US Strikes Iran as Trump Vows 'Much Worse' Bombing
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- Trump posted on social media that US bombing of Iran 'will get much worse' if Tehran continues attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz, framing the new strikes as 'retribution for yesterday's bombing of ships by Iran.'
- CENTCOM launched additional strikes aimed at degrading Iran's ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, in response to Tuesday's assault on three cargo ships transiting the waterway.
- Iran said it struck US military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait in retaliation, with Nournews — affiliated with Iran's top security body — citing a military source warning of an imminent 'massive attack' on US Army bases in the region.
- Strikes on Iran's southern coast hit the port of Bandar Abbas and the cities of Chabahar and Konarak, cutting electricity in parts of Chabahar, per Iran's state news agency.
- Trump, asked at a NATO summit in Turkey, called the June 17 memorandum of understanding 'over,' saying 'I don't want to deal with them' and labeling Iranians 'very dishonourable people,' though he added he did not expect a return to full-fledged war.
- The Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of global oil supplies pass, gives Tehran significant leverage, with analysts noting Iran uses ship attacks to build leverage in long-term negotiations with the US.
Why it matters: The June 17 MoU — the only diplomatic off-ramp in a war that began with US-Israeli airstrikes on Feb. 28 — is now declared dead by Trump, and both sides have moved from threats to direct strikes: the US hit targets in Iran, Iran hit US bases in Bahrain and Kuwait, and the fighting centers on the Strait of Hormuz through which a fifth of global oil flows. This transforms a fragile negotiating track into an active military escalation with no stated path back to talks.
