Iran has threatened retaliation against U.S. military bases in the Middle East after President Donald Trump announced a fresh round of American strikes on Iranian military targets, accusing Tehran of violating a recently agreed ceasefire.
The latest escalation has raised fears that the ceasefire brokered earlier this month could collapse completely as both sides exchange military attacks and increasingly hostile rhetoric. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said U.S. aircraft had struck multiple Iranian military facilities in response to what he described as repeated violations of the ceasefire agreement.
“United States aircraft just struck Iranian missile and drone storage locations, and coastal radar sites, for violating the Cease Fire Agreement, AGAIN!” Trump wrote. “It is very possible that they will never learn! There may come a point when we are no longer able to be reasonable, and will be forced to militarily complete the job that we very successfully started. If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!”
According to the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), the overnight operation targeted Iranian missile and drone storage facilities, coastal radar installations, military surveillance infrastructure, communications systems, air defence sites and mine-laying capabilities. CENTCOM said the strikes were carried out on the orders of the U.S. president after Iran allegedly launched another drone attack against commercial shipping despite being given an opportunity to honour the ceasefire agreement.
“After yesterday’s U.S. strikes in response to the Iranian attack on M/V Ever Lovely, Iran was given a chance to honor the ceasefire agreement but elected not to when its forces launched a one-way attack drone that hit M/T Kiku this morning at 4:30 a.m. ET.
“The Panama-flagged tanker was transiting near the Strait of Hormuz with more than two-million barrels of crude oil,” the military command said. Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported explosions in the southern city of Sirik following the U.S. attacks.
In response, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a warning that American military bases in the region would “experience hell in the coming days,” while reaffirming what it described as Iran’s dominance over the strategically important Strait of Hormuz. The confrontation widened further after Iran launched drone and missile attacks targeting Bahrain and Kuwait.
Kuwaiti authorities said two ballistic missiles were intercepted before reaching their targets, adding that there were no casualties or damage. Bahrain’s Interior Ministry, meanwhile, said an Iranian drone struck a residential building near the country’s international airport. Although no fatalities were reported, the attack destroyed the top floor of the eight-storey building and caused significant structural damage.
Tehran condemned the latest U.S. military action, accusing Washington of breaching the ceasefire agreement reached earlier this month. “These brutal attacks, which targeted Iranian coastal surveillance facilities, are a blatant violation of the memorandum of understanding to end the war,” Iranian authorities said.
Iran has also warned that it could suspend negotiations aimed at ending the conflict if U.S. military operations continue. The renewed hostilities come after the United States and Iran reached a 14-point memorandum of understanding on June 17 intended to halt fighting and ensure the safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz for 60 days.
Under the agreement, Iran pledged to use its “best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge for 60 days.” The latest exchange of strikes has cast fresh doubt over the future of the agreement, with tensions once again rising across the Middle East.
Meanwhile, Israel’s military also launched a drone strike in southern Lebanon, a day after agreeing to withdraw some of its forces from parts of the region, adding to concerns over growing instability across multiple fronts.