iran, while stressing that Tehran had no intention of violating Oman’s sovereignty and remained committed to avoiding tensions with Muscat.

He maintained that Iran’s proposal to shift commercial shipping to the northern route was intended to safeguard maritime traffic while protecting the country’s security interests during the ongoing conflict.

Iran said on Wednesday that recent US attacks had killed more than 30 civilians and seven military personnel in separate strikes.

Government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani said more than 30 civilians had been killed in US air strikes in southern Iran.

“In the recent attacks on the southern part of the country, more than 30 civilians lost their lives,” Mohajerani said in a post on X, without specifying the locations of the attacks or providing further details.

Separately, the Iranian Army’s Ground Force said seven personnel from the 388th Brigade in Iranshahr were killed after what it described as a US missile strike on the Bampur barracks early Wednesday.

According to a statement carried by the Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA), the barracks’ dormitories, accommodation facilities and guard posts were hit by 13 missiles.

The army said several other personnel were wounded and were receiving medical treatment.

The army condemned what it described as a “cowardly” attack and vowed a “crushing and decisive” response, saying retaliation for the deaths of its personnel was “definite and imminent.”

The Iranian claims could not be independently verified.

Meanwhile, Fars News Agency reported that US strikes also targeted three locations in the southwestern city of Bushehr on Wednesday morning.

Bushehr Governor Arash Zareh Tannaz said no injuries were reported in those attacks.

The latest developments came a day after US President Donald Trump said military strikes against Iran would continue and intensify in the coming days, warning that Washington would begin targeting Iran’s power plants and bridges next week unless Tehran returned to the negotiating table.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Wednesday it had launched a new series of retaliatory strikes targeting US military facilities in Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan, following renewed American attacks on Iranian territory.

In a series of statements, the IRGC said the attacks formed the fourth, fifth and sixth waves of its Operation Nasr 2, which it described as a response to overnight US strikes on Iranian coastal bases and other locations in the country’s southern provinces.

According to the IRGC, the fourth wave targeted what it described as the US military’s main logistics and support facility at Mina Abdullah in Kuwait.

The force claimed the site was set ablaze and destroyed during the attack.

In the fifth wave, the IRGC said its naval forces struck command-and-control facilities, logistics warehouses, military equipment depots and fuel storage sites belonging to the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain.

The sixth wave targeted the US airbase at Al Azraq in Jordan, where the IRGC claimed its Aerospace Force struck aircraft shelters housing F-15, F-16 and F-35 fighter jets and destroyed several MQ-9 drones stationed at the base.

The IRGC also warned that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until the United States halted what it described as acts of aggression against Iran.

It further threatened to expand disruptions to regional energy exports, saying that if the United States continued blocking maritime routes under the guise of enforcing a naval blockade, “other oil and gas export routes” serving US interests and those of its allies could also be closed.

“The region’s oil and gas exports will be available either to everyone or to no one,” the IRGC said.

US President Donald Trump has warned that American military strikes on Iran would continue and intensify in the coming days, saying the United States would begin targeting Iran’s power plants and bridges next week unless Tehran returns to negotiations.

Speaking in an interview with Fox News on Tuesday night, Trump said US forces were striking Iranian targets “very, very hard” and vowed to maintain the campaign until he deemed it sufficient.

“We’re hitting every single thing that they have along the shore, along the waterfront… They’ll continue until I say it’s enough,” he said.

Trump indicated that energy infrastructure would become the next phase of the military campaign, saying power plants and bridges would be targeted if Iran failed to resume talks.

“We’re going to hit them very hard tonight, tomorrow night and the night after. Then next week it gets really bad for them because next week comes the power plants and the bridges. We’ll knock them out unless they get to the table and negotiate,” he said.

The US president said he believed Iran had “no choice” but to reach an agreement, adding that American officials had been in contact with Iranian representatives shortly before the interview.

“They want to make a deal… You better make a deal. You’re not going to have anybody left,” Trump said.

On the Strait of Hormuz, Trump stressed that Washington wanted the strategic waterway to remain open.

He said he had considered imposing a transit fee but abandoned the idea after Gulf states opted to increase spending in the United States instead.

“It’s got to remain free because otherwise others will do the same thing,” he said, adding that military pressure was the only effective way to bring Iran to the negotiating table.

