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Monday's top developments
• US strikes on Iran: The US military “completed” a new round of strikes on Iran, hitting over 80 targets, according to a statement late Tuesday from US Central Command. The US also reimposed sanctions on Iranian oil sales in retaliation for attacks on commercial ships near the Strait of Hormuz.
• Iran responds: With the ceasefire between the two countries on increasingly shaky ground, Iran warned early Wednesday that it would deliver a “crushing response” to the US strikes. A short time later, air defenses were activated in both Bahrain and Kuwait.
• Local impact: Iranian state media reported explosions on Kharg island, a vital hub for Tehran’s oil exports, as well as in the port cities of Bandar Abbas and Sirik and on Qeshm Island. The attacks happened as Iran holds a funeral for the late supreme leader.
• NATO summit: Security in the Strait of Hormuz was expected to be discussed by US President Donald Trump and other NATO leaders as they gather in Ankara, Turkey.
Sirens sounding in Bahrain, Interior Ministry says
Sirens are sounding in Bahrain, the country’s interior ministry said in a post to X, urging citizens to seek safety. It was the second warning posted by the ministry in about two hours.
Earlier, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it launched missiles and drones at 85 US military sites across Bahrain and Kuwait in response to the latest wave of US strikes on Iran.
US "upped the ante" by reimposing sanctions, CNN national security analyst says
The US has “upped the ante” by reimposing sanctions on Iranian oil on top of military strikes, said Alex Plitsas, Director of the Counter Terrorism Program at the Atlantic Council and a CNN national security analyst.
The US on Tuesday reimposed sanctions on Iranian oil, after it had initially agreed to lift the sanctions for 60 days as part of the ceasefire agreement. It said this was in retaliation for a series of Iranian attacks on commercial ships near the Strait of Hormuz. The US also military also said it hit more than 80 targets across Iran.
“Previous US military strikes in response to Iranian violations were insufficient to stop additional strikes,” Plitsas told CNN’s Elex Michaelson.
But decades of sanctions on Iran, the war and a US blockade on its ports have hurt Iran’s economy, Plitsas said.
“So, if you put all that together, (Iran is) under a cash crunch,” he added. “It was the reason that they were looking to have the oil sanctions lifted, and they wanted access to all of their frozen cash. And so when the military strikes didn’t work, the US now upped the ante by imposing those sanctions.”
Iran's Revolutionary Guard says it targeted 85 US military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it launched missiles and drones at 85 US military sites across Bahrain and Kuwait in response to the latest wave of US strikes on Iran
The IRGC said in a Telegram post that a joint operation by its navy and air force targeted US military facilities at Bahrain’s Salman Port, where the US Fifth Fleet operates, as well as Ali Al Salem air base in Kuwait.
CNN has reached out to the US Fifth Fleet for comment.
Earlier, Kuwait said it was responding to incoming missile and drone threats, while Bahrain said its sirens were sounding.
The US military said it hit more than 80 military targets in Iran Tuesday, after Iran attacked ships in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a statement from US Central Command.
Iran says it will deliver a "crushing response" to US strikes
Iran warned in the early hours of Wednesday that it would deliver a “crushing response” to US strikes – with the ceasefire between the two countries on increasingly shaky ground.
“The Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will deliver a crushing response to the US aggression and terrorist action,” said Iran’s top joint military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, according to state broadcaster IRIB.
The command added that it would “under no circumstances, will allow interference in the affairs or management of the Strait of Hormuz.”
It added that the “only safe passage” for vessels traveling through the Strait of Hormuz was through Iran-designated routes.
The US launched new strikes against dozens of targets across Iran on Tuesday overnight into Wednesday, and reimposed sanctions as “punishment” for attacks on commercial ships near the contested waterway.
Iran’s top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf accused the US of violating their memorandum of understanding in a post to X, warning “the era of bullying and extortion is over.”
“We don’t fold,” Ghalibaf said.
Kuwait responding to "hostile missile and drone threats," military says
Kuwait’s Air Defenses are currently responding to “hostile missile and drone threats,” its military said on X, urging the public to follow safety instructions.
The military said explosions may be heard while air defense systems intercept the attacks.
Iran has previously targeted US military sites in Kuwait, including the Ali Al Salem air base, Camp Arifjan and Camp Buehring.
Sirens sounding in Bahrain, Interior Ministry says
Sirens have sounded in Bahrain, the country’s Ministry of Interior said on X, urging citizens to “remain calm and head to the nearest safe place.”
The warning came after Iran said it would deliver a “crushing response” to recent US strikes.
Bahrain is the headquarters for the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, charged with patrolling the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, and Arabian Sea.
Iran has repeatedly attacked US military bases across the Middle East, including in Bahrain, throughout the war.
