US launches fresh strikes on Iran as Trump vows to hit ‘hard’

The United States launched a fresh wave of strikes against Iran on Wednesday, with President Donald Trump warning that Washington would "hit them hard" after negotiations aimed at ending the more than three-month-long conflict failed to make progress.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said American forces carried out "additional self-defence strikes" beginning at 5:15pm Washington time, targeting multiple locations across Iran in response to what it described as Tehran's "unwarranted and continued aggression."

Iranian media reported explosions in several southern regions near the Strait of Hormuz, where US forces had already targeted air defence systems, radar installations and other military sites a day earlier. Iranian sources said "enemy projectiles" struck the areas of Qeshm, Kargan and Sirik.

The latest attacks came a day after Trump accused Iranian negotiators of "playing us for suckers."

"We hit them hard yesterday. We're going to hit them again hard today," Trump told reporters. "We were really close to a deal, but they keep tapping us along."

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth indicated that military operations could continue, saying any further strikes would be "strong" and "clear."

The renewed escalation prompted international calls for restraint ahead of the FIFA World Cup, which is being co-hosted by the United States and includes Iran among the participating nations.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned against a return to "full war," while Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, dismissed Trump's threats, saying that "no sustainable deal can be reached through threats, intimidation, or the use of force."

Despite the intensifying conflict, diplomatic efforts continued. A diplomat familiar with the discussions said Qatari mediators had travelled to Tehran to meet Iranian officials in an attempt to bridge the remaining differences.

The conflict began in late February when large-scale US-Israeli strikes targeted Iran, shaking the region and global markets before a fragile truce was established.

The war has driven up energy prices after Tehran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime route through which about one-fifth of the world's oil supply normally passes.

Trump claimed on Wednesday that US military operations had secretly enabled 100 million barrels of oil to transit the contested waterway.

Global stock markets mostly declined on Wednesday amid renewed fighting, rising US inflation and weakness in technology shares, while oil prices climbed by around two percent.

Gulf states on high alert

Iran said it launched attacks on US military bases in Jordan and Bahrain on Tuesday in retaliation for American strikes on the Islamic Republic following the earlier downing of a US helicopter.

The Apache helicopter was the second crewed aircraft that Washington has confirmed losing to Iranian fire during the conflict. The US military said both crew members were safely rescued.

Bahrain reported intercepting and destroying several Iranian aerial threats, while Jordan said it shot down five missiles without suffering casualties or damage.

Kuwait's military also said its air defence systems were engaging "hostile aerial targets."

Meanwhile, Iran's foreign ministry warned neighbouring countries against allowing the United States or Israel to use their territory for military operations against Tehran.

The US military also reported that an American warplane disabled a tanker in the Gulf of Oman that was allegedly transporting Iranian oil in violation of a US blockade.

The escalation drew calls for restraint from Iran's allies, Russia and China. Beijing urged both sides to "stop intensifying the conflict and escalating the situation."

Iran has maintained that any agreement to end the war must include a ceasefire in Lebanon, which became involved in the conflict after the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement launched rocket attacks on Israel on March 2.

Israel responded with airstrikes and a ground offensive that have reportedly killed more than 3,600 people. Clashes between Israeli forces and Hezbollah have continued despite a nominal truce.

A medical source told AFP that Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon killed 12 people on Wednesday.