US hits Iran in second day of renewed attacks as Trump seeks deal – nationally
The US military said on Wednesday it had launched another strike against Iran after President Donald Trump said more were coming. The escalating attacks threaten to stall efforts to end the war, with Trump warning that Tehran will “pay a price” for stalled talks.
The US Central Command in a post on social media said the military attacked “multiple targets in Iran,” an attack “in response to Iran’s unnecessary and ongoing violence.”
The second day of US strikes came hours after Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan – all US military bases – were attacked by the Iranians. It was the third consecutive strike this week to test the two-month ceasefire. They also arrived a day after the US attacked Iran following the crash of a military helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz that Trump blamed on the Islamic Republic.
Trump has urged Iran to sign the ceasefire agreement and suggested earlier this week that a deal could be reached within days.
Iranian media reported that explosions were heard in Bandar Abbas, Sirik and Minab in the south of the country.
Iran has shown resilience despite weeks of bombing. It is betting that its ability to effectively close the Strait of Hormuz – a key route for oil and natural gas – gives it strong bargaining power.
Iran’s United Nations ambassador said the US must avoid threats of force if it wants a deal.
“Iran has never negotiated under threats and pressure and will never submit to pressure or questions,” Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani told the UN Security Council on Wednesday.
Still, both countries seem to be looking for a way to end the conflict – if they can sell it as a victory at home.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears intent on pursuing goals that make compromise difficult: the fall of Iran’s theocratic government, the dismantling of its nuclear program, and the destruction of the Iran-allied terrorist group Hezbollah in Lebanon. On Monday, Iran and Israel reconciled.
Trump says the US is stealing oil through the Strait of Hormuz
Since the US and Israel started the war with the attack on Feb. 28 in Iran, the conflict has shaken the world economy, raised global energy prices, and made food and other basic goods more expensive.
The international benchmark for crude oil traded above $93 a barrel on Wednesday, up more than 25% since the war began.
Trump said on Wednesday that the US military has been conducting a “covert operation” since last month to smuggle oil shipments past Iranian forces in the Strait of Hormuz. He said the ships were sailing at night, aided by the destruction of Iran’s radar equipment.
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Trump said that because of this more than 100 million barrels of oil have avoided Iran’s hold on the road. There was no immediate confirmation of that amount, which is roughly equivalent to five days of oil shipments by waterway before the war began.
The role of the military was not clear. Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for Central Command, said the US military was “contacting and coordinating” with commercial vessels in the area, but did not provide details about the military support being provided.
US and Iranian strikes shake the Mideast
Earlier on Wednesday, the US military said a US aircraft fired “precision weapons” into the engine room of the Palau flagship M/T Settebello as it attempted to breach a naval embargo on Iranian oil shipments. It was the eighth merchant vessel disabled by US forces in waters off Iran.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs said three Indian sailors were missing after the Settebello was hit, while another 21 were rescued. Its statement did not mention US troops or the blockade.
Hawkins of the US Central Command said that the US military warned the crew before firing on the ship.
The US military said the strikes earlier on Wednesday were aimed at “air defense, ground control stations, and radar surveillance sites.”
Iran said US strikes hit two water reservoirs in the southern city of Sirik, temporarily cutting off water to thousands of people. US Central Command did not immediately comment.
Tehran later said it was attacking Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan.
Jordan said it shot down five missiles, and Iran said it targeted an air base that hosts US military aircraft.
Bahrain and Kuwait said they stopped the incoming fire.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the US attack as an affront to Iran’s sovereignty. The spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Esmail Baghaei, said in a televised statement that, following the new attack, Iran will review its position through negotiations to end the war.
Efforts to mediate an agreement continued. After talks with the US, a delegation from Qatar arrived in Tehran for talks on Wednesday, according to an official with knowledge of the visit who asked not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the talks.
The exchange of fire took place a day after a US military attack helicopter crashed near the Strait of Hormuz. The helicopter collided with an Iranian drone, according to a US official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation. It was not clear whether the collision was intentional.
A helicopter boat rescued two helicopter crew members. Trump said there were no injuries.
Serious disagreements are at odds with a quick peace deal
Wary of high gas prices in the run-up to congressional elections in November, Trump appears to be looking for a quick win. But he is also making demands that will be difficult for Iran to swallow.
The US wants to see Iran abandon its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. Although Iran maintains that its nuclear program is peaceful, that uranium is a short technological step from weapons-grade levels.
Iran refuses to give up uranium and wants relief from sanctions. It also wants the release of frozen assets even before a final deal is in place, something Trump has rejected.
It is not clear how that difference can be resolved. In a Truth Social post on Wednesday, Trump said Iran was taking “too long to negotiate a deal” and “now they’re going to have to pay the price!!!”
Iran has insisted that any ceasefire deal must end hostilities between its ally Hezbollah and Israel. Israel has instead stepped up its military campaign against the Lebanon-based militant group.
An airstrike in a village east of Tire killed at least six people, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported. It said two others were killed in a strike by Israeli forces that attacked a vehicle south of the city of Sidon.
Price was reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Konstantin Toropin and Will Weissert in Washington; Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations; Natalie Melzer in Nahariya, Israel; David Rising in Bangkok; Bassem Mroue in Beirut; Michelle L. Price in New York; Russ Bynum in Savannah, Georgia, and Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City contributed to this report.
