The US has launched a new round of strikes on Iran after President Donald Trump signalled he would "hit them hard again tonight" following an exchange of attacks on Tuesday.
Explosions have been reported by Iranian state media in parts of the country's south, including Sirik and Bandar Abbas - port cities on the Strait of Hormuz.
After the latest strikes, Trump said in a post on Truth Social: “This is in retribution for yesterday's bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!”
Gulf nations reported Iranian attacks following the US strikes, with explosions in Bahrain's capital Manama, Kuwait intercepting missiles and drones, and Qatar issuing a security alert.
Iran's parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who is also the country's chief negotiator with the US, said on X that America "still hasn't learned that bullying and breaking promises are no longer cost-free".
"Let me put it plainly: if you strike, you'll get hit," he wrote, adding that the Strait of Hormuz will only open under Iranian arrangements - not "American threats".
US Central Command (Centcom) said the strikes were carried out to "further degrade Tehran's ability to threaten freedom of navigation" in the vital waterway.
In a statement it added: “The United States is holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews freely navigating a vital international waterway.”
Several explosions have also reportedly been heard in other parts of the Iranian coast, including the cities of Konarak and Chabahar.
Iranian state TV reported eight explosions in Bandar Abbas, and said two missiles had hit the ports of both Sirik and Jask - also in southern Iran.
It added that two projectiles had hit the island of Abu Musa, which has been the subject of a longstanding ownership dispute between Iran and the United Arab Emirates.
Air defence systems have been activated in Bandar Abbas, according to reports in Iranian state media.
The extent of damage from the US strikes is not yet known, but Iranian media have reported power cuts in Chabahar and a fire at an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) barracks in Bushehr.
Two of three power lines cut off in Chabahar had been restored quickly and a third would be operational soon, the Iranian Students' News Agency said.
Speaking to reporters from Air Force One on Wednesday evening, the US president said Iran had "called a little while ago" and wanted to make a deal "so badly".
Trump added: “I just don't know if they're worthy of making a deal - I don't know that they're going to honour the deal, that's the problem.”
On Tuesday, the US military said it had launched "powerful" strikes in response to attacks on three tankers in the strait.
Tuesday into Wednesday saw the worst exchange of strikes between the US and Iran since the deal - known as a memorandum of understanding (MoU) - was signed on 17 June.
Trump said on Wednesday that the ceasefire agreement signed last month with Iran was "over", and added the US had "hit them very hard last night" and would "probably hit them hard again tonight".
He told reporters: “I don't want to deal with them anymore, they're scum. You know what scum is? They're scum. They're sick people.”
In response, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a post on X: “We do not answer vulgarity with vulgarity, but with action: fearlessly and with great valour.”
The deal between the US and Iran included 14 points, among them a 60-day period for a ceasefire during which negotiations should continue, the safe passage of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz and the US lifting sanctions on Iran.
The 60-day period for negotiations is not yet up, but Trump said he saw further talks as "a waste of time".
These are not the first strikes since the MoU was signed.
The US launched a series of strikes on Iran on 26 June after an Iranian projectile hit a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz.
Further US strikes took place on 27 June, following an attack on a tanker. But later that month both sides had agreed to "stand down".
Source: BBC
– Agencies
