US, Iran Escalate Air Strikes for Second Day, Threatening Fragile Ceasefire
US and Iran traded air strikes on Thursday for a second consecutive day, with President Donald Trump vowing to resume heavy bombing unless Tehran signs a peace agreement immediately. The escalation deals a severe blow to the already fragile ceasefire agreed in April.
Trump told Fox News reporter Trey Yingst on Wednesday evening that US strikes would pause briefly, but that he would order the full resumption of bombing if Iran’s leadership refused to sign a deal at once. US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed all strikes were complete roughly four hours after they began, shortly after midnight in Tehran. The military said its operations targeted “military surveillance capabilities, communication systems, and air defense sites across Iran” in response to what it called Tehran’s continued aggression.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth framed the offensive in stark terms during a visit to CENTCOM’s Florida headquarters. “We will strike them hard tonight, and hopefully Iran makes a good decision,” he told reporters. “If we need to negotiate with bombs, we’ll negotiate with bombs.”
Iran strikes back across the region
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced counter-attacks on 18 US military targets across airbases in Kuwait and Bahrain, as well as the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, saying later that it fired 12 ballistic missiles at the al-Azraq air base in Jordan for a second consecutive night. Kuwait’s army confirmed its air defences engaged hostile aerial targets, while a media adviser to Bahrain’s king said Bahraini forces intercepted and destroyed the incoming Iranian strikes.
Additionally, Iran’s top military command warned it would fire on any vessel attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway largely closed for months. Iranian media reported two US ships came under fire, though CENTCOM denied any of its vessels were struck and said commercial shipping continued to move through the strait.
Consequently, Iranian news agencies reported explosions across several cities, including Bandar Abbas, Sirik, Karaj, and Varamin. Tehran also accused Washington of striking reservoirs supplying drinking water to ten villages. “This is not collateral damage, it is a calculated war crime and a flagrant violation of human rights,” said foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghei.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to the allegation.
The conflict, now in its fourth month, began in late February with joint US-Israeli air strikes on Iran. It has killed thousands and disrupted roughly a fifth of global crude oil and LNG supply, sending energy prices sharply higher. Trump has repeatedly suggested a deal is imminent, yet no breakthrough has emerged, and with his approval ratings falling amid voter anger over fuel prices, the war has become a growing political liability ahead of November’s midterm elections.
