The United States launched a second consecutive day of strikes against Iran this Wednesday, as negotiations to end a more than three-month-old war remain stalled and oil prices climb again.
The United States Central Command (Centcom) reported that U.S. forces initiated “additional self-defense strikes” at 5:15 p.m. Washington time —12:45 a.m. Thursday in Tehran— against multiple targets in Iranian territory. The military body described the action as a response to Tehran’s “unjustified and ongoing aggression.”
Iranian media reported explosions in the south of the country, near the Strait of Hormuz, the same area bombed on Tuesday. Iranian sources confirmed impacts in the towns of Qeshm, Kargan, and Sirik, where anti-aircraft defenses were also activated.
Tuesday’s attacks had been launched in retaliation for the downing of a US Apache helicopter near the strategic strait on Monday. Iran then responded with missiles and drones against US bases in Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain; a US official noted that the damage was minimal.
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Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth suggested that the bombings could extend to a third night. “We will hit them hard tonight, and we hope Iran makes a good decision,” he declared during a visit to Centcom in Florida, and added: “If we need to negotiate with bombs, we will negotiate with bombs.” Hegseth specified that the attacks seek to “advance military interests and strengthen the diplomatic position” of the country.
For his part, President Donald Trump was direct with the press at the White House: “We hit them hard yesterday. We are going to hit them hard today.” The president accused the Iranian negotiators of “wasting our time” and stated that the talks were close to producing an agreement.
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Iran accused the United States of having attacked reservoirs that supply drinking water to ten villages in previous offensives. The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghei, described the action as a “calculated war crime and a flagrant violation of human rights.” The Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The head of the Iranian parliament’s national security committee, Ebrahim Azizi, warned that “the war will not be limited to the region.” Before the new attacks began, the semi-official agency Tasnim cited an Iranian military source who asserted that the country’s forces were “fully prepared” for further offensives and in a position to strike additional U.S. targets.
The conflict, which began at the end of February with massive US and Israeli attacks on Iran, has disrupted approximately one-fifth of the global oil and natural gas supply. The price of a barrel of West Texas Intermediate rose by up to 2.6%, reaching USD 92.39, after having closed the previous session with an increase of more than 2%.
Despite the bellicose rhetoric, diplomatic channels were not completely closed. A delegation from Qatar, acting as a mediator between Washington and Tehran, landed in the Iranian capital this Wednesday to address the latest developments in the peace process, according to Iranian media reports. A White House official confirmed that talks are continuing, although they warned that the United States will maintain “maximum pressure” until a pact is reached.
In parallel, the conflict between Israel and the Lebanese militia Hezbollah remains active. Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon killed at least 13 people this Wednesday, according to Lebanese security sources, while Hezbollah claimed new actions against Israeli forces. Among the conditions that Iran demands for negotiations are the cessation of Israeli attacks in Lebanon, the lifting of sanctions, the release of billions of dollars in frozen assets, and the recognition of its control over the strait.
