US Threatens Further Strikes on Iran Amid Rising Gulf Tensions, Israel Expects No Wider Conflict
US President Donald Trump has once again shaken the Middle East with threats of additional strikes on Iran, potentially as soon as tonight. Despite these warnings, Israeli security officials assessed on Wednesday evening that the fighting is unlikely to expand beyond the Gulf region at this stage. The Home Front Command and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have maintained their current alert levels since the end of the recent conflict. Trump, speaking after the NATO summit in Turkey, stated he does not believe a full-scale war with Iran will resume, although an American source told Channel 13 that both sides are in a "dynamic of returning to fighting." US Defense Secretary Pete Gosseth canceled a planned visit to Israel to focus on approving strike plans against Iran.
During a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the NATO summit, Trump said, "We will probably strike Iran again tonight." Shortly after, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Kachaz canceled their attendance at a National Security Institute ceremony due to a last-minute security discussion. Earlier, Trump told NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg that US forces had struck hard overnight in response to Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, describing Iran as "bad people" who must be eliminated like cancer. He declared the ceasefire over and dismissed talks with Iran as a waste of time.
The US military attacked over 80 targets in Iran overnight, targeting air defense, command, and communication systems, as well as more than 60 small vessels of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the Strait of Hormuz. One IRGC soldier was reported killed. An American official told Sky News that the strikes also hit energy facilities and ports, describing the attacks as punitive rather than proportional. Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned the US actions as violations of a memorandum of understanding and warned that their response would be decisive and crushing.
The IRGC claimed to have retaliated by striking 85 US military targets in Bahrain and Kuwait and reported shooting down an American MQ-9 drone. Kuwait condemned the attacks, asserting its right to defend itself. Iran also announced it had attacked a US base in Bahrain and threatened further strikes if US attacks continue. Iranian media reported explosions near Bushehr in southwestern Iran, followed by sirens in Bahrain.
Yesterday, the IRGC fired missiles at two commercial ships near the Omani side of the Strait of Hormuz, confirming at least one liquefied gas tanker was hit after allegedly ignoring warnings. US reports indicate at least one vessel was damaged. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi emphasized that under the memorandum’s Article 13, final agreement negotiations cannot begin while threats persist, urging respect for signed commitments.
