The United States has launched a new round of air strikes on Iran after US President Donald Trump warned that Tehran would “pay the price” for stalled negotiations.
Iran responded with strikes targeting Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan.
The new US assault across multiple Iranian cities came as efforts to negotiate an end to the war again appeared stuck, with Iran insisting it would maintain its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, which has disrupted global energy supplies and sent oil prices higher.
The American attack appeared more intense and wider than the day before, but Iran released no information about what was hit.
Kuwait closed its airspace for several hours because of the Thursday morning attack, but did not elaborate on any damage.
Jordan did not acknowledge the attack, though the US embassy in Amman warned about it. And Bahrain sounded its missile alert sirens without mentioning possible damage there.
The third back-and-forth strikes this week have tested a two-month shaky ceasefire. The first were attacks between Iran and Israel on Sunday into Monday, followed by the two rounds of fire between America and Tehran.
Mr Trump has urged Iran to sign a deal to end the war and suggested earlier this week that an agreement could be reached in days.
But Iran has proved resilient despite weeks of heavy bombing. It is betting that its ability to effectively close the Strait of Hormuz — a crucial passageway for 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.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears intent on pursuing goals that make compromise harder: 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.
The US Central Command said its latest round of air strikes ended just before sunrise on Thursday in Iran.
The military command said the strikes came “in response to Iran’s unwarranted and continued aggression” and targeted “Iranian military surveillance capabilities, communication systems and air defence sites”.
It did not elaborate on the damage done by the strikes, which it said were carried out by the US air force, marines and navy.
Explosions from the strikes echoed around Iran’s capital, Tehran, as well as the port city of Bandar Abbas and other southern areas along the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard later said sites hit by the Americans included a manufacturing complex, a military barracks and a local Guard base outside of Tehran.
Iran responded by launching strikes on Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan for a second day.
Israel early Thursday also warned residents in the north to seek shelter after the detection of suspected incoming fire from Lebanon.
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 and made food and other basics more expensive.
The international benchmark for crude oil traded above 93 dollars a barrel on Wednesday, up more than 25% since the start of the war.
Mr Trump said the US military has since last month undertaken a “secret mission” to sneak oil shipments past Iran’s forces in the Strait of Hormuz. He said ships were slipping through at night, aided by the destruction of Iranian radar equipment.
Mr Trump said as a result more than 100 million barrels of oil have evaded Iran’s chokehold on the strait. There was no immediate confirmation of that figure, which roughly equals five days of oil shipments through the waterway before the war began.
The military’s role was not immediately clear. The US Central Command on Wednesday disputed Iran’s claims that the Strait of Hormuz is closed, saying commercial ships are continuing to transit in and out.
Wary of high fuel prices in the run-up to midterm elections in November, Mr Trump seems to be looking for a quick win. But he is also making demands that will be tough for Iran to swallow.
The US wants to see Iran give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. While Iran insists its nuclear programme is peaceful, that uranium is a short technical step from weapons-grade levels.
Iran is refusing to give up the uranium and demanding relief from sanctions. It also wants the release of frozen assets even before a final agreement is in place, something Mr Trump rejected.
Iran has insisted that any deal to end the war must also end fighting between its ally Hezbollah and Israel.
