The United States struck Iranian military sites on Wednesday as President Donald Trump gave an ultimatum to Tehran. Air raid sirens sounded across the Iranian capital while both sides traded attacks. This pushed a tentative peace deal closer to collapse.
US launches new strike on Iran as Donald Trump sends a warning
American warplanes struck coastal defences and cruise missile facilities on Greater Tunb Island during a 90-minute operation, US Central Command confirmed. A second wave later hit command centres, air defence batteries, and surveillance posts in the port city of Bandar Abbas. The Pentagon said the raids aimed to cripple Iran’s ability to menace commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Tehran fired back immediately. State media claimed Iranian forces had targeted US military positions in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan. Jordanian officials intercepted eight drones and reported no casualties or damage.
Speaking to reporters, Donald Trump refused to set a deadline for further escalation but made his position clear on Iran. “They better behave,” he said. Addressing a defence summit later, he added that Iran was “not happy right now” and wanted to “settle.” “We’ll find out whether we want to settle with them or if we just finish it off.”
The fighting has now stretched into a fifth day, unravelling a memorandum of understanding signed last month. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s lead negotiator, dismissed the agreement as worthless to Tehran under current conditions. “We have no reason to abide by it,” he told state media, framing the confrontation as an “existential” struggle.
The US has also reimposed its naval blockade of Iranian ports. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps responded with a cryptic threat, warning Washington to “expect the closure of other oil and gas export routes that serve the interests of the United States and its allies.”
Trump had earlier threatened to strike bridges and power plants unless Iran returned to talks next week. A similar warning in April to bomb civilian infrastructure was condemned by the UN human rights chief, who labelled such an act a potential war crime.
Yet amid the hostilities, Trump seized on a diplomatic opening. He announced the release of Dena Karari, an American detained since December 2024. “She is now safely outside of Iran, and in good condition,” he posted on Truth Social, calling her release “a gesture of Goodwill by Iran.”
(Source: BBC)
