US-Iran news: Ceasefire ‘temporarily ceased,’ US officials say; explosions in Bushehr, Chabahar

US President Donald Trump threatened Wednesday to strike Iran’s civilian infrastructure and to seize Kharg Island, with its oil infrastructure, as his ceasefire with Tehran appeared to be in tatters.

Trump made the threats after announcing that the US was preparing for a second night of strikes against Iran after Iranian attacks on American military sites in the Gulf.

If the US has to, Trump said, it will take out Iran’s electric plants and desalinization plants. He said Tuesday’s strikes included attacks on Kharg Island but not its oil facilities.

“Maybe we’ll take over Kharg Island. We may take over Kharg Island. There’s not a thing they could do about it,” Trump said.

US President Donald Trump announced that NATO nations will deploy minesweepers to secure the Strait of Hormuz.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the U.S. is preparing for another night of strikes against Iran, just hours after he said the ceasefire was over.

“We hit them very hard last night,” Trump said when asked about a possible return to hostilities. “We’ll probably hit them hard again tonight.”

Trump made the remark in Ankara on the sidelines of the NATO summit. He said the strikes are continued retaliation for attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

“They are behaving very badly,” he said of Iran, accusing the country of launching drones and a missile at ships.

Trump has warned US will 'probably' strike Iran again Wednesday after saying at NATO summit that ceasefire is 'over.'

Copper slipped on Wednesday after fresh hostilities in West Asia threatened an interim ceasefire deal, reviving worries about economic growth and the supply of metals. Benchmark three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange shed 1.5% to $13,168 a metric ton in official open-outcry trading, having dipped 0.3% in the previous session. Oil prices surged and global stocks tumbled after U.S. President Donald Trump said the memorandum of understanding signed with Iran to end the Gulf conflict was "over" after the two sides traded attacks.

Brent crude jumped more than 5%, though still traded well below its highs during the Iran war.

US President Donald Trump did not repeat his criticism of NATO ally Spain nor his announcement of the termination of an interim ceasefire deal with Iran during an alliance leaders' summit in Ankara on Wednesday, a source familiar with the talks told Reuters.

Israel is closely monitoring developments in the Gulf, but is not surprised by the escalation as it believes that Iran will be unable to meet US demands, Israeli outlet Maariv reported, quoting a military source.

“The IDF (Israeli army) is prepared for any development in Iran. We are at the same levels of alert and readiness as we were yesterday and the day before,” the source said. “If we are required to act whether in offence or defence, we are ready.

“At the moment, it is the Americans who are conducting the negotiations, and they are also the ones who acted in Iran last night,” the source added.

The European Union expects ⁠the United States ⁠to honour its trade deal obligations with the EU, a European ⁠Commission spokesperson said on Wednesday, after US President Donald Trump ordered his ⁠treasury secretary to cut off trade ties with Spain.

Speaking in the Turkish capital Ankara, Trump called Madrid a “terrible partner” in NATO and criticised ‌it for not supporting the war on Iran.

“I remind you that ⁠we signed a joint ⁠statement with the US last year. We expect the US to honour its commitments under that joint ⁠statement, as we have honoured ours,” said ⁠EC spokesperson Olof Gill.

“The Commission ⁠will always ensure that the interests of the European Union and all our member states are ‌fully protected. We will continue to advocate for stable, predictable and mutually beneficial ‌trans-Atlantic trade for the benefit of all.”

The General Command of the Bahrain Defense Force has said in a statement on X that Iran “continues its systematic hostile approach” through its “sinful attacks” with missiles and drones that target civilians in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Kaja Kallas, the EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, has said on X that Iran’s attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait are “unacceptable” and that its attacks on ships near the strait violate the MoU and “threaten to disrupt the resumption of energy supplies”.

Kallas added that next Monday, EU and Gulf foreign ministers will meet to discuss how they can “work together to support the implementation of the agreement and preserve freedom of navigation in the Strait as well as the Red Sea”.

Huge crowds thronged the streets of Najaf and packed the courtyards of its majestic shrine as they mourned on Wednesday late Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei during his funeral procession in Iraq.

Iran began six days of public funeral ceremonies for Khamenei on Saturday, including a dedicated day in neighbouring Iraq -- a Shia powerhouse with close ties to Tehran and home to the faith's most sacred shrines.

The head of the International Maritime Organization on Wednesday called for "maximum restraint and de-escalation" as almost 6,000 seafarers remained stranded in the Persian Gulf amid fresh US-Iran attacks.

"These attacks further intensify the fear, uncertainty and psychological strain already being endured by the nearly 6,000 seafarers who remain stranded on board vessels unable to depart the Persian Gulf safely," IMO secretary general Arsenio Dominguez said in a statement.

Iran’s Fars news agency has reported that an Indian oil tanker has been turned back from the Omani corridor in the Strait of Hormuz.

HT has not confirmed the report.