Trump also claimed that a potential agreement had been within reach two days earlier but said Tehran backed out at the last moment.

His remarks came after the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced another round of strikes against Iran on Tuesday, saying the operation was aimed at further degrading Iranian capabilities used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

CENTCOM later said the United States had resumed its naval blockade of Iran, with more than 20 US Navy warships and hundreds of military aircraft deployed across the Middle East.

The latest escalation comes despite a Pakistani-mediated memorandum of understanding intended to reduce tensions and pave the way for a broader peace agreement between Washington and Tehran.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed on Tuesday that it had destroyed several US weapons systems and drones during attacks targeting American military assets in Bahrain and Kuwait.

The United States and Iran launched new attacks on each other’s interests in the Gulf on Tuesday, as President Donald Trump backed down on his threat to heavily tax ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump has vowed to reimpose a naval blockade on Iranian ports that was due to take effect on Tuesday evening, but said a negotiated deal was still possible even as fighting surged to a scale unseen since an April ceasefire.

Iran reported fresh strikes late Tuesday on its Gulf island of Qeshm in the strategic Strait of Hormuz waterway, the key shipping channel for Gulf oil and gas that Tehran has largely blocked since the start of the war.

“At 19:00, a location on Qeshm Island was struck by projectiles from the American enemy,” Hormozgan governor’s office said, according to IRIB.

Fars news agency earlier reported that explosions were heard on the island, amid renewed hostilities between the US and the Islamic Republic.

 “Around 6:45 pm, the sound of several explosions was heard on Qeshm Island,” Fars said.

“In recent days, the Masan area of Qeshm has been attacked several times by the American enemy”.

It came after the US military said it hit targets across Iran, including in the port cities of Bushehr and Bandar Abbas, to “degrade Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping”.

Local authorities said the US struck “four points” in Bushehr — which hosts Iran’s only civilian nuclear power plant — as well as an Iranian border area near Iraq and Kuwait.

Iran, in turn, hit two ships in Omani waters in the Strait of Hormuz, killing a crew member, according to the United Arab Emirates.

Later, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) said that the death toll from the strikes rose to two.

“We are gravely concerned by the latest attacks on shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz reported since last night, which have claimed the lives of at least two seafarers and injured several others,” the IMO said, as New Delhi summoned an Iranian diplomat over the death of an Indian crew member.

A Norwegian tanker was also hit by an explosion caused by an unidentified device off the Omani coast early Tuesday, the crisis response company MTI Network said.

As attacks in the waterway continued, Trump said he was scrapping a planned levy on ships passing through it that he announced a day earlier, replacing the fee with trade deals with Gulf allies.

“I have decided to replace the 20% United States Reimbursement Fee with Trade and Investment Deals that the various Gulf States will be making into the United States,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social network.

Iran’s top diplomat Abbas Araghchi had mocked Trump’s threat before attacks between the decades-old foes continued.

‘Act of war’

Since last week, renewed US attacks have killed at least 28 people in Iran, according to an AFP tally based on Iranian media and official announcements.

After the strikes, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards announced they had in turn fired missiles and drones on Bahrain, targeting a residential building for US forces and other facilities.

Bahrain said it had intercepted “several treacherous aerial attacks launched by Iran” and accused Tehran of targeting civilians, after explosions and sirens were heard in Manama several times.

Iran started blocking the strait after US-Israel attacks in February, which prompted Washington’s blockade on Tehran’s ports — but restrictions eased after the sides agreed a preliminary deal in June.

Monday was the quietest day for crossings of Hormuz by commodity vessels since June 13, before the preliminary deal briefly boosted traffic through the strait.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Iran’s ports on the waterway would be blockaded from 2000 GMT on Tuesday.

Washington has vehemently opposed Tehran’s desire to charge tolls in the strait, which international law generally forbids.

Oil prices had jumped more than five per cent after the latest strikes, but later pared gains as Trump backpedalled on his proposed levy.

‘Decisive blow’

Tehran launched attacks on other US allies in the region, including Jordan, which said it had shot down four missiles from Iran.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said their strikes targeted US forces at an air base and urged Jordanians to issue a “serious demand for the removal of the occupying American bases from the region”.

