WASHINGTON/ ANKARA/TEHRAN: The United States said Wednesday it had begun additional strikes against Iran to further degrade Tehran’s ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, as Iranian media reported explosions near Bandar Abbas and Sirik and said air defences were engaging “hostile targets.”
Earlier in the day, US President Donald Trump declared the interim agreement to end the Iran war was “over” and threatened fresh American strikes, as Iranian media reported explosions in Bandar Abbas and Sirik and said air defences had been activated to counter “hostile targets” near Bandar Abbas.
“We hit them very hard last night, and we’ll probably hit them hard again tonight,” he told reporters on the second day of the Nato summit in Ankara, Turkey. However, he expected the latest military flare-up to end quickly and left the door open to more talks.
Trump was flanked by some of his closest advisers - Pete Hegseth, Marco Rubio and Scott Bessent.
Renewing previous threats to strike Iran’s infrastructure, including desalinisation plants and electric plants, Trump said the US “may take over Kharg Island,” Iran’s main oil terminal. He noted that the US had struck the land on Tuesday, but avoided its oil facilities.
When asked about the status of the Memorandum of Understanding, signed on June 17, Trump declared: “I think it’s over. I don’t want to deal with them anymore.”
“They’re scum. They’re sick people. They’re led by sick people,” he continued. “If they had a nuclear weapon, they’d use it. As far as I’m concerned, it’s over.”
Trump added that negotiators on both sides could continue to talk, but “I think they’re wasting their time”.
Trump was asked about his comments last month that Iranian people were nice and rational to deal with - compared to him calling them “scum” on Wednesday.
He responds by saying he “got to know them”, adding that the country’s leaders are not doing a service to their people “based on their actions over the last week or two”.
Trump then says he does not think a full-scale conflict is going to start again, adding: “Anything that happens is going to be over very quickly.”
He adds that anybody who goes near the country’s underground nuclear material will “get blown up” and that the US will eventually “take it”.
Trump insists the war with Iran has been a “tremendous military success” and says it has prevented Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
He says Iran’s negotiators are “a little loco, they’re a little crazy”, and goes on to say: “In one day, all of their anti-aircraft is gone... everything is gone. Their leaders are gone.”
He adds: “They have another set of leaders, they may be gone. Who knows?”
Repeating his remarks about Iranian leaders being “scum”, Trump says: “I may be gone too, because I’m their number one target.”
He adds that he had been asked earlier if he planned to hit Iran again, “I said we might, yeah we might.”
“But when they hit, we hit,” he says. “We use their language and we speak their language.”
The remarks came amid a flare-up of hostilities which saw Iran target US military sites in Kuwait and Bahrain overnight after the US struck Iranian targets following attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
Earlier, speaking to journalists during his meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, Trump said the US has effectively already secured the nuclear material “because it is so far underground nobody is going to be able to get it except us”.
He went on: “[The nuclear material] is so far down underneath a mountain that it would take massive machinery that we have, that no other country has.”
Asked whether the US will consider putting boots on the ground in Iran, he added: “Why would I go in there? I go in when they are completely either eliminated or an agreement is made.”
Trump next said the US is considering reinstating its naval blockade of Iranian ports, which was lifted as part of the initial agreement to end the war on 17 June.
“We may put it back, the blockade,” Trump says. “And it will only be a blockade for Iran, anybody else can have whatever they want.”
Iran will “drop some mines if they can”, Trump says, but adds that the US has minesweepers that could clear them. He also says that Nato countries have offered during the summit to send minesweepers to the region.
Meanwhile, Iran’s foreign ministry released a statement accusing the US of violations of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
The ministry highlighted what it described as “repeated illegal attacks against Iran, along with the decision Tuesday night by the US Treasury to revoke the licence to sell Iranian oil” among the violations. The US is responsible for the “dangerous consequences” of this escalation, it warns.
Meanwhile, responding to the US president’s remarks, in a post on X, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said: “Addressing the civilised and courageous nation of Iran with derogatory language does not diminish its greatness.