Some regional allies seeking to prevent escalation between the US and Iran, source says
Some regional allies are sending messages to the US and Iran to try to prevent further escalation of hostilities and preserve the ceasefire, a regional source told CNN.
The messages came as the US launched a fresh round of attacks on Iran.
US Central Command said it hit more than 80 targets in response to Iran’s recent strikes on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
US has completed strikes on Iran, CENTCOM says
The US military has completed its latest round of strikes against Iran, hitting more than 80 targets, according to US Central Command.
“US forces struck Iranian air defense systems, command and control networks, coastal radar sites, anti-ship missile capabilities, and more than 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps small boats in and near the strait to degrade Iran’s ability to continue attacking international commerce flowing through the international trade corridor,” CENTCOM wrote on X.
CENTCOM added that its forces “remain postured and prepared to hold Iran accountable when the agreement is not adhered to or obeyed.”
US military refueling and reconnaissance aircraft airborne as US launched Iran strikes
Over a dozen US military aircraft were seen on flight tracking data circling off the coast of the UAE in the Persian Gulf and in the Gulf of Oman early on Wednesday morning as the US announced strikes against Iranian targets in response to recent attacks on commercial shipping.
Refueling planes are key to keeping fighter jets and other attack aircraft airborne during extended operations, allowing them to replenish their fuel without having to land.
CENTCOM earlier said it was conducting “powerful strikes against Iran to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping.”
Multiple videos geolocated by CNN showed explosions and large fires in the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas.
Several blasts heard on Kharg island, Iran state media reports
Explosions were reported on Iran’s Kharg island, a vital hub for Tehran’s oil exports, Iranian state media said early Wednesday local time.
The island, a five-mile stretch of land off the Iranian coast, is an economic lifeline for Tehran that typically handles roughly 90% of the country’s crude oil exports. It has been described by US officials as the “nexus for all the Iranian oil supply.”
The report from Press TV said “several blasts” had been heard on there.
It also said a new wave of explosions have been reported on Qeshm island – Iran’s largest island in the Persian Gulf and considered part of its “arch defense” near the Strait of Hormuz
The US has struck both islands multiple times, and US President Donald Trump has previously floated the idea of taking over Kharg Island, as well as Iran’s other oil infrastructure.
US launches new strikes against Iran as "punishment." Catch up on the latest
The United States unleashed new strikes against Iran and reimposed sanctions on Iranian oil sales in retaliation for a series of attacks on commercial ships near the Strait of Hormuz.
The latest round of strikes comes as US President Donald Trump meets world leaders at the NATO summit in Turkey this week, where the Strait of Hormuz is expected to be a key topic of discussion.
Catch up on where things stand:
- The US’s response: The latest US strikes against Iran are “a direct result of the acts of international terrorism that have been perpetuated by Iran on innocent ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz,” a US official told CNN, adding that the Iranians know “the consequences” yet “still choose to carry out these attacks.”
- The US official also said the US military strikes underway against targets in Iran are “not proportional” in response to a series of attacks on shipping close to the Strait of Hormuz.
- Local impact of US strikes: Explosions were heard in the port cities of Bandar Abbas and Sirik, as well as on Qeshm Island, according to Iranian state media. Several people were also injured by shrapnel from the strike on the Sirik pier, according to Iranian state broadcaster IRIB.
- President heads back: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is traveling back to Tehran from Iraq, according to state broadcaster IRIB. The president had traveled to the Iraqi city of Najaf for the multi-day funeral of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose body arrived in the city on Tuesday.
- Oil sanctions: Iran also condemned the re-imposition of US oil sanctions on Tehran, calling it a “clear violation” of the Memorandum of Understanding reached between the two countries last month. Iran’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it “holds the US government responsible for the consequences of this breach of commitment.”
- Meanwhile, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is planning to make his first visit to Israel on Wednesday, according to three sources familiar with the matter. It was not immediately clear if those plans would be impacted by the US strikes in Iran overnight.
CNN’s Aditi Sangal, Zachary Cohen, Hira Humayun, Tal Shalev, Kristen Holmes and Eyad Kourdi contributed reporting.
Analysis: Can the US-Iran ceasefire survive a new round of strikes?
Americans might wonder why the military is again bombing Iran.
After all, President Donald Trump last month described his deal to end the war as an “unconditional surrender” by the Islamic Republic.
But the US on Tuesday launched what an official called “punishment” strikes against Iranian targets that were “not proportional” in response to a series of attacks on shipping close to the Strait of Hormuz. The US also reimposed oil sanctions because of what it described as an Iranian violation of the Memorandum of Understanding.
The new strikes raised immediate questions over whether the fragile ceasefire with Iran can survive its most serious threat since Trump signed it during a victory lap in France last month.
The escalation comes at a sensitive moment.