Iran insists it only targets US interests in the Gulf, but its military command spokesman said any collaboration by Gulf countries with the United States would be considered “an act of war”.

Trump also threatened to destroy Pickaxe Mountain, a deeply buried nuclear site near Natanz where Western intelligence suspects Iran is building an undeclared enrichment facility.

“Tell the Iranians to be ready. Let them know we’re coming (and) there’s not a damn thing they can do about it,” he told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a fierce opponent of Iran’s alleged nuclear ambitions, warned Iranian leaders Tuesday that Israel would deal a heavy blow if they launched an attack on his country.

Speaking from Dimona, a southern town widely believed to house Israel’s undeclared nuclear arsenal, he told them: “Do not count on things remaining quiet if you attack us.”

“The days are over when someone strikes us, and we don’t hit back with a decisive blow.”

US President Donald Trump praised new Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi as a “champion” in a meeting at the White House on Tuesday, even as Washington presses Baghdad to curb Iranian influence.

Trump hinted at making major oil deals with Iraq as he hosted Zaidi, a businessman who came to power this year with US blessing after Trump vetoed another candidate.

“We have a fantastic champion, a new champion,” Trump said as he welcomed the Iraqi premier to the Oval Office. “He’s been a great fighter and a great fan of America.”

Trump said he had even decided to hold an unscheduled lunch with al-Zaidi because of their “tremendous chemistry.”

The Iraqi’s visit comes against the backdrop of renewed military escalation between the United States and Iran. Washington and Tehran are Iraq’s main allies but have long fought a proxy war over the country.

Zaidi has vowed to boost Iraq’s fragile economy and disarm pro-Iran armed groups that have targeted US facilities.

He said he would not accept any armed groups outside state control once US forces leave Iraq on September 30, when the US-led coalition’s mission ends.

“On September 30th, American forces will leave, and American companies will enter,” Zaidi said. “After 30 September, we will not allow any entity to bear arms outside the state.”

Zaidi arrived in Washington on Monday for his first international visit since assuming office — a week-long trip during which he will also meet US officials and representatives of oil companies.

Trump hinted at likely oil deals with Iraq — a long-time obsession for a leader who earlier this year asserted control over Venezuela’s vast reserves after toppling its leader, Nicolas Maduro.

“We’re going to be doing a lot of deals,” Trump said. “We’re going to create a lot of jobs for both countries, and we’re going to be taking out a lot of oil.”

Delicate balance

Zaidi will, however, have to continue Iraq’s delicate balance between Washington and Tehran.

A senior Iraqi politician told AFP on condition of anonymity that even if the current government adopts a more US-friendly path, prioritising the economy, “it doesn’t mean that Iraq is turning against Iran.”

Last week, Iraq’s holy cities hosted a massive funeral procession for Iran’s late supreme leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a US-Israeli strike on Tehran as the war began in late February.

While some armed groups said they will cooperate with Zaidi, others remain firm in their refusal to disarm.

Iraq’s pro-Iran armed groups have seen their political and financial clout increase over the years, and have long called for the withdrawal of American troops deployed as part of the anti-jihadist coalition.

During the Middle East war, they intervened in support of Tehran, targeting US facilities in Iraq more than 600 times.

Oil-rich Iraq has been trying to move past decades of war and unrest, but it still suffers from poor infrastructure, failing public services, mismanagement and endemic corruption.

Trump, a long-term opponent of the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, said that Washington had “attacked the wrong country”, implying that it should have invaded Iran instead.

In recent months, Iraq has signed several deals with US companies in the oil and gas sector.

In the United States, Zaidi is expected to sign more agreements, including one to establish a fund into which Iraq will deposit half a million barrels of oil per day in exchange for help to boost the country’s electricity supply.

Like other oil producers, Iraq, a founding member of OPEC, was greatly affected by the Middle East war.

It is hugely dependent on oil exports, which make up about 90 per cent of its budget revenues, and the vast majority of its crude travels via the disputed Strait of Hormuz.

A Norwegian tanker was hit by an explosion caused by an unidentified device off the Omani coast early Tuesday, a crisis response company said.

MTI Network said in a statement that shipping company Stolt Tankers reported that at approximately 00:40 am local time (2000 GMT Monday) “its tanker vessel Stolt Magnesium, while on passage in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Oman, suffered from an explosion of an unidentified external device”.

