US, Iran exchange strikes for second day amid renewed Strait of Hormuz crisis

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2026-07-09T09:18:00+05:00

Washington/ Tehran (Web Desk/Agencies): The military confrontation between the United States and Iran intensified on Thursday as both countries launched fresh attacks for the second consecutive day, further escalating tensions over the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.

US authorities said the latest strikes were carried out in retaliation for Tuesday’s attack on three commercial cargo ships passing through the narrow waterway. The operation took place shortly after US President Donald Trump said he believed the interim ceasefire with Iran had effectively come to an end.

According to the US military, the objective of the operation was to reduce Iran’s capability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz following recent attacks on merchant vessels.

“This is in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

The American operation caused explosions across several cities in southern Iran, with power outages reported in some locations. The US Central Command later announced that approximately 90 military sites had been targeted.

Tehran responded by launching another round of missile and drone attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain, where American military bases are located.

Kuwait’s Defence Ministry said its air defence systems intercepted the incoming projectiles, while Qatar briefly issued an "elevated security threat" alert before later lifting it.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said in a statement broadcast by state television IRIB that they had carried out attacks on US military bases in Bahrain and Kuwait in response to the latest American operation.

The Guards said they struck “key infrastructure and facilities” at US bases in Arifjan and Ali Al Salem in Kuwait, and Juffair and Sheikh Isa in Bahrain with missiles and drones.

They also warned their responses would expand to other bases across the region if US attacks were repeated.

The Strait of Hormuz, which carried nearly one-fifth of the world's oil supplies before the conflict erupted, remains one of the world's most important maritime trade routes. Iran’s influence over the passage has given it considerable strategic leverage in its standoff with Washington. However, Tehran has not officially accepted responsibility for the attacks on the commercial ships.

“The US has yet to learn that bullying and breaking its commitments no longer come without a cost. Let me be clear: If you strike, you will be struck back,” Iran’s top negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, wrote on X.

“The Strait of Hormuz will be reopened only under Iranian arrangements, not through US threats.”

The latest exchange of military action appeared to further diminish hopes that the memorandum of understanding (MoU), signed on June 17, could eventually become a permanent peace agreement to end the conflict that began with US-Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28.

Asked before a Nato summit in Turkey on Wednesday whether the MoU over, Trump said: “It’s a very interesting question. To me, I think it’s over. I don’t want to deal with them.”

“If we make a deal with Iran I’m not sure that will stick,” Trump later said. “I found them to be very dishonourable people.”

Despite his remarks, Trump said he did not believe the situation would escalate into another full-scale war. He also acknowledged that it remained uncertain whether talks aimed at securing a permanent agreement would continue.

Also on Wednesday, Trump said he did not think the war would restart: “Anything that happens is going to be over very quickly … and will only make it safer, including for oil.”

Iranian media reported that the latest US strikes were concentrated along the country's southern coastline, stretching from the Strait of Hormuz to the Gulf of Oman.

The attacks reportedly hit Bandar Abbas, Iran’s largest port and a major base for its navy and Revolutionary Guards overlooking the Strait of Hormuz. The coastal cities of Konarak and Chabahar, located near the Pakistani border, were also among the affected areas.

Mehr news agency reported that electricity had been restored to most parts of Chabahar after the strikes caused temporary power outages. Iranian media also said a maritime traffic control tower in the city had been damaged.

According to state media, a firefighter was killed after the airport in the southeastern city of Iranshahr came under attack. Press TV also reported that a railway bridge near the northern town of Aqqala was struck by US forces.

Before Wednesday’s latest American operation, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei accused Washington of violating the memorandum by challenging a clause that “emphasises the Islamic Republic of Iran’s responsibility in determining arrangements for the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz”.

A spokesperson for Iran’s parliamentary National Security Commission said Tehran was considering several options in response, including withdrawing from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), changing its nuclear doctrine, and closing the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait at the entrance to the Red Sea, another strategically important global shipping route.

In a letter submitted to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Wednesday, Iran’s mission to the UN accused the United States of committing a “blatant violation of the Charter of the United Nations and its international obligations” and argued that Washington’s military action had breached the memorandum of understanding agreed between the two countries.

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