The US launched airstrikes against Iran, and US President Donald Trump said more were on the way, as Tehran fired back at countries in the region.
The escalating attacks threatened to derail efforts to end the war, with Trump warning that Tehran would “pay the price” for stalled peace negotiations.
Mr Trump’s warning came hours after Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan — all of which host US troops — came under Iranian fire.
We’re going to hit them (Iran) again hard today… We were really close to a deal but they keep tapping us along
It was the second time this week that back-and-forth strikes have tested a two-month ceasefire.
On Monday, Iran and Israel targeted each other.
“We’re going to hit them again hard today,” Mr Trump told reporters at the White House.
He would not say if he planned to follow through on threats he made earlier in the war to attack bridges and utility plants in Iran.
He urged Iran to sign a deal with the US.
“We were really close to a deal but they keep tapping us along,” Mr Trump said.
Mr Trump’s comments underlined the American leader’s whipsaw approach to the war.
He suggested on Monday that a deal to end the conflict could be reached in a matter of days.
Iran, meanwhile, has proved resilient despite having faced weeks of heavy bombing.
It is betting that its ability to effectively close the Strait of Hormuz — a crucial passageway for the world’s oil and natural gas — gives it a strong bargaining chip.
Still, both countries seem to be looking for a way to end the conflict — if they can manage to sell it as a win at home.
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears intent on pursuing much more difficult goals: the collapse of Iran’s theocratic government, the elimination of its nuclear programme, and the destruction of the Iranian-allied Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon, which will make compromise much harder.
Since the US and Israel started the war with attacks on Iran on February 28, the conflict has shaken the global economy, driven up energy prices around the world, and made food and other basics more expensive.
The international benchmark for crude oil traded above 92 dollars a barrel on Wednesday, up more than 25% since the start of the war.
In the latest strikes, US fighter jets targeted “air defence, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites”, the military’s Central Command said.
Iran acknowledged strikes around Bandar Abbas and Qeshm Island, but gave no details on damage.
Iran’s top diplomat vowed that there would be a response, and Tehran later claimed attacks in Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan.
Jordan said it shot down five incoming missiles, which Iran said targeted the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base.
The base has hosted American F-35 fighter jets and other aircraft.
Jordan’s state-run Petra news agency reported there were no injuries.
Bahrain and Kuwait said they intercepted incoming fire, without elaborating.
An Israeli military official said on Wednesday that an airbase in northern Israel was hit on Sunday by an Iranian missile during an exchange of fire.
The missile damaged a “non-critical area” of Ramat David airbase and no one was injured, said the official, who spoke anonymously in accordance with military guidelines.
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the American attacks as a violation of Iranian sovereignty in calls with his counterparts from Turkey and Saudi Arabia “and emphasised the inherent right of self-defence, including reciprocal action”, according to a post on his office’s Telegram channel.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said in televised comments on Wednesday that, following the new attacks, Iran would review its stance on negotiations to end the war.
Efforts to mediate a deal continued.
Following consultations with the US, a delegation from Qatar arrived in Tehran for talks on Wednesday, according to an official with knowledge of the visit who requested anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the talks.
The exchanges of fire came a day after a US Army attack helicopter crashed near the Strait of Hormuz after colliding with an Iranian drone, according to a US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.
It was not clear whether the collision was intentional.
A drone boat rescued both of the helicopter’s crew, and Mr Trump said they were uninjured.
