The United States on Wednesday launched fresh military strikes on Iran’s Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz, intensifying a conflict that has already cost Washington an estimated $37.5 billion and further raising tensions across the Middle East.
The latest strike came after President Donald Trump declared that the United States was “not finished” with the war, despite mounting domestic pressure to end the conflict ahead of November’s legislative elections.
According to Iran’s Tasnim news agency, a US missile struck Larak Island on Wednesday afternoon. Authorities said the extent of the damage was still being assessed. The US military has repeatedly targeted Iranian positions on islands in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz since hostilities resumed.
The renewed fighting also led to the collapse of a preliminary diplomatic agreement between Washington and Tehran.
Speaking at a meeting of Southeast Asian foreign ministers in Manila, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington remained open to negotiations but questioned Iran’s commitment to diplomacy.
“We remain open to working it out in a negotiated way. But right now, they don’t seem to be serious about that,” Rubio said.
Rubio defended the military campaign, saying Iran had targeted commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and was attempting to rebuild its missile and drone capabilities.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baqaei, said diplomatic contacts through international mediators were continuing despite the escalating conflict.
The US military also confirmed it had carried out an eleventh consecutive night of strikes, saying the operations were aimed at reducing Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping through the strategic waterway.
Trump indicated that another possible target could be the underground Pickaxe Mountain, also known as Kolang Mountain, near Natanz, where Western intelligence agencies suspect Iran may be developing an undeclared uranium enrichment facility.
Iran warned that any attack on the site would mark a major escalation.
The Khatam Al-Anbiya military command said such an action would be regarded as an expansion of the war and threatened retaliation against US interests, allies and supporters across the region.
Baqaei dismissed the allegations, insisting there was no nuclear activity at Kolang Mountain and accusing Washington of using false claims to justify military action.
He also criticised the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, while accusing the United States of violating international law.
Grossi, however, told the BBC that IAEA inspectors should return to Iran soon to verify the country’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
Meanwhile, the conflict spread across the Gulf as Kuwait said its air defence systems intercepted Iranian drones, while Jordan announced it had shot down four Iranian missiles and four drones.
Air raid sirens also sounded in Bahrain, where explosions were reported in the capital, Manama.
Iran’s military claimed responsibility for attacks targeting US military assets in Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan, including radar systems, air defence installations and administrative facilities.
Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen also threatened to blockade Saudi Arabian ports, prompting Trump to warn that the United States would respond if the group followed through on its threat.
Although the Houthis have not resumed attacks on commercial shipping, concerns over potential disruptions pushed Brent crude prices up 4.4 per cent to more than $95 per barrel, the highest level in six weeks.
Maritime intelligence firm Vanguard Tech reported that two oil tankers reversed course in the Red Sea after loading crude at Saudi Arabia’s Yanbu port following the Houthi threat.
Analysts warned that any sustained disruption to shipping routes through the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz could have significant consequences for global energy supplies and the wider economy.
