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Second strike wave begins
The U.S. military launched a second wave of strikes against Iran on Wednesday, with U.S. Central Command saying the operations began at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time and targeted Iranian military capabilities used to threaten vessels freely transiting through the Strait of Hormuz.
CENTCOM said the strikes were aimed at holding Iran accountable at the Commander in Chief's direction, while President Donald Trump told reporters, "I don't like giving deadlines, but they pretty much know, they know the story ... they better behave."
The Guardian reported that Centcom said U.S. aircraft fired missiles into an oil tanker’s smokestack in the strait of Hormuz, disabling the vessel, and that it followed another wave of U.S. strikes earlier on Wednesday during daylight hours.
The BBC said the U.S. military announced that at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time it began operations including a second wave of strikes against Iran today, and it reported explosions heard in the southern Iranian city of Bandar Abbas.
Trump, Vance, and Iran
President Donald Trump said he does not like giving deadlines when asked whether Iran had a deadline before the United States starts attacking Iranian bridges, and he told reporters, "I don't like giving deadlines, but they pretty much know, they know the story ... they better behave."
Vice President JD Vance ruled out sending American ground troops into Iran to overthrow its government, saying during an appearance on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” "We’re not going to send 150,000 ground troops in order to accomplish a change in a regime."
The BBC reported that Trump predicted Iran will be defeated soon, and it said the U.S. military carried out a new series of strikes on Iran aimed at curbing Tehran’s ability to threaten ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
CNN reported that Iran currently has no plans for negotiations, citing its Foreign Ministry spokesperson who added that Iran would not adhere to any agreement if the U.S. “breaches its obligations.”
Blockade, oil, and escalation
The U.S. expanded pressure beyond airstrikes by enforcing a naval blockade, with CENTCOM saying it disabled the Curaçao-flagged tanker M/T Belma after it ignored multiple warnings and attempted to violate the U.S. blockade.
The BBC said this was the first time the United States has halted a vessel by force since reimposing the blockade on Iranian ports at 20:00 GMT on Tuesday, and it reported that two commercial ships complied with orders to change course in the first 24 hours of reactivating the blockade.
The Guardian reported that Trump said he does not like giving deadlines and that he has given Iran at least eight deadlines since he and Israel launched the war on 28 February, while it also said at least 30 people have been killed in southern Iran in US attacks in recent days and more than 260 people have been injured, Iran’s health ministry said.
Bloomberg said WTI rose 0.3% to $79.60 a barrel, the highest in a month, and it reported Trump pledged to intensify strikes on Iran until Tehran stops attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz and agrees to open the vital energy corridor.