“Iranians are known for their civility, culture and strong moral values.
“We do not answer vulgarity with vulgarity, but with action: fearlessly and with great valour.”
Iranian Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, a top negotiator for Iran, insisted it was the US that had violated the interim peace agreement. He cited the US reinstating sanctions on Iranian oil sales—a move made Tuesday after oil tanker attacks—as an example, as well as the “persistent threats of further strikes.”
“The era of bullying and extortion is over. It leads nowhere. We don’t fold,” he vowed.
Meanwhile, senior adviser to the Iranian supreme leader Ali Akbar Velayati said that Trump’s comments risk ‘fire’ in the Middle East.
He warned that US “adventures” in the region would be met with an “immediate response”.
Velayati said “new provocations and the verbal admission of the cancellation” of the initial peace agreement “drives the region toward fire”.
He says Iran’s so-called Axis of Resistance - a loose network of proxies and allies in the region - has “its finger on the triggers”.
Meanwhile, Pakistan expressed its deep concern at the escalation in tensions in the region, saying that “a renewed conflict is in no one’s interest”.
“Pakistan calls on all parties to exercise restraint and refrain from any actions that may further undermine regional peace and stability. There is no alternative to continued engagement, dialogue and diplomacy to achieve shared goal of peace in the region,” the Foreign Office spokesperson said in a statement.
“Pakistan urges all sides to uphold their respective commitments under the Islamabad MoU, which remains an enduring foundation for understanding, mutual respect and shared prosperity for the region and beyond.
“Pakistan remains ready to continue playing its role in this regard,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, the UN secretary-general has urged Iran and the US to “urgently resume negotiations”.
Antonio Guterres said in a statement that a return to full-scale hostilities between the two countries would have “catastrophic consequences” - on the people of the region, international peace and security, as well as the global economy.
He calls on all parties to take immediate steps to de-escalate.
Meanwhile, China denounced the escalation in hostilities, with Beijing’s foreign ministry warning both sides against resuming the war in the Middle East.
“Reigniting the war is not in the interests of either side, and military means cannot solve the fundamental problems,” foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a news conference.
Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte called the US strikes “absolutely necessary,” on account of Iran “violating” the cease-fire.
“I think it is totally crucial that [the] US forcefully reacts,” he told reporters. “I expect allies today to reconfirm that Iran should never, ever get its hands on a nuclear capability.”
Rutte also urged for “freedom of navigation” in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital passage through which around a fifth of global oil production traditionally flows. He emphasised a full reopening of the waterway was “crucial for all 32 allies.”
Meanwhile, European Union’s Foreign Affairs chief Kaja Kallas said: “The exchanges of fire between the US and Iran further complicate already fraught talks to end the war. Iran’s attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait are unacceptable.”
“Under the memorandum, Tehran committed to reopening the Strait of Hormuz,” she continued. “Its recent attacks on ships near the Strait violate that commitment and threaten to disrupt the resumption of energy supplies. Freedom of navigation must be unimpeded.”
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the focus in the Middle East should be on “getting back to that ceasefire”.
Asked how worried people should be about developments between the US and Iran, Starmer said “the last day or two has obviously been challenging”.
He says ensuring stability, getting the Strait of Hormuz open and implementing the MoU will “reduce” the impact on the UK economy.
“That’s really important for the region and for the world,” Starmer says.
Meanwhile, Press TV, the English language channel for Iran’s state-controlled IRIB outlet, cites a security source as saying Iran will close the Strait of Hormuz to all maritime traffic in the case of any strike made against the country. It reports the source as saying the country will also strike at least two targets for every Iranian target that is hit, adding: “Iran does not distinguish between the United States and its partners in the region.” Separately, the Tasnim news agency - affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps - says the “death” of the Islamabad ceasefire agreement had been “officially announced” by Trump.
