US strikes on Iran 'injure two' with regime responding by shutting Strait of Hormuz
The fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran appears to have broken down as the pair trade fresh strikes and Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz
A fresh wave of US strikes on Iran have injured two people, state media say as it announces that the regime has closed the Strait of Hormuz.
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The attacks were called "self-defence strikes", which the US has carried out on multiple targets at the direction of Donald Trump. The strikes began at 5:15pm ET, according to CENTCOM.
The strikes injured two residents in the city of Kargan, in Iran’s Hormozgan province, according to state broadcaster IRIB.
The two people sustained shrapnel injuries and were transferred to a hospital in Minab for treatment.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced after the strikes that the crucial Strait of Hormuz will now be “closed to all vessels".
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“Effective immediately, due to insecurity in the region, the Strait of Hormuz is declared closed to all vessels, including oil tankers and commercial ships,” the IRGC said in a post on its official Telegram.
“Any vessel attempting to transit the strait will be targeted.”
US Central Command (CENTCOM) pushed back on the Iranian claim of shutting the Strait, saying that commercial ships continue to transit in and out of the strait.
The critical waterway has been choked off for months because of the war, posing major risks to the global economy with only 15% of tankers seen making the crossing compared to before the conflict began.
In a statement posted to X, CENTCOM wrote: "U.S. Central Command forces began launching additional self-defense strikes today at 5:15 p.m. ET against multiple targets in Iran at the Commander in Chief’s direction.
"The strikes are in response to Iran’s unwarranted and continued aggression".
The IRNA news agency claimes that military projectiles have caused explosions in Qeshm and Hengam, two Iranian islands located in the Persian Gulf. There have also been reports of "enemy projectiles" in the southern city of Sirik, Iran's Press TV reported.
Two "violating ships" trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz have been struck, according to Iranian state media.
The country's top joint military command has said any vessel attempting passage will be shot at – including oil tankers and commercial ships.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that armed forces would follow orders from the president hit Iran hard on Wednesday by bombing "key facilities."
He told reporters at the CENTCOM headquarters on Wednesday that Iran had been given a chance to make a deal but had not taken it.
"We will hit them hard on our terms on the targets that improve the environment for us to operate in and undermine the capabilities that Iran wants to have," Hegseth said.
Trump previously warned that the US would strike Iran again if no peace deal was secured, and threatened further action after hostilities intensified in the region and peace building efforts deteriorated.
Explosions were previously reported in several areas of Iran, including attacks on the island of Qeshm and Bandar Abbas, according to state media. The strikes began around 5pm Eastern Time (10pm in the UK) on Tuesday.
Tehran has vowed to respond to the attacks, as Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, took to X to claim that the US has "opted to test our determination" despite "defeats on the battlefield".
"Leave our region if you want to be safe," he writes, adding: "Our powerful armed forces will leave no attack or threat unanswered."
The strikes were carried out under Trump’s direction "in response to the downing of a US Army Apache helicopter" yesterday, according to a statement from US Central Command.
The statement added: "The mission is a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression”.
The US military attacked several Iranian air defence and radar systems around the Strait of Hormuz, according to Axios reports, which cite a senior US official.
President Trump described the strikes as "very strong" and "very powerful", telling ABC News: "I think it's very important to respond. They shot down a helicopter, and we are responding as we speak”.
"I believe in responding in a strong manner. I always have throughout my life. This is a response to what they did with our helicopter last night, and I believe the response should be very strong, very powerful, and that's what this one is."