The heat is on, U.S. strikes Iran again after Trump’s earlier warning, as tensions escalate

The U.S. military on Wednesday said it was conducting additional strikes against Iran hours after President Donald Trump warned of such an action. Tensions between the two sides have seen their biggest escalation since the signing of an interim peace deal last month.

The U.S. military on Tuesday had hit over 80 targets in Iran in retaliation for attacks on three oil tankers in and around the critical Strait of Hormuz. Iran did not publicly claim the attacks, but responded swiftly to the U.S. strikes by hitting American military targets in Kuwait and Bahrain. Trump on Wednesday said a ceasefire between the two was now “over” and that he didn’t want to deal with Iran anymore.

“The United States is holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews freely navigating a vital international waterway,” the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Wednesday.    

Speaking to reporters earlier at a summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Türkiye, Trump said: “We’re going to hit [Iran] hard tonight.” He suggested that the U.S. could “knock out more boats,” claiming that 28 vessels were struck on Tuesday night.