Iran is holding funeral observances for Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who died early in the war. Its latest maneuver comes across as a bid to rebuke Trump while he’s attending the NATO summit in Turkey — which neighbors Iran — and to flex leverage that it believes it acquired during the war.
The latest US action won’t improve the atmosphere in Ankara as Trump berates alliance members for failing to join military action they opposed, seeing it as illegal and unrelated to the Western alliance’s defensive remit.
But he’s also been desperate to end a war that inflicted a heavy political price and that he warned could cause another Great Depression.
Trump is learning again that starting a war with Iran was easy. Ending it will be exceedingly hard.
US official says strikes are "a direct result of international terrorism” by Iran
The latest US strikes on Iran are “a direct result of the acts of international terrorism that have been perpetrated by Iran on innocent ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz,” a US official told CNN.
The United States said it launched the attacks and reimposed sanctions on Tehran’s oil sales in retaliation for attacks on commercial ships near the critical waterway.
Iran's president leaves Iraq to head back to Tehran after strikes
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is heading back to Tehran from Iraq, according to state broadcaster IRIB.
The president had traveled to the Iraqi city of Najaf for the multi-day funeral of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose body arrived in the city on Tuesday.
State news outlet IRNA said Pezeshkian left Najaf in the early hours of Wednesday local time after completing his visit to Iraq.
Pezeshkian’s return came as the US began striking Iran in retaliation for attacks on commercial ships near the Strait of Hormuz.
Explosions heard in Iran's southern port cities, state media says
Explosions have been heard in southern Iran, according to state media.
Several explosions were heard in the port cities of Bandar Abbas and Sirik, as well as on Qeshm Island, according to Iranian state outlet Press TV.
Projectiles reportedly struck a commercial pier in Sirik, a fishing pier in the village of Ziarat and civilian fishing vessels in Bandar Abbas. Iranian state broadcaster IRIB said a telecommunications tower in Bandar Abbas had apparently been targeted.
Several people were injured by shrapnel from the strike on the Sirik pier, according to IRIB.
US Central Command announced Tuesday it has begun striking Iran in retaliation for attacks on commercial ships near the Strait of Hormuz.
Defense Secretary Hegseth planning to make first visit to Israel on Wednesday, sources say
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is planning to make his first visit to Israel on Wednesday, according to three sources familiar with the matter.
It was not immediately clear if those plans would be impacted by US strikes in Iran overnight.
Hegseth is expected to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his counterpart, Defense Minister Israel Katz, one of the sources said. Part of the purpose of the visit was to assuage Israeli concerns over the potential sale of advanced F-35 stealth fighter jets to Turkey, something President Donald Trump has floated during the NATO summit in Ankara.
In an exclusive interview with CNN, Netanyahu said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is “not exactly a model ally of the United States.” Netanyahu said that Erdogan “threatens to destroy my country, the one and only Jewish state.” Israel is the only country in the Middle East that currently operates the F-35, America’s most advanced fighter jet.
One US official familiar with the plans said Hegseth, who had traveled with the president to the NATO summit in Turkey, will break with Trump’s delegation tomorrow.
CNN has reached out to the White House for comment. The Pentagon declined to comment.
US oil sanctions on Iran violate agreement, Tehran says
Iran has condemned the re-imposition of US oil sanctions on Tehran, calling it a “clear violation” of the Memorandum of Understanding reached between the two countries last month.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it “holds the US government responsible for the consequences of this breach of commitment.”
It added that Iran will take “any measures” it finds necessary to defend its national security.
The Iranian statement was posted as the US strikes on Iran got underway, in retaliation for attacks on cargo ships near the Strait of Hormuz.
US strikes against Iran are "punishment," US official says
US military strikes underway against targets in Iran are “not proportional,” a US official told CNN, as the US looks to respond to recent Iranian attacks on cargo ships near the Strait of Hormuz.
US Central Command announced Tuesday evening that strikes were underway, describing them as “powerful” and saying that they were intended “to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians.”
What to know as US strikes Iran in retaliation for attacks on ships in Strait of Hormuz
The US on Tuesday launched new strikes against Iran and reimposed sanctions on Iranian oil sales in retaliation for a series of attacks on commercial ships near the Strait of Hormuz.
This comes while President Donald Trump is in Ankara, Turkey, for a NATO summit.
Here’s what to know:
• Iran fired on three commercial vessels on Tuesday in Oman’s territorial waters near the Strait of Hormuz, according to a US official who described the strikes as a “gross violation” of the memorandum of understanding with Iran.
• This was followed by the US announcing it is reimposing sanctions on Iranian oil sales in retaliation for the attacks. The price of Brent crude futures rose more than 5% Tuesday. The move eliminates one of the central concessions made to the Iranian regime in exchange for its reopening of the waterway.
CNN’s Adam Cancryn, Lex Harvey and Pamela Brown contributed to the report.
