US strikes Iran again as Tehran warns of 'existential war' with America

CAIRO/DUBAI — The United States launched strikes on Iran's coastal defense systems and missile sites on Wednesday after reimposing a naval blockade of Iranian ports, further escalating tensions between the two countries. In response, Iran threatened to disrupt additional regional energy exports, describing the conflict as an "existential war" with the United States.

The latest escalation comes just days after a fragile ceasefire collapsed, fueling concerns over a wider regional conflict. However, analysts believe a return to full-scale war remains unlikely.

Hostilities intensified after Iran announced late Saturday that it had closed the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important shipping lanes. Military activity in the area has also disrupted commercial vessel traffic through the strategic waterway, which previously handled about one-fifth of global oil and natural gas shipments. Brent crude, the international oil benchmark, closed at a one-month high of $84.95 per barrel on Wednesday.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces began attacking Iranian coastal defense systems and cruise missile storage and launch facilities on Greater Tunb Island at approximately 6 a.m. EDT (1000 GMT). The operation lasted about 90 minutes before a second wave of strikes was launched later in the day.

According to CENTCOM, the attacks targeted Iranian military capabilities used to threaten commercial vessels navigating the Strait of Hormuz, an international waterway critical to global trade.

Three U.S. officials told Reuters the strikes are intended to help reopen the strait while also degrading Iranian military assets that could interfere with future operations.

The U.S. military also said it disabled an empty oil tanker heading toward Iran's Kharg Island after the vessel ignored repeated warnings. Hellfire missiles were fired into the ship's smokestack, rendering it inoperable. Since resuming its naval blockade on Tuesday, the U.S. said it has redirected two vessels and disabled another.

Iranian media reported that several locations came under attack, including areas near Ahvaz, Bandar Abbas, Konarak, Sirik, and Qeshm. No casualties were immediately reported in those areas.

However, Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported that a U.S. strike landed near a hospital in Ahvaz that includes a pediatric cancer center, prompting a temporary evacuation. The report said families gathered outside the hospital while patients were moved to safety.

Following the initial strikes, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said Iran's security depended on maintaining what he described as Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz.

"We are in an essential and existential war with America," Qalibaf said.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps later announced it had launched attacks on U.S. military targets in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan.

Kuwait said its armed forces intercepted four missiles and 21 drones fired from Iran. Officials reported property damage but no injuries.

A spokesperson for Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned that the conflict would continue, saying Iran's current operations are focused on targeting U.S. military infrastructure across the region.

The conflict has killed thousands of people and displaced millions, primarily in Iran and Lebanon, where fighting has resumed between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group. Iranian media reported that U.S. attacks in July alone have killed at least 35 people, citing a Health Ministry official.

Trump Says Iran Wants a Deal

U.S. President Donald Trump said he believes Iran is seeking to negotiate an end to the conflict.

Speaking during the Pennsylvania Defense and Innovation Summit, Trump said Iran "wants to settle so badly" and suggested the United States would decide whether to pursue an agreement or continue military operations.

On Tuesday, Trump said U.S. negotiators had warned Iranian officials to reach a deal.

An Iranian military spokesperson said the Strait of Hormuz would only reopen if the United States complied with a 14-point memorandum of understanding signed by both countries in June and recognized Iran's regulations governing ship traffic through the waterway.

Despite the escalating conflict, Trump said Iran had released an American citizen who had been detained since 2024.

"The United States of America appreciates this gesture of goodwill by Iran," Trump wrote on Truth Social. -Additional reporting by Jarrett Renshaw in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and Muhammad Al Gebaly and Hatem Maher in Cairo; Writing by Aidan Lewis, William Maclean, David Brunnstrom and Daniel Trotta; Editing by Ros Russell, Sanjeev Miglani, David Gaffen and Lincoln Feast./Reuters