Fresh US air strikes triggered Iranian air defence systems over Tehran on Wednesday as President Donald Trump declared that Washington was ‘not finished’ with its military campaign against Iran, signalling that the conflict is set to continue despite mounting political and financial costs.
The latest developments come after fighting around the strategically important Strait of Hormuz contributed to the collapse of preliminary diplomatic efforts, widening a conflict that is increasingly threatening one of the world’s most critical routes for energy exports.
The US military said its latest wave of attacks targeted military logistics facilities and other strategic infrastructure intended to reduce Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping.
Iranian state media reported explosions in several parts of the country, including near Bushehr, home to Iran’s only operational nuclear power plant.
Iranian state television reported air defence activity in western, eastern and north-eastern areas of Tehran shortly after the strikes.
The conflict has now entered its fifth month, placing growing pressure on President Trump ahead of November’s congressional elections. The military campaign has faced criticism at home over its financial burden, with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth telling lawmakers that US military operations have already cost approximately $37.5 billion.
He defended a request for additional defence funding, arguing that continued operations were still necessary.
The Pentagon also confirmed that US forces had carried out an eleventh consecutive night of strikes, saying the campaign was designed to further weaken Iran’s military capabilities and its ability to disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
President Trump suggested that future operations could include Iran’s heavily fortified Pickaxe Mountain complex, an underground site near Natanz that Western intelligence agencies suspect is linked to undeclared uranium enrichment activities.
Iran warned that any strike on the facility would represent a significant escalation.
The Khatam al-Anbiya military command said it would regard such an attack as an expansion of the war and threatened to target American interests, as well as those of Washington’s allies and supporters, across the region.
At the same time, the conflict has spread beyond Iran and the United States. Tehran has widened pressure on Gulf states aligned with Washington, while Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement has threatened to blockade Saudi Arabian ports.
Trump dismissed the Houthi threat, saying the United States would respond decisively if the group attempted to disrupt maritime trade, noting that previous American operations had significantly weakened the militants.
Saudi Arabia strongly condemned the Houthi warning, describing the group as a terrorist organisation.
Although analysts say it remains uncertain whether the Houthis possess the capability to enforce a blockade, maritime security company Vanguard Tech reported that two oil tankers altered their routes in the Red Sea after loading crude from the Saudi port of Yanbu.
Any sustained disruption could undermine Saudi Arabia’s alternative export routes that bypass the Strait of Hormuz, creating further uncertainty for global energy markets already affected by months of regional instability.
Military activity has also intensified across the Gulf. Kuwait said its air defence systems intercepted Iranian drones, while Bahrain and Jordan reported intercepting missiles and drones in recent attacks.
Iranian military officials said they had targeted US military assets in Kuwait and Bahrain, including radar systems, air defence installations and administrative facilities.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said further waves of missile and drone attacks could follow.
Meanwhile, maritime security risks continue to grow. The Revolutionary Guards claimed that two tankers travelling through the Strait of Hormuz were struck by explosions, causing major fires and forcing both vessels to stop.
Earlier, the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency reported that an unidentified projectile had hit a tanker off the coast of Oman.
Despite the escalating military exchanges, the parties have not completely suspended diplomatic contacts. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said indirect communication with Washington was continuing through mediators.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also called for restraint during talks with Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, urging all parties to avoid actions that could further destabilise the region.
With military operations expanding across Iran, the Gulf and key maritime trade routes, concerns are growing that prolonged instability could increase risks to global energy supplies, international shipping and oil prices in the months ahead.
