second day – The United States launched a second round of airstrikes on Iran early Thursday, hours after Donald Trump warned Tehran it would “pay the price.” Iran retaliated with strikes that Iranian officials said targeted Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, injuring an 11-year-o
When the first round of strikes ended and another morning began, the conflict didn’t pause. The United States moved into its second round of airstrikes on Iran into Thursday morning, striking across multiple Iranian cities before sunrise.
President Donald Trump had warned that Tehran would “pay the price” for stalled negotiations. Iran’s response came quickly and outward. with strikes that Iranian statements said targeted Bahrain. Kuwait and Jordan—moves that extended the fight beyond Iran’s borders and into countries that sit close to the Strait of Hormuz.
The U.S. Central Command said the latest airstrikes ended just before sunrise Thursday in Iran. It described the strikes as coming “in response to Iran’s unwarranted and continued aggression. ” and said they targeted “Iranian military surveillance capabilities. communication systems and air defense sites.” The command did not elaborate on damage. and said the strikes were carried out by the U.S. Air Force, Marines and Navy.
Explosions from the strikes were heard in Tehran and echoed in Bandar Abbas and other southern areas along the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard later said sites hit by the Americans included a manufacturing complex. a military barracks and a local Guard base outside of Tehran.
In Kuwait, authorities closed airspace for several hours on Thursday morning due to the attack, but offered no public details about damage. Jordan said it intercepted 20 Iranian missiles fired toward an area home to an air base hosting U.S. troops, and said no one was hurt.
Bahrain’s Interior Ministry said an 11-year-old girl had been injured, and that cars and homes were damaged by “falling debris” from interceptions responding to the Iranian attack.
The new back-and-forth strikes came as negotiators trying to end the war again appeared stuck. Iran has insisted it will maintain its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, a passageway essential to global energy supplies—an insistence that has helped push oil prices higher.
The American attack appeared more intense and wider than the day before, but Iran released little information about the extent of damage.
All of it is taking place while the conflict tests a two-month shaky ceasefire. The sequence this week began with attacks between Iran and Israel on Sunday into Monday, followed by two rounds of fire between America and Tehran.
Outside the battlefield, the danger is bleeding into shipping lanes. An Indian official confirmed Thursday that a U.S. attack on an oil tanker allegedly trying to violate the Iran blockade killed three Indian mariners, underscoring how quickly the crisis can reach civilians far from the airfields.
As the violence continues, the dispute over what counts as leverage keeps sharpening. Trump has urged Iran to sign a deal to end the war and suggested earlier this week that an agreement could be reached in days. Still. Iran has shown resilience despite weeks of heavy bombing. betting that its ability to effectively close the Strait of Hormuz gives it a strong bargaining chip.
But Trump also appears to be pushing for a faster political outcome. With gas prices a major concern in the run-up to the November midterm elections, he has been looking for a quick win while making demands that Iran may find hard to accept.
The U.S. wants Iran to give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. Iran says its nuclear program is peaceful. but the uranium it holds is described in the negotiations as a short technical step from weapons-grade levels. Iran is refusing to give up the uranium and demanding relief from sanctions. It also wants the release of frozen assets even before a final agreement is in place—something Trump rejected.
Iran also insists that any deal to end the war must end fighting between its ally Hezbollah and Israel.
Talks are happening through intermediaries. A Qatari diplomatic delegation, negotiating in coordination with the U.S., left Tehran on Thursday morning after holding talks. The reporting describes an official familiar with the team’s work who spoke on condition of anonymity because of how mediation discussions are handled.
Even as the diplomatic channels move, the economy keeps absorbing the shock. Since the U.S. and Israel started the war with Feb. 28 attacks on Iran. the conflict has shaken the global economy. driven up energy prices. and made food and other basics more expensive. The international benchmark for crude oil traded above $93 a barrel on Wednesday—up more than 25% since the start of the war.
Trump also claimed the U.S. has undertaken a “secret mission” since last month to sneak oil shipments past Iran’s forces in the Strait of Hormuz. He said ships have been slipping through at night, aided by the destruction of Iranian radar equipment. Trump said more than 100 million barrels of oil have evaded Iran’s chokehold. though there was no immediate confirmation of that figure. which roughly equals five days of oil shipments through the waterway before the war began.
The U.S. military’s role has not been fully clear. The U.S. Central Command on Wednesday disputed Iran’s claims that the Strait of Hormuz is closed, saying commercial ships are continuing to transit in and out.
In the real world, mariners are still facing danger. Indian Ports. Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal announced on X that three Indians missing after the American attack on the Palau-flagged tanker Settebello had been killed. The U.S. Central Command had accused the Settebello of having “violated the ongoing blockade by attempting to transport oil from Iran. ” and said American forces fired into the ship’s engine room to stop it Wednesday.
The leader of the International Maritime Organization, a United Nations agency, condemned the attack on the Settebello. The IMO said that since the start of the Iran war, there have been 43 attacks on international shipping in the area.
Another nearby incident added to the sense of instability. A tanker near where the Settebello had been struck off Oman experienced an engine room fire on Thursday morning. according to the United Kingdom Maritime Operations center. It wasn’t immediately clear what sparked the blaze, though initial suspicion fell on another U.S. attack.
On the ground, Israelis were also told to prepare for incoming threats. Israel early Thursday warned residents in the country’s north to seek shelter after the detection of suspected incoming fire from Lebanon.
Underneath the tactical claims and counterclaims. both Iran and the United States appear to be searching for a way to end the conflict—if they can survive the politics of selling a resolution at home. And the demands driving the talks may be the hardest to reconcile. especially as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues pursuing goals that make compromise harder: the collapse of Iran’s theocratic government. the elimination of its nuclear program. and the destruction of the Iranian-allied Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon.
United States Iran airstrikes Donald Trump Strait of Hormuz Bahrain Kuwait Jordan missiles negotiations uranium sanctions oil prices Settebello