The United States military initiated fresh strikes against Iran on Wednesday evening, targeting key military infrastructure. US Central Command (Centcom) reported that the operation, which lasted 90 minutes, focused on Iranian coastal defenses as well as cruise missile storage and launch sites located on Greater Tunb Island. According to officials, the mission was intended to disable Iranian military capabilities that have been used to threaten vessels navigating the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
In addition to these strikes, the US military confirmed it had fired on a ship attempting to defy a recently reinstated blockade of Iranian ports. Since the blockade began on Tuesday evening, the US has redirected two commercial vessels, further intensifying the standoff. The ongoing hostilities have significantly disrupted maritime traffic, leading to a sharp increase in global oil prices as tanker activity through the critical shipping lane has virtually stalled.
President Donald Trump addressed the escalating situation on Wednesday, telling reporters that while he prefers not to set specific deadlines, Iranian leadership is well aware of the consequences of their actions. He emphasized that Tehran is currently unhappy and eager to settle, adding that the US will determine whether to pursue a settlement or finish the conflict entirely. These comments followed a previous threat made by the President on Tuesday, in which he warned that he would target Iranian bridges and power plants if negotiations do not resume by next week.
The threat to strike civilian infrastructure echoes a similar warning issued by Mr. Trump in April, which drew widespread international condemnation, including from UN human rights chief Volker Türk, who noted that such actions against civilian infrastructure constitute war crimes under international law.
Iranian officials remain defiant. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf stated that Iran’s national security relies on maintaining Iranian arrangements within the strait, characterizing the current conflict as an existential struggle. In response to the US blockade, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned that the United States should expect the closure of other oil and gas export routes that serve American and allied interests, though the organization did not specify which routes might be targeted.
Asked by reporters late on Wednesday whether he would give a deadline before doing so, he responded: "I don't like giving deadlines, but they pretty much know, they know the story… they better behave."
"They want to settle so badly. They don't like what we're doing," he said. "We'll find out whether we want to settle with them or if we just finish it off."
