The United States launched fresh airstrikes on Iran early Thursday, prompting Tehran to target US-allied countries in the Middle East as the exchange of fire threatened an interim agreement aimed at ending the war.
The latest round of attacks, which followed similar strikes a day earlier, further endangered the ceasefire. Thursday's strikes appeared more extensive, with air raid sirens sounding at least three times in Bahrain, home to the US Navy's 5th Fleet headquarters. Missiles were also directed at Kuwait and Qatar.
Sirens also rang out in Jordan, where the US has deployed troops and aircraft.
An Iranian official later accused the US of carrying out an airstrike near Iran's only nuclear power plant. Several explosions were reported in other parts of the country during the afternoon.
The strikes came after US President Donald Trump said Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz had ended the fragile ceasefire and warned of further escalation if such actions continued.
The developments raised fears that the region could return to a wider conflict involving several countries and disrupt energy shipments through the strategic strait, affecting the global economy.
Iran reports casualties as US targets military sites
Iran's Health Ministry said Thursday that two days of US airstrikes had killed at least 14 people and injured 78 others, most of them reportedly members of the armed forces.
Kuwait's military said one person was wounded by falling debris after it intercepted three ballistic missiles, one cruise missile and 10 drones. Bahrain said it had destroyed incoming threats but did not provide details. Qatar reported no immediate damage.
The US military's Central Command said it struck about 90 targets across Iran, releasing black-and-white footage that appeared to show attacks on an airport runway and missile launch sites.
Washington said the strikes were aimed at further reducing Iran's ability "to threaten freedom of navigation" in the Strait of Hormuz, a key route through which a fifth of the world's traded oil and natural gas passed before the war began with US and Israeli attacks on February 28.
The conflict has severely disrupted shipping through the waterway, driving up oil prices and increasing costs of essential goods, including food, beyond the region.
Iranian state media reported explosions in several locations, including Bushehr, where the country's nuclear power plant complex is located, and southern port cities.
Strikes near nuclear plant, bridges raise tensions
In Iran's southwestern Khuzestan province, at least three people were killed on Thursday, according to state media. Authorities in Iranshahr said a strike at an airport killed a firefighter. The deaths followed the killing of at least nine members of Iran's armed forces in Wednesday's attacks, state media reported. It remained unclear when another reported death occurred and who was killed.
For the first time since April, US strikes also appeared to target Iranian bridges. State media reported an attack on a railway bridge in northeastern Golestan province, while the Revolutionary Guard said two bridges on the route to Mashhad were hit. Officials are scheduled to bury late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Mashhad on Thursday.
The state-run IRNA news agency quoted Ehsan Jahanian, a local official in Bushehr, as alleging that the US struck near Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant. He said the attack took place around noon, hours after the US military's Central Command said it had completed its strikes on Iran. Central Command did not immediately comment.
Several strikes during the war had hit areas around the plant, which is operated with the help of Russian technicians, but the facility itself was not damaged.
Trump warns of escalation as Iran's leadership remains divided
After leaving a NATO summit in Turkiye, Trump posted videos on his social media platform showing what he described as explosions in Iran and issued another warning to Tehran.
"This is in retribution for yesterday's bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!" Trump wrote.
Trump earlier said the renewed fighting would not lead to "long-term" military action.
"Anything that happens is going to happen very fast," Trump said.
He also repeated threats to target Iran's civilian infrastructure, including electricity and desalination facilities, and seize Kharg Island, a major hub through which about 90% of Iran's oil exports pass.
The latest escalation followed Iran's attack on three tankers in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday.
The attacks, despite the ceasefire, appeared to highlight differences within Iran's leadership. Hard-liners are seeking lasting control over the waterway, which is a crucial route for global fuel supplies and a key point of pressure against the West.
Pragmatists are pushing for a permanent peace agreement that would remove international sanctions and provide economic relief.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, a key negotiator in talks for a permanent end to the war, said in a post on X on Thursday morning: “America still hasn't learned that bullying and breaking promises are no longer cost-free. Let me put it plainly: If you strike, you'll get hit.”
Trump had intensified concerns about a possible resumption of the war after saying on Wednesday that the interim agreement to halt fighting was "over". He said talks could continue but questioned whether they would succeed.
"They can talk, but I think they're wasting their time," he said.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, another key negotiator, responded on X, saying Trump's comments "are not a sign of power but an admission of the failure" of US policy towards Iran.
Negotiations on a final agreement were scheduled to begin after the funeral of Khamenei, who was killed in the opening phase of the war. The funeral, concluding Thursday, was intended to serve as a period of reduced tensions.
The talks are expected to address key issues, including reopening the Strait of Hormuz and reversing Tehran's disputed nuclear programme.
