The United States and Iran have traded attacks for a second day, further straining their fragile ceasefire after US President Donald Trump declared the truce was 'over'. The US military said late Wednesday that the strikes targeted Iran's 'ability to threaten the freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz'.

Central Command (CENTCOM) reported that the US struck approximately 90 military targets, including missile and drone storage facilities and logistics sites along Iran's coastline. In a post on Truth Social, Trump called the US attacks 'retribution for yesterday's bombing of ships by Iran' and warned that 'if it happens again, it will get much worse!'.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Thursday it carried out attacks on 'key infrastructure and facilities' at US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain. The Iranian army later claimed to have targeted a Patriot missile system in Kuwait, a satellite antenna in Qatar, and US military fuel depots in Bahrain. Kuwait's Ministry of Defence said it was intercepting missiles and drones, while Qatar issued an 'elevated security threat' alert.

The renewed fighting threatens to undermine a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed last month to extend an April ceasefire and gradually reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Trump, speaking to reporters on Air Force One, said Iran had 'called a little while ago' and wanted 'to make a deal so badly', leaving the door open for talks.

US strikes hit a railway bridge in northeastern Iran and a military base in Bushehr, home to the nation's only civilian nuclear power plant. At least 14 people have been killed and 78 injured over the past two days, according to Iran's Health Ministry. UN chief Antonio Guterres and Pakistan called for restraint, while Qatar urged both sides to commit to diplomacy.

Source: www.aljazeera.com