The United States and Iran are back at war — again.

Just after midnight in Tehran on Wednesday, the US military struck multiple targets across Iran, including military surveillance systems, communication networks, and air defense sites. Central Command said the strikes were retaliation for "Iran's unwarranted and continued aggression."

Hours later, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired back, hitting 18 US military targets at airbases in Kuwait and Bahrain. Bahrain's interior ministry confirmed sirens went off. Iran's top joint military command also warned it would fire on any vessel trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been largely closed for months. Iranian media reported two ships were hit.

The attacks shatter a fragile ceasefire that had held since early April. Both sides have traded fire several times since then, even as negotiators tried — and failed — to end the war now in its fourth month.

President Donald Trump told Fox News reporter Trey Yingst on Wednesday evening that the strikes would stop soon — but only if Iran's leaders sign an agreement immediately. Otherwise, he said, "I would bomb the shit out of them."

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth presented the bombing as a way to force Iran to the negotiating table. "We will strike them hard tonight, and hopefully Iran makes a good decision," Hegseth told reporters at Central Command in Florida. "If we need to negotiate with bombs, we'll negotiate with bombs."

Iranian news agencies reported explosions in several cities: Sirik, Kargan, Bandar Abbas, Minab, Varamin, and Karaj. Iran accused the US of striking reservoirs that supplied drinking water to 10 villages, calling it a "calculated war crime." Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghei said, "This isn't collateral damage — it's a calculated war crime and a flagrant violation of human rights." The Pentagon hasn't responded.

Trump has previously threatened to destroy Iran's civilian infrastructure, including power plants and bridges. He didn't say whether these latest strikes hit those targets.

The war has killed thousands and disrupted roughly one-fifth of the world's oil and natural gas supply, sending prices sharply higher. Oil jumped nearly $3 after Trump's threat and extended gains in early Asian trade on Thursday.

Trump also claimed a secret military mission: that vessels carrying 100 million barrels of oil have slipped through the Strait of Hormuz without Iran's permission. Hegseth said ships have been transiting "in the middle of the night, protected by the United States in a way that Iran can't stop, they can't see it." Separately, the US military said it disabled an oil tanker carrying Iranian crude in the Gulf of Oman on Tuesday for a second straight day.

Despite the fighting, diplomacy continues. A delegation from Qatar, which has been mediating between the US and Iran, landed in Tehran on Wednesday for talks.

The conflict has become a political headache for the White House. Polls show Trump's approval ratings sinking as voters fume over high gasoline prices. Some Republicans worry the war could cost them control of Congress in November's midterm elections.

  • US strikes hit military surveillance, communication systems, and air defense sites across Iran
  • Iran retaliated by attacking 18 US targets at bases in Kuwait and Bahrain
  • Iran warned it would fire on any vessel in the Strait of Hormuz; two ships were reportedly hit
  • The war has disrupted roughly 20% of global oil and natural gas supply
  • Oil prices rose nearly $3 after Trump's threat of escalation
  • Qatar sent a delegation to Tehran for mediation talks