The explosion triggered a fire in the ship’s engine room, but an MTI Network spokesman added that the crew “fortunately are all safe and accounted for”.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency also reported that a tanker had reported “being hit by an unknown projectile on the starboard side engine room” 40 nautical miles northeast of Qalhat, Oman.

Earlier on Tuesday, the United Arab Emirates said that Iran attacked two ships in the Strait of Hormuz with missiles, killing one crew member and wounding eight.

The strikes came after the United States launched a fresh salvo of strikes against Tehran, marking a new escalation in the resumption of hostilities in the Middle East war.

The Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route through which one-fifth of the world’s oil passed before the war broke out in February, is a major point of contention between the United States and Iran.

China accused the United States at the United Nations on Tuesday of taking the Middle East to “a dangerous precipice” with its war against Iran.

During a debate on Yemen’s Houthi rebel group, China’s envoy to the UN, Sun Lei, said “the US has irrefutable responsibility over the current situation in Yemen and the Red Sea.”

“It is the US that is obstructing the efforts of the Council to end hostilities and allow the (continuation) of the crisis in Gaza and the expansion of the tensions,” Sun said.

“Without the authorisation of the Security Council, and amidst the negotiations between the US and Iran, the US launched military attacks against Iran, once again plunging the situation of the region into a dangerous precipice.”

Sun was responding to criticism of China by the US ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, who had just accused Beijing of violating the UN arms embargo in place on the Houthis.

“States like Iran and, to some degree, companies and entities in China have violated resolution 2216 with little consequence,” Waltz said.

UN Security Council Resolution 2216, adopted in 2015, requires the Houthis to cease hostilities and withdraw from territory they have seized in Yemen.

It imposes a targeted arms embargo on the Iran-backed group and its allies, as well as individual sanctions including asset freezes and travel bans.

In a testy exchange between the two superpowers, Beijing’s envoy said Washington “should reflect upon its own actions and take concrete measures to eliminate the negative impact of its actions and its rhetoric.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Tuesday to strike powerfully against Iran if it staged a new attack on his country.

“I will say it to the leaders of Iran: Do not count on things remaining quiet if you attack us,” Netanyahu said at a conference in Dimona.

The southern town hosts a facility officially dedicated to nuclear research but is widely believed to house Israel’s undeclared nuclear arsenal.

“The days are over when someone strikes us and we don’t hit back with a decisive blow,” Netanyahu added.

He said the strikes would be more powerful than the ones carried out jointly with key ally the United States earlier this year.

“Do not count on a rerun,” Netanyahu said, referring to the previous attacks on Iran, according to a video released by his office.

“Because it will not be a rerun, and that was already powerful enough. This will be a different event, much more powerful.”

Netanyahu’s threat came amid new US strikes on Iran and as US President Donald Trump vowed to reimpose a blockade on Iranian ports.

US strikes on Tuesday also hit the Iranian port city of Bushehr, which hosts Tehran’s only civilian nuclear plant.

In retaliation to US strikes that began three days ago, Iran has launched missiles targeting US allies in the region.

Projectiles hit Iran’s Gulf island of Qeshm near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, Iran’s state broadcaster reported, citing local officials who blamed the United States.

“At 19:00, a location on Qeshm Island was struck by projectiles from the American enemy,” Hormozgan governor’s office said, according to IRIB.

Fars news agency earlier reported that explosions were heard on the island, amid renewed hostilities between the US and the Islamic Republic.

“Around 6:45 pm, the sound of several explosions was heard on Qeshm Island,” Fars said.

“In recent days, the Masan area of Qeshm has been attacked several times by the American enemy”.

It comes after the US launched a fresh wave of strikes on Iran and Trump vowed to reimpose a naval blockade on Iran, prompting Tehran to respond with strikes on targets in countries around the region.

The US military earlier said it had hit targets across Iran, including in the port cities of Bushehr and Bandar Abbas, to “degrade Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping”.

Iran hit two ships in the Strait of Hormuz, killing a crew member, according to the United Arab Emirates.

A Norwegian tanker was also hit by an explosion caused by an unidentified device off the Omani coast early Tuesday, the crisis response company MTI Network said.