The United States and Iran exchanged military strikes for a second consecutive day on Thursday, pushing the Middle East closer to a full-scale war. The American attacks, which continued into Thursday morning in Iran, appeared more intense and widespread than the previous day, though Tehran released limited information on the damage.
An Indian official reported that a U.S. strike on an oil tanker allegedly attempting to violate Washington's blockade on Iranian ports killed three Indian mariners, highlighting the dangers faced by seafarers.
This marks the third time this week that back-and-forth strikes have shaken the region, following earlier attacks between Iran and Israel and two rounds of fire between the U.S. and Iran that impacted countries hosting American bases.
The renewed exchanges came as diplomatic efforts to end the war appeared stalled, with U.S. President Donald Trump warning that Tehran would "pay the price" for the lack of progress in negotiations.
Iran's Foreign Ministry stated on Thursday that the U.S. attacks had "effectively rendered the ceasefire meaningless," without explicitly abandoning it.
A central issue in the negotiations is Iran's control over the Strait of Hormuz, which has disrupted global energy supplies, driven up fuel prices, and increased the cost of food and other essentials worldwide. Iran announced on Thursday that the strait was closed, but it remained unclear what that meant, as traffic through the waterway has been severely restricted since early in the war, with only a few ships getting through.
The U.S. military's Central Command disputed the claim, and Trump said on Wednesday that the U.S.
had undertaken a secret mission in recent weeks to sneak ships through the passage.
The two sides also remain at odds over Iran's nuclear program, which Tehran insists is peaceful but which the U.S. and Israel fear could be used to build an atomic weapon due to its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
The U.S. and Israel stated that a major reason they went to war on February 28 was to prevent Iran from achieving that capability.
Central Command said its latest airstrikes were in response to Iran's "unwarranted and continued aggression" and targeted Iranian military surveillance capabilities, communication systems, and air defense sites. Explosions were heard in Tehran, Bandar Abbas, and other southern areas along the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard reported that the strikes hit a manufacturing complex, a military barracks, and a local Guard base outside Tehran. Iran retaliated by firing at Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan, as it had the previous day.
Kuwait closed its airspace for several hours, while Jordan intercepted 20 Iranian missiles aimed at an area housing a base with U.S. troops, with no injuries reported.
Bahrain's Interior Ministry said an 11-year-old girl was injured and cars and homes were damaged by debris from interceptions.
Meanwhile, Israel warned residents in the north to seek shelter after detecting suspected incoming fire from Lebanon, where Israel is fighting the Iran-allied Hezbollah militant group. Trump claimed on Wednesday that the U.S.
military had been sneaking oil shipments past Iran's forces in the strait since last month, aided by the destruction of Iranian radar equipment, and that more than 100 million barrels of oil had evaded Iran's chokehold. This figure, which equals roughly five days of oil shipments through the waterway before the war, could not be independently confirmed.
The seas remain dangerous for mariners, as evidenced by the attack on the tanker Settebello, which the U.S. military accused of violating the blockade by attempting to transport oil from Iran.
American forces fired into the ship's engine room to stop it on Wednesday, killing three Indian crew members. India's foreign ministry summoned a senior U.S.
diplomat to express its "deepest concerns" and formally protest the strike. Another tanker near the Settebello experienced a fire in its engine room on Thursday, though the cause was unclear.
Trump suggested earlier this week that an agreement with Iran could be close, but the exchanges of fire have cast doubt on that possibility. Major differences remain: the U.S.
wants Iran to give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, while Iran refuses and demands relief from sanctions, including the release of frozen assets before a final agreement. Iran insists that any deal to end the war must also end fighting between its ally Hezbollah and Israel, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears determined to destroy the militant group.
A Qatari diplomatic delegation, negotiating in coordination with the U.S., left Tehran on Thursday morning after holding talks. Pakistan expressed deep concern over the rising tensions and urged both Iran and the U.S.
to adhere to the ceasefire.