The United States carried out another round of airstrikes on Iran early Thursday, prompting Tehran to retaliate with attacks targeting Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, further testing an interim truce intended to end the conflict in the Persian Gulf.
The latest escalation came just hours after US President Donald Trump said recent Iranian attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz had effectively brought the fragile ceasefire to an end, reports AP.
Washington struck multiple Iranian military installations and port facilities early Wednesday after Iran targeted commercial ships off the coast of Oman, triggering a previous cycle of retaliation by Tehran.
Thursday's hostilities appeared to mark a further escalation. Air raid sirens sounded at least twice in Bahrain, home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet. There were no immediate reports of damage in Bahrain, Kuwait or Qatar, while Kuwait's military said it had intercepted incoming drones and missiles.
In a post on social media, US military officials said the operation was designed to further weaken Iran's ability to threaten freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway that carried roughly one-fifth of global oil and natural gas trade before the conflict erupted following US and Israeli strikes on February 28.
Iranian state media reported explosions in several locations, including Bushehr, where the country's only nuclear power plant is located, as well as the southern port cities of Chabahar, Konarak, Bandar Abbas and Sirik.
Trump warns of harsher retaliation
After departing a NATO summit in Turkey, Trump posted videos on social media that he said showed explosions inside Iran and warned Tehran against launching further attacks.
"The strikes are retaliation for yesterday's attack on ships by Iran. If it happens again, the response will be far more severe," Trump wrote.
Earlier on Thursday, however, Trump suggested the latest exchanges would not develop into a prolonged military campaign, reports AP.
"Whatever happens will happen very quickly," he said, while adding that the US military could "just finish the job."
Trump also reiterated previous threats to strike Iran's civilian infrastructure, including power stations and desalination facilities, and to seize Kharg Island, the country's main oil export terminal.
The latest cycle of violence followed Iranian attacks on three tankers on Tuesday, after which the US launched strikes on Iranian targets. Tehran responded by attacking American military sites across the Persian Gulf.
Iran has insisted that the interim ceasefire allows it to regulate maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, who is involved in talks on a permanent peace agreement, struck a defiant tone in a post on X.
"The United States still hasn't learned that intimidation and broken promises come at a cost. Let me be clear: if you strike us, you will be struck back," he wrote.
