President Trump declared the U.S.-Iran ceasefire "over" and ordered a second consecutive night of airstrikes against Iranian military targets after Iran attacked commercial shipping vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, an escalation that sent oil prices surging and triggered air-raid sirens across three Gulf nations.
U.S. Central Command struck 90 Iranian targets overnight, including 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps small boats, an air base at Iranshahr, and military installations stretching from Bushehr to Bandar Abbas. The strikes followed a first wave late Tuesday that hit more than 80 targets, air defenses, radar sites, and anti-ship missile batteries, overseen by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The message from Washington was blunt. CENTCOM said in a statement that U.S. forces struck Iran "to further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation" in the Persian Gulf. Trump, speaking at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, left no ambiguity about what comes next.
"We're gonna hit 'em hard tonight. They violate the agreement every day."
The immediate trigger was Iran's attack on commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway through which roughly one-fifth of the world's oil supply flows. Iran used small fast-attack speedboats, explosive one-way drones, and sea mines to target civilian vessels. The Washington Examiner reported that Iran attacked three commercial shipping vessels on July 7, violating the terms of a previously signed memorandum of understanding.
An oil tanker was reported burning at the Khor al-Zubair port near Basra, Iraq, after an Iranian strike in a ship-to-ship transfer zone late Wednesday, March 11, the only absolute date referenced in the primary account. Iranian state media reported explosions across multiple southern port cities, including Chabahar, where power was knocked out, and Konarak, where approximately 10 explosions were heard.
The ceasefire deal, signed roughly a month earlier, had included the lifting of a U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ports as a key concession. Iran, for its part, asserted that the interim agreement gave it the right to manage traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a claim the United States plainly rejected by resuming strikes.
Trump posted on Truth Social alongside images of the overnight strikes:
"This is in retribution for yesterday's bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!"
The two-night operation covered a wide geographic footprint. U.S. forces hit targets in Bushehr, home to Iran's nuclear power plant complex, as well as Chabahar, Konarak, Bandar Abbas, and Sirik along the southern coast. A railway bridge in Golestan province was struck. The U.S. military confirmed on social media that strikes targeted the Iranshahr air base, used by the IRGC.
CENTCOM released footage of the strikes and issued a pointed statement: "The United States is holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews freely navigating a vital international waterway."
The Revolutionary Guard reported that two bridges had been attacked. Fires broke out at Iranian ports. The full scope of Iranian casualties remained unclear, no confirmed casualty figures appeared in any available reporting.
Iran claimed it retaliated by attacking U.S. bases in neighboring countries. Explosions were reported in Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet. Kuwait said it intercepted drones and missiles. Sirens sounded early Thursday in both Kuwait and Qatar.
The economic fallout was immediate. Brent crude oil hit $78.39 per barrel, its highest price since the previous June. All three major U.S. stock market indexes, NASDAQ, Dow Jones, and S&P 500, saw futures drop roughly a point in pre-market trading on Wednesday.
Breitbart reported that at least four tankers abandoned transit attempts through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran's attacks, including three QatarEnergy LNG ships and a fully loaded Indian supertanker carrying 2 million barrels of crude oil. Iran's drone and missile strikes severely damaged the Qatari LNG tanker Al-Rekayyat, causing a fire in its engine room. The Joint Maritime Information Center raised its threat level for transiting the strait from "substantial" to "severe."
Before the conflict, more than 125 ships transited the strait daily. That number has plummeted to just 16. Iranian officials have described the Strait of Hormuz as a "golden weapon", a source of blackmail leverage, fees, and ransoms.
The New York Post reported that Iran threatened to close the strait entirely and vowed to strike two targets for every one the United States hit. Iran claimed it struck 85 military targets in the Middle East overnight as an initial response. A source close to Tehran told Press TV that "Trump will gain nothing from these recent threats, but he will certainly lose both the Strait of Hormuz and the negotiations over a final agreement."
At the NATO summit in Ankara, Trump made clear he was prepared to go further. He threatened to reimpose the naval blockade on Iranian ports, hit Iran's civilian infrastructure, including electric plants and desalination plants, and seize Kharg Island, the oil-production hub through which approximately 90 percent of Iranian oil exports pass.
Trump told reporters that negotiations could continue but suggested they would be fruitless. "They can talk, but I think they're wasting their time," he said. In a separate exchange, he added: "Anything that happens is going to happen very fast."
Just The News reported that the U.S. Treasury also revoked Iran's oil sales license, setting a wind-down deadline of July 17, a move that caused oil prices to rise 5 percent. CENTCOM described Iran's actions as "unwarranted, dangerous, and a clear violation of the ceasefire." Peace talks had been scheduled for July 11 in Islamabad.
Trump framed the conflict in stark terms at the summit, as the Fox News live coverage documented: "We're either going to make a deal or we're going to finish the job. We can knock down their bridges in one hour, we can knock out their energy supply."
Iranian leaders struck a combative posture. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, described as a key negotiator in talks seeking a permanent end to the conflict, posted on X:
"The era of bullying and extortion is over. It leads nowhere. We don't fold."
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, also a top negotiator, responded on X that Trump's remarks "are not a sign of power but an admission of the failure" of U.S. policy toward Iran.
The rhetoric from Tehran has not been limited to diplomatic channels. At a funeral eulogy for the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a state-backed speaker called for Trump's death. Trump addressed the threat directly: "I have a threat all the time. I'm number one of their list."
The conflict has now stretched into its fifth month, far longer than the few weeks Trump initially predicted. Senate Republicans have blocked nine separate attempts to curb Trump's Iran war powers, giving the president broad latitude to prosecute the campaign as he sees fit.
The memorandum of understanding was supposed to be a path toward a permanent settlement. Critics in Congress had already raised concerns about the deal's terms. The ceasefire lifted the U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ports and, at least in Tehran's interpretation, granted Iran authority to manage traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran's decision to attack commercial shipping shredded whatever remained of that framework. Trump's response, two nights of strikes, economic sanctions, and public threats to seize Iran's oil lifeline, suggests the administration has concluded that Tehran never intended to honor the deal.
The breakdown of negotiations follows a pattern. Trump had previously accused Tehran of leaking false deal terms during earlier rounds of talks, and the broader diplomatic effort has been marked by mutual accusations and escalating provocations.
CENTCOM's closing statement Wednesday night carried its own weight: "US forces remain vigilant, lethal, and prepared to execute operations directed by the Commander in Chief."
Whether that means a third night of strikes, a reimposed blockade, or a last-ditch diplomatic effort remains an open question. What is no longer open is the ceasefire itself.
Iran gambled that it could attack civilian ships in one of the world's most important waterways and face no consequences. It is now learning otherwise.