US forces launch attacks on Iran after interim agreement announcement

Just hours after American President Donald Trump declared an interim agreement to end the war “finished”, American forces launched another round of attacks on Iran on Wednesday.

According to Iranian state media, explosions occurred in the port city of Bandar Abbas in the Strait of Hormuz, the southern coastal city of Sirik, and the southwestern province of Bushehr, where Iran’s nuclear energy center is located.

Sharing an image of an explosion in Chabahar, Trump wrote on Truth Social: “This is retaliation for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran. If this happens again, the consequences will be even more severe!”

The American Central Command confirmed the attack, posting on X: “Under the direction of the Commander in Chief, American Central Command forces have initiated further attacks to weaken Iran’s capability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.”

“The United States holds Iran accountable for its recent unjust aggressive behavior towards commercial ships and civilian crews freely navigating a vital international waterway,” it added.

An anonymous American official told Reuters that Wednesday night’s attack was expected to be larger than the one conducted on Tuesday.

According to Iranian state television, additional explosions were heard on Abu Musa Island. This is one of the three small islands claimed by the United Arab Emirates, which serves as a key base for Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran’s Mehr News Agency reported that the attacks in the southern province of Bushehr did not cause any damage to the Bushehr nuclear energy center.

American Senator Bernie Sanders commented on Trump’s actions, saying, “Reviving this reckless war with Iran will not make America stronger. It will only result in more loss of life and waste taxpayers’ money.”

Adding a post on X, Sanders said, “After dragging America into war on a foundation of lies, Trump has declared the ceasefire with Iran ‘finished’ in less than a month.”

On Tuesday, America attacked various military areas and port facilities after Iran targeted several commercial ships near the coast of Oman.

Earlier, at a NATO summit in Ankara, Trump stated that America “might strike Iran hard again tonight” and later added that these recent attacks would not turn into “long-term” military operations.

“Whatever happens, it will be very swift,” Trump said, although he also indicated that the American forces could “completely finish the job.”

Speaking on the sidelines of the summit, the American President said the attack was in retaliation for Iranian assaults on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

“They are behaving very badly,” he said, accusing Iran of launching drone and missile attacks on ships.

Iran, however, claimed that the interim ceasefire agreement granted it the right to regulate passage through the strait.

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the chief negotiator for the ongoing talks to permanently end the war and the Speaker of Iran’s Parliament, wrote on X, “The era of threats and coercion is over. It leads nowhere. We will not bow down.”