U.S. strikes Iranian targets as Tehran attacks Gulf states

The United States carried out another round of airstrikes across Iran early Thursday, and Iran responded with attacks involving Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, The Associated Press reported. The exchange put new strain on an interim agreement aimed at ending the Persian Gulf war and threatened shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

U.S. Central Command said American forces hit about 90 targets in Iran. The command released black-and-white video that AP said appeared to show strikes on an airport runway and missile launchers.

Central Command said U.S. forces were ready to carry out further orders from President Donald Trump. U.S. officials said the strikes were meant to reduce Iran’s ability to threaten navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that carried about one-fifth of the world’s traded oil and natural gas before the war began, according to AP.

Iran reports explosions and deaths

Iranian state media reported blasts in several areas, including Bushehr, where Iran’s nuclear power plant complex is located, and the southern port cities of Chabahar, Konarak, Bandar Abbas and Sirik. State media also reported strikes in Khuzestan province, where at least three people were killed.

Authorities in Iranshahr said one firefighter died in a strike at an airport, AP reported. Those deaths followed at least nine fatalities in U.S. strikes on Wednesday, according to Iranian reports cited by AP.

Iranian state media also reported a strike on a railway bridge in northeastern Golestan province. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said two bridges had been hit on the route to Mashhad, where officials planned to bury the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday, though AP said it was not clear whether the reports referred to the same attack.

Gulf states face incoming fire

Sirens sounded at least twice in Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet headquarters, AP reported. Kuwait’s military said it was intercepting incoming drones and missiles, while Iran’s Revolutionary Guard claimed attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait.

There was no immediate report of damage in Bahrain, Kuwait or Qatar, according to AP. The new exchange followed U.S. strikes Wednesday after Iran targeted several merchant vessels off Oman, which also prompted Iranian fire at the time.

Trump says ceasefire is over

The latest strikes came after Trump said Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz had ended the ceasefire. After leaving a NATO summit in Turkey, Trump posted videos on social media that he said showed explosions in Iran and warned Tehran against further attacks on shipping.

“This is in retribution for yesterday's bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!” Trump wrote.

Trump also told reporters the fighting would not become a “long-term” military action, according to AP. He said any further action would happen quickly and suggested the U.S. military might “just finish the job.”

Trump renewed threats to strike Iranian civilian infrastructure, including electric plants and desalination facilities, and to seize Kharg Island, AP reported. About 90% of Iranian oil exports pass through the island, according to AP.

Negotiations remain uncertain

Iran says the interim ceasefire gives it authority to manage traffic through the strait. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, described by AP as a key negotiator in talks on a permanent settlement, wrote on X that the United States would be hit if it struck Iran.

Trump said the ceasefire was “over,” but also said U.S. representatives could continue talks. “They can talk, but I think they're wasting their time,” he said, according to AP.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, another senior negotiator, wrote on X that Trump’s remarks showed the failure of U.S. policy toward Iran, AP reported. Talks on a final deal were expected after Khamenei’s funeral, with the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s disputed nuclear program among the main issues.

This story draws on original reporting from NPR.