The United States carried out additional strikes on Iran on Thursday to maintain open access through the vital Strait of Hormuz. This occurred hours after President Donald Trump stated that a temporary accord to conclude the conflict with Iran had ended. US Central Command confirmed the action, noting that forces had begun further operations to reduce Iran’s capacity to endanger navigation in the waterway. The command stated that the United States holds Iran responsible for recent aggression against commercial vessels and crews in an essential international route. A US official indicated that the current strikes would exceed those from Tuesday in scale. The attacks, launched in response to an assault on three cargo ships, caused explosions and power outages in several southern Iranian coastal cities. The Strait of Hormuz, which handles roughly one-fifth of global oil shipments, has provided Iran with leverage in negotiations. Iran has not claimed responsibility for the ship attacks, though analysts suggest such moves aim to gain advantage in talks. The escalation reduced prospects for converting a June 17 memorandum into a lasting peace accord that would conclude the war, which started with US-Israeli airstrikes on February 28. Iran reported striking US military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait in retaliation. Iranian media outlets reported explosions near Konarak, Chabahar, and Bandar Abbas, along with air defenses responding to hostile targets and resulting power disruptions. A military source indicated plans for a large-scale response against US bases in the region. Trump, speaking before a NATO summit, described the memorandum as over and expressed reluctance to negotiate further, citing concerns about reliability. He also claimed to be Iran’s primary target and warned against allowing nuclear weapons acquisition, while stating he did not anticipate renewed full-scale conflict.
