US-Iran Tensions Escalate: Trump Vows 'Powerful Strike', Iran Claims Attacks on US Bases

Published 10 June 2026

Last updated 3 minutes ago

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US President Donald Trump announced that the United States will deliver a "powerful strike" against Iran on Thursday evening, confirming that Washington intends to soon control Iranian infrastructure, oil, and gas markets.

Trump said in a post on the "Truth Social" platform: "Not long from now, we will take control of Kharg Island and other oil infrastructure sites, and we will take full control of their oil and gas markets, just as we did with Venezuela."

The Iranian Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday that the ceasefire with the United States had become "practically useless."

The ministry said in a statement: "The attacks have made the ceasefire practically null and void," stressing that recent developments have undermined the chances of adhering to any de-escalation between the two sides.

The statement added: "We strongly condemn the crimes of the American regime in its large-scale attack on Iran last night," considering these operations a dangerous escalation and a violation of international laws.

A report by CNN, citing a diplomatic source, stated that talks aimed at reaching an agreement between the United States and Iran are still proceeding as planned, following negotiations that lasted throughout the night.

The United States and Iran exchanged aerial attacks for the second consecutive day on Thursday, in a new escalation of tension between the two countries. US President Donald Trump pledged to launch more strikes if Tehran does not immediately agree to a peace deal.

The US Central Command stated in a statement on the "X" platform that "units from the US Marine Corps, Air Force, and Navy launched precision-guided munitions to strike Iranian targets that posed a threat to US forces and international commercial vessels transiting international waters."

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From its side, Iran announced targeting the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain with drones, according to Iranian official media.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps also announced that it had attacked 18 US military sites at the bases of Ali Al-Salem and Ahmad Al Jaber in Kuwait, and Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps also announced that it had targeted a US command and control center in Jordan with missiles. Tasnim News Agency quoted the Revolutionary Guard as saying that this "punitive operation against the aggressor" targeted "Al-Azraq Air Base and its control center using 12 ballistic missiles," confirming that it destroyed these facilities "and a large number of fighter jets."

For its part, Jordan announced that its air defense systems and Royal Air Force aircraft intercepted and shot down 20 missiles launched from Iran towards the Al-Azraq area at dawn on Thursday.

A responsible military source in the Jordanian Armed Forces said that the interception operation resulted in the fall of some fragments without any human casualties or material damage, confirming that engineering teams dealt with the remnants of those missiles to ensure there were no explosive materials inside them.

The Kuwaiti Army announced in a statement on Thursday that its defense systems had detected 24 drones in the past 48 hours, confirming that they were dealt with according to the established procedures.

Spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense, Saud Al-Atwan, said that "the Iranian aggression resulted in limited material damage without any casualties."

Kuwait reopened its airspace to air traffic, after "the circumstances that necessitated the previous precautionary measures have passed," according to the General Authority of Civil Aviation.

Conflicting reports about the closure of the Strait of Hormuz

The Iranian Maritime Authority confirmed on Thursday the complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz, following a similar announcement by the Iranian military command, which warned that it would target any ship attempting to cross, after new US strikes on the Islamic Republic and the stalling of negotiations to end the war.

The "Persian Gulf Strait Authority," established by Iran to manage navigation in Hormuz, said in a social media post that "due to the tensions resulting from the aggression of the US forces in the region... the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until further notice." It is noteworthy that Iranian authorities had spoken about allowing the passage of twenty ships through the strait daily.

The Khatam al-Anbiya headquarters, the central operations room of the Iranian Armed Forces, announced at dawn on Thursday in a statement "the closure of the Strait of Hormuz to all types of ships, including oil tankers and commercial vessels," adding that "any transit movement will be targeted." Local media reported that the Revolutionary Guard targeted "two violating ships" that were attempting to cross.

Iranian state television and the Mehr News Agency also quoted the Iranian Navy as saying that it "targeted two ships attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz illegally." Meanwhile, the US military denied on Thursday Iran's claim that it had completely closed the Strait of Hormuz in response to the recent US strikes against it.

Iranian media reported hearing explosions in southern Iran near the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian official news agencies also reported hearing explosions in areas such as Minab, west of Bandar Abbas, Sirik, and Qeshm Island.

Following a US military strike targeting an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman, Indian Minister of Shipping, Sarbananda Sonowal, announced on Thursday the death of the three Indian sailors who were among the missing.

The United States said its forces carried out a "precision" strike against the ship after it failed to comply with US instructions, noting that the tanker was carrying Iranian oil.

In a related diplomatic development, Indian sources told Reuters that New Delhi summoned the US Deputy Chief of Mission after lodging a "strong protest" against the strike that resulted in the death of the Indian sailors.

Trump: Iranians asked me to stop the strikes

After a new round of strikes on Iran, Trump stated on Wednesday evening that Iranian leaders had contacted him directly by phone and asked him to stop the ongoing wave of US bombing, according to Fox News.

Trump told Fox News that US forces bombed Iran with 49 Tomahawk missiles in the new bombing wave early Thursday Iran time.

Network correspondent Trey Yingst quoted Trump as saying that if Iran does not accept the United States' terms to end the three-month war, he "will bomb them hard tomorrow night."

However, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps denied that Tehran had asked Trump to stop the bombing, according to the official IRNA news agency. The Khatam al-Anbiya headquarters stated that the "halt" of US attacks on areas in southern Iran was due to Iran's "strong" response.

Iranian official media quoted an Iranian official as saying that "Trump's false claim" about contacting Iranian officials is a "cover to avoid war against Iran."

The US President had stated on Wednesday that the United States would strike Iran "hard," after the two sides exchanged strikes overnight.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said: "We hit them hard yesterday, and we will hit them hard again today." He also renewed his call for Iran to "sign a deal."

For his part, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in a post on the "X" platform published after Trump's statements, said that Iran "will stand firm against any pressure or threat."

Why the renewed escalation?

Earlier on Wednesday, Trump wrote on social media: "They took too long to negotiate a deal that would have been great for them, and now they will have to pay the price!"

He said that Iran was "completely defeated" militarily.

At the same time, the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Ismail Baghaei, accused the United States of "damaging this diplomatic process through the contradictory messages it sends, its repeated shifts in positions and demands, and worst of all, through repeated violations of the ceasefire," according to him.

He said that Iran needs to reassess the situation, adding that any diplomatic process requires a minimum level of stability.

The US Central Command said that the US strikes launched last night on Iran targeted Iranian defense systems, ground control stations, and radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz.

Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing a US official, that all Iranian missiles and drones launched at US bases in the Middle East were intercepted, with no reported casualties.

The semi-official Iranian Mehr News Agency reported that Iran did not claim responsibility for shooting down the helicopter.

Iran retaliated by launching attacks on Israel and US-allied countries in the Gulf. The intensity of the fighting escalated rapidly throughout the region, and Lebanon engaged in the conflict in March.

In April, the United States and Iran agreed to a ceasefire that was supposed to last for two weeks.

Since then, the two sides have exchanged fire intermittently, without returning to full-scale hostilities.