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Strikes, blockade, and threats
The United States launched fresh strikes on Iran on Wednesday evening, with President Donald Trump warning Tehran it "better behave" as the military said it targeted "Iranian military capabilities used to threaten vessels" through the Strait of Hormuz.
US Central Command said a 90-minute wave targeted Iran's coastal defences and cruise missile storage and launch sites on Greater Tunb Island, and it also said it had redirected two commercial vessels since reimposing its blockade on Iranian ports on Tuesday evening.
The escalation came after Iran claimed it had struck US military targets in the region, including in Bahrain and Kuwait, as a fifth day of renewed hostilities strained their preliminary deal to end the war.
Trump had threatened late on Tuesday to attack bridges and power plants should Iran not return to talks next week, and he told reporters: "I don't like giving deadlines, but they pretty much know, they know the story... they better behave."
Iranian responses and US framing
Iran's top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf told state media Tehran had "no reason" to abide by the deal if it did benefit from it, while Trump said Iran was "not happy right now" and that "We'll find out whether we want to settle with them or if we just finish it off."
In a translated statement reported in Iranian state media, Ghalibaf also said, "We have never welcomed war, and we will not, but we must always be prepared for battle," and he added that Iran must "use the tools of diplomacy and negotiation" to achieve national interests.
CNN reported that Iran currently had "no plans for negotiations," citing a Foreign Ministry spokesperson who added that Tehran would not adhere to any agreement if the US "breaches its obligations."
CNN also described US actions to enforce the blockade, saying CENTCOM disabled an empty oil tanker sailing toward Kharg Island and that it marked the first vessel disabled by US forces since the naval blockade of Iranian ports went back into effect on Tuesday.
Casualties, markets, and what’s next
The Guardian reported that at least 30 people have been killed in southern Iran in US attacks in recent days and more than 260 people have been injured, citing Iran's health ministry.
“US launches fresh strikes on Iran as Trump warns Tehran it 'better behave' The United States said it had launched fresh strikes against Iran on Wednesday evening as President Donald Trump warned Tehran it "better behave"”
In Iran, the Ministry of Health's Public Relations and Information Center head Hossein Kermanpour said in a message that "to date more than 260 people have been injured" and that "222 of the injured were treated and discharged," while noting that among the martyrs, "2 are women."
CNBC reported that oil prices edged higher on Wednesday morning, with Brent crude futures held above the $85 per barrel mark, and it quoted Jakob Larsen of BIMCO saying the back-and-forth "adds to the confusion and the complexity of the whole situation."
The BBC said the latest US strikes marked the second wave its military said it had carried out during daylight hours on Wednesday, and it reported that the blockade had previously been lifted as part of a memorandum of understanding aimed to end the months-long conflict.
