US launches new strikes on Iran after Trump vows to hit ‘hard’
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BBCThe US military has launched new strikes on Iran after President Donald Trump said US forces would hit the country “hard” following an exchange of fire between both sides earlier this week.
The US Central Command (Centcom) said it began “additional self-defense strikes” at 17:15 Eastern time (21:15 GMT) on Wednesday against “multiple targets in Iran at the Commander in Chief’s direction”.
“The strikes are in response to Iran’s unwarranted and continued aggression,” Centcom added.
The US also launched strikes on Iran on Tuesday after Trump said Tehran had downed a US Army helicopter. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it responded with strikes on US bases in the region.
Explosions have also been heard on the island of Qeshm in the Gulf, as well as a number of other cities, including Bandar Abbas and Sirik.
In April, the US and Iran agreed a ceasefire that was initially meant to last for a period of two weeks. Both sides have since exchanged intermittent fire, without returning to full-scale hostilities.
However, recent efforts to broker negotiations between Washington and Tehran have stalled and airstrikes have ramped up.
On Wednesday, Trump wrote on Truth Social that Iranian leaders have “taken too long to negotiate a deal”, while the Iranian foreign ministry said the US of “damaging the diplomatic process through the contradictory message it sends”.
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IranIran warUnited StatesDonald Trump