For the second night in a row, the US military early Thursday launched what it called “self-defense strikes” against Iran, as President Donald Trump vowed even more attacks if no peace deal is secured. In response, the Islamic Republic threatened to target any ship going through the Strait of Hormuz.

The US military’s Central Command announced the strikes were complete about four hours after they began shortly after midnight in Tehran, saying in a post on X that the targets included “military surveillance capabilities, communication systems, and air defense sites across Iran.”

“The strikes are in response to Iran’s unwarranted and continued aggression,” CENTCOM said.

Iranian media reported explosions across the country’s south near the Strait of Hormuz, the same area where US forces had already bombarded air defense, radar and other sites on Tuesday. Iranian sources reported new hits by “enemy projectiles” in Qeshm, Kargan and Sirik.

The attacks were the latest development in an escalating exchange of strikes that have further strained the fragile ceasefire reached in early April to halt the US-Israel war with Iran, which began at the end of February.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in response to Thursday’s strikes that it launched attacks on US military targets at airbases in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain.

Iran’s top joint military command also warned it would fire on any vessel attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been largely closed for months. Iranian media reported that two ships were fired upon.

CENTCOM denied the strait was closed, saying commercial ships were still transiting the strait despite Iran’s threats. Trump said earlier in the day that vessels have been crossing the strait without Iran’s permission as part of a clandestine military mission.

Amid the strikes, Trump told a Fox News reporter that he spoke directly with Iranian officials who asked him to stop strikes on the country — which he said would happen shortly.

He was quoted however warning that if Iran won’t sign a proposed deal from US negotiators to open the Strait of Hormuz and ensure it cannot acquire a nuclear bomb, “We’ll the bomb shit out of them.”

Trump, who was speaking from the White House Situation Room, stressed that Israel was not involved in the strikes.

Iranian state media subsequently denied that Iranian officials were in contact with the US president, citing a senior official who said “Trump’s false claim that Iranian officials contacted him is a cover to evade war with Iran.”

Similar to Trump, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described the........

© The Times of Israel