US Launches Fresh Air Strikes on Iran as Trump Declares Ceasefire Over

The United States launched expanded air strikes hitting Iran early Thursday, prompting retaliatory Iranian fire against Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. This crossfire threatens an interim deal aimed at ending the war gripping the Persian Gulf. The Thursday attacks followed US strikes on Iranian military and port facilities on Wednesday, which came after Iran’s targeting of several merchant vessels off the coast of Oman. After three tankers were hit Tuesday, the US launched strikes on Iran, and Iranian forces retaliated by targeting American military sites in the Persian Gulf.

Kuwait's military confirmed it was actively intercepting incoming drones and missiles. There was no immediate word of damage across the three Gulf nations.

The war began with US and Israeli attacks on February 28. The conflict disrupted the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's traded oil and natural gas passed before the fighting started.

Ceasefire Declared Over

Trump declared the fragile truce dead, adding new uncertainty to the region. He said recent Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz signalled the end of the fragile ceasefire. Oil prices shot up following his remarks on the ceasefire. "For me, I think it’s over." Trump said. He added that US representatives can continue negotiations, but he cast doubt on the outcome. "They can talk, but I think they’re wasting their time," he said.

After leaving a Nato summit in Turkey, the US president posted videos of the strikes on social media. "This is in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!" Trump wrote.

Trump suggested the military might just finish the job. "Anything that happens is going to happen very fast," Trump said, though he had said earlier in the day that the latest back-and-forth fighting would not result in "long-term" military action. He renewed threats to attack Iran's civilian infrastructure, including electric and desalinisation plants. He also threatened to seize the Kharg Island oil-production hub.

Defiance and Strikes

Iranian state media reported explosions in Bushehr, home to Iran's nuclear power plant complex. Strikes also hit the southern port cities of Chabahar, Konarak, Bandar Abbas and Sirik.

The US military stated the latest strikes were intended to "further degrade" Iran's ability "to threaten freedom of navigation" in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has asserted that the interim ceasefire deal gives it the right to manage traffic through the strait. Iranian leadership remained defiant. "The era of bullying and extortion is over. It leads nowhere. We don’t fold." Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, a key negotiator in talks seeking a permanent end to the war, wrote on X.

Trump's remarks "are not a sign of power but an admission of the failure" of US policy towards Iran, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, also a top negotiator, added on X. Negotiations for a final deal were scheduled to start after the funeral of former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Khamenei was killed on February 28 in the war’s first moments, and his funeral ends Thursday. The funeral was supposed to be a period of lower tensions.