Tehran launched fresh attacks on US military bases in neighboring Gulf states, while Washington continued to launch strikes across Iran overnight.
Tehran said it carried out strikes on targets in the region including Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain as the sixth day of renewed fighting broke their preliminary agreement to end the war.
Meanwhile, the US military said it carried out a six-hour wave of strikes in several locations to “degrade Iran’s ability to threaten innocent sailors” in the Strait of Hormuz.
The latest exchanges come after US President Donald Trump warned Iran it had to “better behave” or face further military action if Iran does not return to talks.
On Tuesday, Trump threatened to attack Iran’s energy infrastructure if Tehran does not return to talks.
Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf told state media that Tehran has “no reason” to abide by any agreement that does not benefit the country.
He added that Iran’s national security depended on preserving what he called the “Iranian agreements” in the Strait of Hormuz.
In the latest attacks, the US struck command centers, air defense sites and coastal surveillance sites across Iran, including the port city of Bandar Abbas and Greater Tanb Island, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said.
Iranian state media reported that explosions were heard across Iran and an air defense system went off in Tehran.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Bakaei said a children’s cancer center in the western city of Ahvaz was evacuated after attacks hit a nearby area.
Soon after, US allies in the Persian Gulf reported attacks. Kuwait’s military said it had intercepted the drone attacks, and Bahrain’s interior ministry advised citizens to remain calm and head to the nearest safe location.
The Iranian military also said it targeted U.S. communications systems and fuel storage facilities in Jordan in the latest round of strikes.
As tensions rise, the Strait of Hormuz – a crucial waterway off Iran that Tehran has effectively blocked in response to US-Israeli strikes – remains closed.
The United States said Tuesday it had renewed a blockade of Iranian ports that had previously been lifted as part of an agreement the two countries reached last month known as a memorandum of understanding.
The next day, the US fired on and disabled an empty Curacao-flagged oil tanker that Centcom said was trying to sail to a blocked Iranian port.
In response to the renewed US blockade, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned the US that it should “expect the closure of other oil and gas export routes that serve the interests of the US and its allies.”
He did not specify which routes might be affected.
As the dispute over the Strait of Hormuz continues, oil prices have soared around the world as tanker traffic along the key shipping route comes to a virtual standstill.
Despite ongoing fighting, Trump welcomed what he saw as a potential olive branch from Tehran in releasing an American detainee who the US president said was “wrongfully detained” in December 2024.
“The United States of America greatly appreciates this gesture of goodwill from Iran!” Trump wrote about this on Wednesday on his platform Truth Social.
The woman, Dena Karari, was returning to the United States, her lawyer Jared Genser said in a post on X.