US Launches Fresh Strikes on Iran; Strait of Hormuz Declared Closed

The United States has launched a new military strike against Iran, hours after President Donald Trump announced the strikes. Trump accused Iran of "taking too much time" in negotiating a possible deal to end the war, and the United States would take tougher action against them.

The US Central Command (Centcom) said in a statement on Wednesday that it had launched “additional defensive strikes” on multiple targets inside Iran. Centcom said the strikes were in response to Iran’s “unprovoked and continued aggression.”

Iran’s top military authorities have declared the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway in the south of the country, closed after the new attacks. “The Strait of Hormuz is completely closed to all types of ships, even commercial vessels,” the statement said.

Iran has also warned that any ship attempting to pass through the strait will be targeted.

Before the attack, Trump said, “We hit them hard yesterday and we will hit them hard again today.”

On his social media account, Truth Social, Trump wrote that Iranian leaders were “taking too much time” to reach a deal. However, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said that the US position was detrimental to diplomatic efforts.

On the other hand, Iranian President Masoud Peshmerga said, “Iran will stand firm against any pressure or threat.”

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also said that important Iranian installations would be bombed. In his words, “Iran was given an opportunity to negotiate, but they did not use that opportunity.”

It is worth noting that the United States and Iran agreed to a ceasefire last April, which was initially supposed to be effective for two weeks. However, isolated attacks and counterattacks between the two sides continued. The conflict has intensified as recent attempts to restart talks between Washington and Tehran have failed.

Source: BBC News