The United States launched a fresh series of airstrikes against military targets across Iran early on Thursday, while Iranian forces responded with missile and drone salvos directed at American bases in several Gulf states. The US Central Command stated that its aircraft struck approximately 90 sites, including missile launchers and airfield infrastructure, in an operation designed to further reduce Tehran’s ability to threaten maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s health ministry reported that two days of American bombardment have killed at least 14 people and wounded 78, most of them members of the armed forces.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed responsibility for the retaliatory strikes, saying it had targeted “important infrastructure and installations” at US bases in Kuwait and Jordan. Kuwait’s military confirmed it intercepted three ballistic missiles, one cruise missile and ten drones, with falling debris injuring one person. Bahrain’s interior ministry reported that air defence systems destroyed incoming projectiles, while Jordan’s armed forces said they shot down eight missiles. Qatar briefly declared a high-level security threat. The Revolutionary Guard warned that any further American “aggression” would be met with “forceful responses” against other US facilities in the Gulf.

The exchange effectively ended the interim ceasefire brokered in June. President Donald Trump declared the truce over after what Washington described as Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, an accusation Tehran denies. Iranian officials maintain that the United States violated the terms of the memorandum of understanding, which was structured around a step-by-step commitment mechanism. The six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council called on the UN Security Council to adopt a “firm stance” against Iranian strikes and to guarantee freedom of navigation through the strait, through which roughly one-fifth of globally traded oil and gas normally passes.

Diplomatic channels remain open despite the escalation. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held telephone discussions with counterparts from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Oman, as well as with Pakistan’s army chief. Trump said negotiations could still proceed but expressed scepticism about their prospects. The renewed hostilities unfolded as Iran buried Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Mashhad, following days of funeral processions that drew large crowds chanting anti-American slogans. Khamenei was killed during the opening phase of the conflict in late February. No new date for talks has been announced, and the UN Security Council is expected to discuss the situation in the coming days.