War

The United States expanded its military campaign against Iran overnight, carrying out strikes around Tehran for the first time in the latest phase of the conflict while also targeting military positions along the country's southern coast and in the Strait of Hormuz. The escalation came as Washington said it had disabled an oil tanker allegedly attempting to breach its renewed naval blockade of Iranian ports.According to the US military, American forces fired Hellfire missiles into the smokestack of an unladen, Curacao-flagged oil tanker that was sailing toward Kharg Island, Iran's main oil export terminal. US officials said the vessel ignored repeated warnings before being disabled."The ship ignored multiple warnings," the US military said, adding that the action was part of efforts to enforce the blockade on Iranian ports.US Central Command said the latest operations were aimed at degrading Iran's ability to threaten international shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important energy corridors. American forces reported striking command centers, air defense systems, missile and drone capabilities, coastal surveillance facilities, and cruise missile sites, including positions on Greater Tunb Island. Additional strikes were reported in Bandar Abbas, Qeshm Island, Sirik, Chabahar, Konarak, Rask, Khondab, Khorramabad and Semnan.For the first time in this latest round of fighting, explosions were also reported around Tehran. Iranian media said air defense systems were activated across the capital, while attacks were also reported in Pakdasht, Parchin, Hamadan province and at Semnan airport. Iranian officials said no casualties were reported at the airport despite damage to part of the facility.Iranian state media also reported attacks in Ahvaz, where four locations came under fire. Authorities said a hospital was affected by the strikes, forcing the evacuation of more than 200 patients, including children receiving cancer treatment.According to Iran's Health Ministry, the latest wave of US attacks has killed at least 35 people and wounded more than 300.Iran responded by launching missiles and drones against US military assets across the region. Tehran said the attacks targeted bases and military infrastructure in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, while Bahrain activated air raid sirens and Kuwait reported intercepting hostile drones and missiles. Jordan said its military intercepted eight Iranian missiles, while the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) later claimed it had also launched ballistic missiles at the Azraq airbase.Iranian military officials said the retaliatory operations would continue, describing US military facilities across the region as legitimate targets.The latest exchanges came after the collapse of the ceasefire that had temporarily reduced hostilities. Fighting intensified after Iran announced it was closing the Strait of Hormuz, prompting the United States to reimpose its naval blockade. The IRGC warned that if Iran's energy exports were blocked, no country in the region should expect to export energy either."Regional energy exports are either shared by all or denied to all," the IRGC said.The renewed confrontation has continued to affect global energy markets. Brent crude traded above $85 per barrel, more than 15% higher than before the conflict, although still below the nearly $120 reached during the peak of earlier fighting. Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has also slowed significantly, with reports indicating that commercial traffic has nearly come to a standstill.President Donald Trump said Iran would be "defeated soon" and again urged Tehran to reach an agreement, saying US officials had warned Iranian negotiators that they "better make a deal." Trump also suggested the United States could broaden its military campaign to force the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, including possible strikes on the fortified underground facility known as "Pickaxe Mountain," which Washington links to Iran's nuclear program.At the same time, Trump pointed to what he described as a positive diplomatic gesture after Iran allowed an American citizen detained since late 2024 to leave the country."The United States of America appreciates this gesture of goodwill by Iran," Trump wrote.Human rights attorney Jared Genser identified the released American as Dena Karari, saying she had been prevented from leaving Iran since December 2024 and was now safely returning to the United States.Despite the prisoner release, Iranian officials warned that the memorandum of understanding signed weeks earlier to end the war and restart negotiations over Iran's nuclear program was rapidly losing relevance because of the renewed US attacks."If Iran is not to derive any benefit from the memorandum of understanding, we have no reason to adhere," Iranian negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said, adding that Iran's security depended on maintaining what he called Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz and describing the current conflict as an "essential and existential war with America."