The US military, on orders from US President Donald Trump, has launched new attacks on multiple targets in Iran, according to its own statements. "The strikes are in response to Iran's unwarranted and continued aggression," the US Central Command (Centcom) responsible for the Middle East announced on platform X.
The latest measures began on Wednesday evening at 5:15 p.m. US Eastern Time (11:15 p.m. German time). Centcom described them as "self-defense strikes." Shortly before, Trump had announced further attacks for "today."
Iranian state media reported explosions on the southern coast. According to the news agency Irna and the broadcaster, explosions were observed near the cities of Minab and Sirik. Last night, the US military conducted attacks in Sirik on the Gulf of Oman.
There were also reports of explosions on Qeshm Island and the port city of Bandar Abbas. From other parts of the country, there were unconfirmed reports of air defense activity.
U.S. Central Command forces began launching additional self-defense strikes today at 5:15 p.m. ET against multiple targets in Iran at the Commander in Chief’s direction. The strikes are in response to Iran’s unwarranted and continued aggression. — U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) June 10, 2026
After Trump, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also threatened Iran with impending new attacks. In light of the ceasefire, Hegseth said the announced attacks were not about restarting the war. Instead, they were intended to set the conditions for an agreement.
The Iranian military has completely blocked the Strait of Hormuz in response to the latest US attacks on targets in the south of the country, according to its own statements. Any ship attempting to pass through the strait would be attacked, according to a statement from the military leadership broadcast by state radio.
Attacks also in recent days
In recent days, mutual shelling has occurred despite a ceasefire. On Sunday, Iran's armed forces fired rockets at Israel for the first time in over two months since the ceasefire began. Israel then attacked targets in Iran. Trump called on both states to immediately cease fire, whereupon both sides declared they would stop their attacks.
On Tuesday night, the US military bombed air defense systems, ground control stations, and radar installations in Iran in response to the downing of an Apache attack helicopter, according to its own statements. Trump had previously blamed Iran for the crash and announced retaliation – more on that here. According to Iranian reports, the bombings also destroyed civilian infrastructure, including two water reservoirs.
Iran's president sharply criticized the attacks. "A country's infrastructure is the lifeline of its people," Masoud Pezeshkian wrote on X. "Anyone who threatens attacks on transport networks, power supply, or the water industry demonstrates not strength, but only desperation."
Fears of new regional escalation
Iran then attacked US bases in the Gulf region and Jordan, including with ballistic missiles, according to media reports. Kuwait's air defense was reportedly deployed. Sirens also sounded again in Bahrain. The Gulf states have already come under fire several times during the Iran war, including their metropolises and energy facilities. Read here why Iran can still attack with rockets.
The USA and Israel began their war against Iran at the end of February. Recently, military tensions and mutual attacks have again fueled fears of a new regional escalation. For weeks, the warring parties have been negotiating a permanent end to the conflict, so far without a breakthrough. Only on Wednesday, a delegation from Qatar arrived in Tehran, according to Iranian reports, to mediate in the war. Find out more about why the Iran deal is not progressing here.
Trump had threatened Iran with annihilation and attacks on power plants and civilian infrastructure shortly before the ceasefire agreement in early April. "An entire civilization will go down tonight, never to return," the US president even warned. About 90 minutes before a deadline expired, he then announced a ceasefire. The background was the dispute over the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump: "Secret mission" in the Strait of Hormuz
The US military, according to the US president, supported oil tankers and other commercial ships in a "secret mission" to traverse the Strait of Hormuz. He ordered this last month, Trump wrote on his platform Truth Social, without providing further details about the support.
"Today I am pleased to announce that these efforts have resulted in more than 100 MILLION barrels of oil crossing the strait and reaching the free market." According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), an average of 20 million barrels of crude oil and oil products were transported through the strait daily last year.
Trump further wrote that more than 200 commercial ships had safely traversed the strait. There was initially no independent confirmation of his statements. Earlier, the US president had already spoken vaguely about the US action before reporters at the White House and said he was now talking about it because Iran had found out.
Ships reportedly turned off transponders
The New York Times had reported about a week and a half ago, citing US officials, that US forces had helped coordinate the passage of dozens of commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz. The report mentioned about 70 ships in the three weeks prior. Most ships had turned off their transponders to avoid detection during passage, the newspaper quoted US officials.
hda/dpa