The outlet added that Iran now has a “clearer mandate” to confront the US, Israel and their proxies in the region and the world.
After Trump’s latest comments, and following the overnight hostilities, the price of Brent crude oil spiked once again, jumping to almost $79 per barrel Wednesday morning—an increase of over 5% from the day before.
The S&P 500 also ended lower while Broadcom led gains among recently battered chip stocks.
Maritime authorities raised the threat risk for vessels transiting the Strait to “severe,” warning that “deliberate hostile action” is likely under current conditions.
Arsenio Dominguez, secretary general of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), called for “maximum restraint and de-escalation.” He said nearly 6,000 seafarers are stranded in the Strait, “unable to depart the Persian Gulf safely,” amid the renewed volatility.
Meanwhile, Tuesday night Iranian missile and drone attacks against Kuwait and Bahrain were condemned by Saudi Arabia, along with other nations.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed the kingdom’s “strongest condemnation” of the repeated Iranian attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain.
“These attacks constitute a violation of state sovereignty and international law,” the ministry said. “The kingdom holds Iran responsible for the consequences of its continued aggression and demands an immediate cessation of these violations to preserve the security, stability, and safety of the region.”
Gulf neighbours, including Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, UAE, Jordan and Qatar, which have also faced waves of attacks since the conflict started at the end of February, also condemned the latest Iranian aggression.
Qatar’s foreign ministry said it was necessary to spare the region “the consequences of these unjustified attacks.” Doha said all sides should continue on the path of “dialogue and diplomacy, de-escalation” that build on the gains achieved through the MoU signed last month.
The UAE’s foreign ministry also condemned “in the strongest terms” an Iranian attack targeting a Saudi tanker in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday. The Wedyan was among three tankers struck within hours of one another.
“The attack constitutes a grave threat to the safety and security of international navigation and represents a dangerous escalation which undermines the security and stability of one of the most critical waterways in the world,” the ministry said.
Jordan described Iran’s strikes against Kuwait as “a flagrant violation of Kuwait’s sovereignty, a threat to its security and stability and the safety of its territories, a dangerous escalation, and a blatant breach of international law and the United Nations Charter.”
Oman, which borders the Strait of Hormuz, also condemned the attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait, as well as the Tuesday attacks on the tankers.
“Oman calls upon all parties to exercise restraint, de-escalate tensions, prioritize dialogue and diplomatic solutions, and commit to the full implementation of existing understandings, in support of ongoing efforts to consolidate peace and security in the region,” the Sultanate’s foreign ministry said.
Meanwhile, the foreign ministers of Iran and Qatar spoke by telephone and stressed the need to maintain communication and coordination to prevent a further escalation of tensions in the region, according to a statement issued by Iran’s Foreign Ministry on its Telegram channel.
Eight Iranian soldiers were killed in the attacks launched by the US overnight, according to a statement attributed to the Iranian military.
The soldiers were serving in the air force and the navy, says a statement shared by several Iranian media outlets.
It says the soldiers were stationed in Bandar Abbas and Bushehr.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump informed Congress on Wednesday of his administration’s intent to rescind Syria’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism (SST), Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.
“This is yet another historic step by President Trump to give the Syrian people a chance at greatness,” Rubio said in a statement.
The move to rescind the designation will further unlock international trade and investment, give Syria a chance to rebuild, and open up a new chapter for the Syrian people, according to the top US diplomat. ”A stable, unified Syria at peace with itself and its neighbors benefits not only the region, but the entire world,” he added.
Trump issued an executive order last summer after a trip to Saudi Arabia, directing sanctions relief for Syria. He cited positive changes and counterterrorism efforts by the government under Ahmed al-Sharaa. The Syrian president, a former militant himself who had previously been a designated terrorist by Washington, vowed to never support terrorism in the future.
Rubio on Wednesday commended the Syrian government for charting a new path. “Today marks a significant milestone in the revived US-Syria bilateral relationship and in Syria’s history as a nation.”
