U.S. launches new strikes on Iran as war escalates further

U.S. forces hit Iranian coastal defense systems and cruise missile storage and launch sites on Greater Tunb Island in a 90-minute strike wave Wednesday, hours after Iran targeted American military sites in the region. The exchange has now run for five straight days, raising the risk to U.S. troops, global energy markets and shipping lanes through the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it answered with overnight attacks on U.S. military assets in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan. Tehran has also threatened to block regional energy exports and seal off traffic through Hormuz, while reporting has said the United States reimposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports. Before the war, the strait carried about one-fifth of global oil and gas shipments, making it one of the most dangerous chokepoints in the world.

The broader war began on Feb. 28, after the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran, and the latest round has pushed the civilian toll higher. Iranian officials said more than 30 civilians were killed and 260 wounded in U.S. strikes over the past few days. Iranian military officials said seven troops were killed in a 13-missile barrage, underscoring how quickly the fighting has moved from isolated salvos to a widening regional campaign.

The unanswered threshold question is what comes next if neither side backs down. Donald Trump said the United States would keep attacking until Iran agreed to negotiate, and he warned the conflict could worsen next week if no deal is reached. He also formally notified Congress over the weekend that the administration had reentered the war, giving it 60 days to use military force without congressional approval, a move that leaves lawmakers with little immediate leverage as the campaign broadens.

Whether the fighting stays at the level of tit-for-tat strikes or turns into a sustained U.S.-Iran conflict now hangs on the next round of attacks, the pressure on Hormuz and the willingness of both governments to accept a pause before the region moves closer to all-out war.