Dubai: The US military announced on Wednesday that it was conducting a 12th consecutive night of strikes against Iran as both sides increasingly targeted civilian infrastructure. US Central Command said the attacks were designed to "further degrade Iran's ability to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting regional waters," as Washington seeks to regain control over the Strait of Hormuz and restore the flow of international shipping.
President Donald Trump warned that the US would destroy one bridge or power plant every time Iran attacks a ship in the strait.
"From this point forward, any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, whether it be by missile, rocket, drone, or any other device or weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT," Trump wrote on social media.
The continued US airstrikes come as diplomatic efforts show little sign of progress, with officials on both sides digging in over the dispute surrounding the crucial global energy waterway, which remains largely closed. The prolonged conflict threatens further disruption to the global economy and has already pushed fuel prices higher ahead of the US midterm elections later this year.
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said his country would adopt an "eye for an eye" defence doctrine.
"Any aggression against Iran, including our infrastructure, will compel a powerful and decisive response," he posted on X.
Iranian state media reported that US missiles struck locations late Wednesday near the cities of Ahvaz, Ramshir and Andimeshk in western Iran. Two people were reportedly killed in a US missile strike in the town of Shalamcheh on the Iraqi border early Thursday.
Meanwhile, military officials in Kuwait said their air defences were "confronting attacks by hostile drones following the sinful Iranian aggression."
Iran has responded to US attacks by targeting energy infrastructure and desalination plants that supply drinking water to several Gulf countries.
International law generally prohibits such attacks unless the infrastructure is being used for military purposes.
President Donald Trump warned that the US would destroy one bridge or power plant every time Iran attacks a ship in the strait.
"From this point forward, any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, whether it be by missile, rocket, drone, or any other device or weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT," Trump wrote on social media.
The continued US airstrikes come as diplomatic efforts show little sign of progress, with officials on both sides digging in over the dispute surrounding the crucial global energy waterway, which remains largely closed. The prolonged conflict threatens further disruption to the global economy and has already pushed fuel prices higher ahead of the US midterm elections later this year.
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said his country would adopt an "eye for an eye" defence doctrine.
"Any aggression against Iran, including our infrastructure, will compel a powerful and decisive response," he posted on X.
Iranian state media reported that US missiles struck locations late Wednesday near the cities of Ahvaz, Ramshir and Andimeshk in western Iran. Two people were reportedly killed in a US missile strike in the town of Shalamcheh on the Iraqi border early Thursday.
Meanwhile, military officials in Kuwait said their air defences were "confronting attacks by hostile drones following the sinful Iranian aggression."
Iran has responded to US attacks by targeting energy infrastructure and desalination plants that supply drinking water to several Gulf countries.
International law generally prohibits such attacks unless the infrastructure is being used for military purposes.
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which nearly one-fifth of the world's traded oil and gas passed during peacetime, has jolted the global economy. A new threat by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen to target Saudi shipping in the Red Sea has also put another key trade route at risk.
Trump travelled to Dover Air Force Base on Wednesday to receive the remains of four US service members. A day earlier, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth estimated during a Senate hearing that the US had spent USD 37.5 billion on the war so far.
Benchmark Brent crude rose above USD 93 a barrel, up from less than USD 72 earlier this month before the conflict escalated. Gasoline prices have also continued to climb.
Iran maintains that it has the right to regulate traffic through the strait and potentially impose transit fees. It has targeted ships using a route overseen by US forces and intended to remain outside Tehran's control.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, who has led negotiations with the US, brushed aside Trump's threats.
"We have repeatedly said that the situation in the strait will not return to pre-war conditions," he wrote on social media.
Before the latest strikes, Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni visited Pakistan, a key mediator in the conflict, in an effort to revive diplomacy. However, it remains unclear whether any new arrangement can be reached to end the fighting, which has increasingly become a battle for control of the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran's Interior Ministry spokesperson Ali Zeinivand said diplomacy had not been abandoned and that messages continued to be exchanged, according to IRNA.
An Arab diplomat said Gulf states were becoming increasingly pessimistic about finding a path to de-escalation and were particularly concerned about the latest round of threats.
The diplomat said countries including Pakistan and Turkey continue to push for a diplomatic solution, but acknowledged that prospects for a breakthrough currently appear bleak. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.
Speaking at a regional summit in the Philippines, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticised Iran's actions in the Strait of Hormuz.
"If we create a precedent in the Middle East where a nation-state can decide that it is going to control an international waterway, charge a toll, and if you don't pay, blow up your ships, we have created a very dangerous precedent that will repeat itself in other parts of the world, including this region," Rubio said.
Rubio added that the US remains open to negotiations with Iran but said Tehran "doesn't seem to be serious" at the moment, leaving Washington focused on protecting international shipping.
In response to Iran's attacks, the US reimposed a blockade on Iranian ports.