Dubai: Tensions in West Asia escalated again on Saturday after the United States launched fresh airstrikes on 10 military targets in Iran, accusing Tehran of violating the ceasefire by attacking a merchant vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump warned that if Iran continued its actions, the US would be forced to "militarily complete the job."
The US military said on Saturday that it had struck 10 targets in Iran at President Donald Trump's direction, continuing a string of attacks that have shaken the war's uneasy ceasefire.
US Central Command, in a post on social media, said US military aircraft targeted Iranian military surveillance infrastructure, communication systems, air defence sites, drone storage facilities and minelayer capabilities following an attack on a merchant vessel early on Saturday morning. It later specified that the strikes involved 10 Iranian military targets at multiple locations in and near the Strait of Hormuz.
The ongoing strikes in the Persian Gulf underscore the risk of the Iran conflict spiralling out of control again, despite an interim agreement between Washington and Tehran aimed at negotiating a permanent peace deal.
In a social media post, Trump said the US had "struck Iranian missile and drone storage locations, and coastal radar sites, for violating the Cease Fire Agreement, AGAIN!" He warned that there could come a point when the US would no longer be able to exercise restraint and "will be forced to militarily complete the job."
"If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!" Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The latest escalation follows a similar exchange earlier this week, when an Iranian drone struck a merchant vessel off the coast of Oman on Thursday, prompting US retaliatory strikes on Friday.
US says strikes were in response to Iranian attack on oil tanker
US Central Command said Iranian forces attacked the oil tanker Kiku with a one-way drone. The tanker was carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil and was sailing through the Strait of Hormuz.
According to ship-tracking websites, the Kiku departed from a Qatari oil field in the central Persian Gulf earlier this week and was headed to a port in the United Arab Emirates on the Gulf of Oman, beyond the Strait of Hormuz.
The vessel appeared to be using a route established near the Omani coast as an alternative to the Iran-designated shipping lane that passes through Iranian waters.
A multinational maritime body overseen by the US Navy said on Saturday that it would expand the Omani route to allow both inbound and outbound traffic, potentially creating another point of tension with Tehran, which considers the strait a key bargaining tool in its ongoing negotiations with Washington.
The US military said Iran "had a chance to honour the ceasefire agreement" but "elected not to" when its forces attacked the Kiku.
Iranian state television reported explosions in an area north of the Strait of Hormuz.
Bahrain condemns Iran's drone attack
Earlier on Saturday, Bahrain's Foreign Ministry said that "a number of Iranian drones" had targeted the country, calling the attack "a flagrant threat to the security of citizens and residents." There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard later said it had targeted several locations belonging to the "US terrorist army in the region," according to the state-run IRNA news agency. It did not specify the locations.
Bahrain, home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, has been among Iran's strongest regional critics. The country recently hosted US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council foreign ministers, who jointly called for an end to Iranian attacks and demanded that the Strait of Hormuz remain fully open to international shipping.
Overnight into Saturday, US Central Command confirmed it had struck Iranian missile and drone sites as well as coastal radar installations.
US Vice President JD Vance, who has led negotiations with Iran, wrote on social media on Friday night that Tehran should "pick up the phone" if it had concerns over the ceasefire agreement, warning that "violence will be met with violence."
The US and Iran are currently negotiating a broader agreement covering freedom of navigation through the strategically vital strait, Iran's nuclear programme, and the future of its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
Under the interim agreement, both sides have 60 days to finalise the details. A lasting ceasefire between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon also remains a key component of the proposed deal.
Ship attacked as alternative shipping route expands
The British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) centre said a tanker was attacked on Saturday in the Strait of Hormuz. The crew was reported safe, and no environmental damage was detected. While no group claimed responsibility, suspicion immediately fell on Iran.
Shortly after the incident, the Joint Maritime Information Center, overseen by the US Navy, announced that the Omani coastal shipping route would be expanded to facilitate both inbound and outbound vessel traffic.
Iran has insisted that ships must comply with its navigation rules and has warned that it may begin charging transit fees through the strait. Despite the warnings, an increasing number of vessels have attempted to leave the Gulf in recent days.
Ebrahim Azizi, chairman of the Iranian parliament's National Security Commission, wrote on Friday that "the Strait of Hormuz is governed by Iran, so: Respect the rules."
The US and Gulf Arab nations have rejected Iran's position, maintaining that the Strait of Hormuz is an international waterway despite passing through the territorial waters of Iran and Oman.
The Joint Maritime Information Center warned that the threat to commercial shipping remains "substantial" and advised mariners to remain alert to the presence of naval mines while clearance operations continue.
The International Maritime Organization on Friday suspended its ship evacuation initiative through the strait, saying operations would resume only after adequate security guarantees are provided. It added that around 115 vessels have successfully exited the Gulf in recent days.
(With inputs from AP, Reuters)
