US Launches Fresh Strikes on Iran as Tehran Hits Gulf States as Retaliation

Washington DC/Tehran: The United States launched a fresh wave of airstrikes across Iran early Thursday, prompting Tehran to retaliate with missile and drone attacks targeting Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, further jeopardising the fragile interim ceasefire aimed at ending the west Asian conflict.

The escalation came hours after US President Donald Trump declared the ceasefire "over," blaming Iran's recent attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. The US military's Central Command (CENTCOM) said it struck about 90 targets across Iran, including missile launchers, military facilities and port infrastructure, saying the operation was intended to further weaken Tehran's ability to threaten navigation through the strategic waterway.

Iranian state media reported explosions in Bushehr, Bandar Abbas, Chabahar, Konarak and Sirik, while a firefighter was killed in a strike near an airport in Iranshahr. For the first time since April, US strikes also appeared to target bridges and railway bridges, including routes leading to Mashhad, where former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is due to be buried.

Iran responded by launching drones and missiles toward Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. Air raid sirens sounded in Bahrain, home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, while Kuwait said it intercepted incoming projectiles. No immediate casualties were reported.

Trump warned that any further attacks on shipping "will get much worse" and renewed threats to target Iran's civilian infrastructure and seize Kharg Island, the hub for most of the country's oil exports.

Iran defended its actions, insisting the interim agreement allows it to regulate traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf declared that "the era of bullying and extortion is over."

The latest escalation has cast fresh uncertainty over planned post-funeral negotiations on sanctions relief, Iran's nuclear programme and the future administration of the Strait of Hormuz, raising fears that the ceasefire could collapse completely.