On June 24, Oman and the UN’s International Maritime Organization announced a temporary corridor in the strait along the Omani coast that would be overseen by the US for the evacuation of vessels stranded in the Gulf.

Fars said Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps continues to warn ships intending to use the Omani corridor via radio communications, ordering them to use the corridor designated by Iran instead.

Fars said ship tracking showed all vessels that transited the Strait of Hormuz this morning travelled along the corridor approved by Iran.

Gold futures slumped by ₹2,308 to ₹1.43 lakh per 10 grams on Wednesday, tracking losses in global markets as a rally in crude oil rates dented the appeal of the precious metal amid escalating tensions in West Asia.

On the Multi Commodity Exchange, the yellow metal for August delivery declined by ₹2,308, or 1.59 per cent, to ₹1,43,084 per 10 grams in a business turnover of 10,440 lots.

Traders said rising crude oil prices following fresh hostilities in West Asia stoked inflation concerns, strengthening the US dollar and prompting investors to trim exposure to precious metals.

Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry has condemned what it called “heinous” Iranian aggressions against Bahrain, calling them a flagrant violation of Bahraini sovereignty.

In a statement, the ministry said Kuwait categorically rejected the attacks and the dangerous escalation they represented, saying they undermined regional and international efforts to de-escalate tensions.

The ministry reaffirmed Kuwait’s support for Bahrain’s security and stability.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has accused the United States of “bending rules, bullying rivals, creating obstacles and cheating” in its conduct as host of the World Cup, calling it consistent with what he described as Washington’s broader foreign policy approach.

In a post on X, Pezeshkian said the US government’s behaviour reflected what he called “their MAGA playbook”, and said Iran “rejects such games” and “stands firmly” for its rights.

The comments come amid a sharp escalation between Tehran and Washington, with US forces having struck more than 80 targets inside Iran this week and reimposed oil sanctions.

A senior Iranian parliamentarian says that the United States must “recognise the new Iranian regime in the Strait of Hormuz”, after the Revolutionary Guards announced strikes on 85 US military facilities in the region.

Ebrahim Azizi, head of the Iranian parliament’s National Security Committee, made the comment on the social media platform X in response to the Guards’ announcement of what they described as an “initial response” to US aggression, according to state media.

“There is no other way: recognise the new Iranian regime in the Strait of Hormuz,” he said.

Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters has said that any source of support for the US military, in connection with aggression against Iranian sovereignty, would be considered a legitimate target for the country’s armed forces.

In a statement carried by the semi-official Tasnim news agency, the headquarters, a command unit within Iran’s armed forces, said: “The origin of any support for the aggressive US Army in its aggression against the sovereignty and territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran will be a legitimate target for the Armed Forces.”

Oil prices jumped more than 6% on Wednesday, hitting a two-week high after U.S. President Donald Trump said the memorandum of understanding to end the conflict with Iran was "over", renewing fears of disruptions to Middle East oil supplies.

Brent crude futures were up $4.57, or 6.16%, to $78.73 a barrel at 0948 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude climbed $4.23, or 6.01%, to $74.67 a barrel. The benchmarks are at their highest levels since June 22.

Oman’s Foreign Ministry has released a statement condemning Iran’s attacks on sites in Bahrain and Kuwait as well as on two commercial ships from Saudi Arabia and Qatar in the Strait of Hormuz.

The statement affirmed Oman’s solidarity with its neighbouring countries and said increasing military tensions in the region threaten Oman’s safety and security. It also said the attacks threaten global trade networks and energy supplies.

Oman urged all parties involved to exercise “self-control”, refrain from escalating the situation and return to diplomacy.

The International Maritime Organization Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez condemned new attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz and called for maximum restraint and de-escalation, in a statement on Wednesday.

Saudi shipping company Bahri said on Wednesday its VLCC Wedyan was involved on Tuesday in an incident while passing through the Strait of Hormuz, but the vessel remains seaworthy and its cargo is secure.

Bahri added that all crew members are safe and no injuries have been reported.

Iranian authorities say overnight US attacks hit areas in Khuzestan province, killing one person and wounding two.

The attacks struck locations in the cities of Mahshahr, Imam Khomeini Port, and Hamidieh in the southwestern province, according to a provincial security official cited by Tasnim news agency.

Kuwait's Ministry of Electricity said that several overhead power lines were damaged by shrapnel during Iranian attacks on Wednesday but service continuity was not affected.

Emergency teams have begun assessing the damage and carrying out repairs in coordination with security authorities.

Separately, the ministry said early on Wednesday that power had been restored to all residential areas affected by outages caused by a number of overhead lines going out of service.

US-Iran news: “We attacked, very powerfully last night, the very dangerous people from Iran... There's something wrong with them. We say, 'Go and do your funeral stuff,' and instead of that, they start shooting rockets at ships yesterday. So we hit them very hard last night,” said Trump at NATO Summit in Turkey.