The United States has carried out wave strikes on Iran in the wee hours on Thursday (June 11), while Iranian state media reported explosions in several areas, including the port city of Bandar Abbas and the islands of Qeshm and Hengam. The US military confirmed the operations, saying they launched “additional self-defence strikes” ordered by President Donald Trump.
Iranian media did not immediately provide full details on the damage or casualties caused by the explosions, but IRNA reported that the blasts in Qeshm and Hengam were caused by “projectiles … all of which are of a military nature”.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Mehr news agency reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said its air defences opened fire on an F-16 aircraft that entered “Gulf airspace”, forcing it to retreat. The agency also reported that heavy exchanges of fire have taken place in the Strait of Hormuz between US forces and IRGC naval units.
It also confirmed the US strikes, adding that seven coastal locations have been hit so far, including areas near Bandar Abbas, Sirik, Qeshm and Hengam Island.
The Iranians had been bracing for these assaults since the afternoon as the Americans began to talk about a new wave of strikes.
The understanding yesterday and early this morning was that that exchange of attacks between the Iranians and Americans was over about the downing of that Apache helicopter.
Both sides announced the end of their operations with regard to that situation. But now the US forces initiated the wave of attacks linking it to negotiations.
US confirms attacks
The US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) said it had carried out new attacks on targets inside Iran in response to ongoing tensions with Tehran. In a statement, it said the attacks were conducted at President Trump’s direction and were “in response to Iran’s unwarranted and continued aggression”.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters that further military action could follow. He said US forces would continue operations through the night and added, “Because President Trump said we will be hitting Iran hard – and we will be.”
He also said the strikes would target “key facilities”, without giving details, and described the operations as “strong” and “clear”.
Trump links strikes to Iran nuclear deal push
The US president cited stalled nuclear negotiations with Iran as the reason for the attacks. Speaking at the White House, he asked Tehran to agree to a deal, saying it would prevent it from “ever having a nuclear weapon”.
“They should sign the deal, it’s a good deal,” he said and added, “We want a deal that’s meaningful, we want a deal that works. We’ll see what happens, but we hit them hard yesterday, and we’re going to hit them again hard today.”
Trump also accused Iran of delaying talks. “We were really close to the deal, but they keep tapping us along, they keep playing us for suckers,” he said.
Earlier, he warned, “We are going to be attacking them, and attacking them very hard,” while responding to questions about tensions in the Strait of Hormuz. He also referred to claims that Iran had shot down a US Apache helicopter, though no independent confirmation was provided.
US issues security alert for citizens in Iraq
Following the escalation, the US embassy in Baghdad advised American citizens to “maintain heightened readiness and stay alert to local news”. It warned that travel disruptions and sudden airspace closures could happen “on short notice”.
The embassy also said that Iraq is under the highest-level US travel advisory, urging Americans not to travel there and asking those already in the country to leave immediately.
