US and Iran trade strikes for second day, testing April ceasefire

The United States and Iran exchanged strikes across the Middle East for a second consecutive day, testing an already shaky ceasefire the two countries agreed to in April.

US Central Command said it had completed a wave of self-defense strikes on military, surveillance and radar sites in southern Iran. The attacks came hours after President Donald Trump said US forces would hit Iran hard and that Tehran had taken too long to reach a deal to end the war.

Iran responded by launching strikes on US military assets in several countries. US bases in Bahrain and Kuwait came under fire for a second straight day. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it fired ballistic missiles at a US command center in Jordan.

The IRGC claimed it destroyed a large number of US fighter jets and facilities after firing 12 ballistic missiles at the Muwaffaq Salti Airbase in Jordan, though the claims have not been independently verified.

Bahrain's interior ministry said air raid sirens sounded overnight. Kuwait's army said its air defenses intercepted hostile aerial targets and that it had temporarily closed its airspace.

The IRGC also said it struck two oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian state media. There was no immediate confirmation of that attack. Iranian state media reported the strait was closed to all vessels, but Centcom said commercial ships continued to transit in and out.

Brent crude rose about 2 percent to around $95 a barrel after the reports.

Hours before the latest US strikes, Trump wrote on Truth Social that the United States had hit Iran hard the day before and would do so again. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Iran had been given a chance to make a deal but had not taken it, and that bombs would fall on key facilities.

Trump said Iran would face further attacks if no peace deal was reached. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran would stand firm against any pressure or threat. The Iranian foreign ministry accused the United States of damaging diplomacy with contradictory messages.

The April ceasefire was initially meant to last two weeks. Both sides have traded intermittent fire since then without returning to full-scale war. Recent talks have stalled and attacks have increased.