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Translated by: Flutura Gashi-Mehmeti
- June 11, 2026 07:48
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The US and Iran have exchanged attacks across the Middle East for the second day in a row, further questioning the already fragile ceasefire reached between the two countries in April.
US Central Command (Centcom) has said it has completed a wave of "self-defensive" attacks against military, surveillance and radar facilities in southern Iran.
The attack came just hours after US President Donald Trump vowed that US forces would hit Iran "hard" and that Tehran had taken "a long time to reach a deal" to finally end the war.
In response, Iran has launched a series of attacks on US military assets in various countries in the region.
US military bases in Bahrain and Kuwait have been hit by Iranian fire for the second day in a row, while Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had launched ballistic missiles against a US command center in Jordan, according to Iranian state media.
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US strikes leave three Indians dead in Gulf of Oman
Bahrain's Interior Ministry said air raid sirens were activated overnight, while Kuwait's military announced on Platform X that its air defense systems had intercepted "hostile aerial targets."
Kuwait has said it has temporarily closed its airspace due to Iranian attacks.
In the latest escalation, the IRGC also said it had hit two oil tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media reported.
This came after Iranian state media reported that the Strait of Hormuz was “completely closed to all types of vessels.” However, Centcom stated that “commercial vessels are continuing to enter and exit the Strait of Hormuz.”
Oil prices have risen immediately after the announcement of the closure of the sea corridor and the alleged attack on ships.
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US carries out new attacks on Iran, Trump warns of hitting nuclear facilities
Brent crude oil, considered the global market standard, has climbed to around $95 per barrel, after an increase of roughly 2%.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Iran was given the opportunity to reach a deal but did not take advantage of it, adding that the bombs would "fall on key facilities" in the country.
Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has declared that Iran "will remain steadfast in the face of any pressure or threat."
The Iranian Foreign Ministry has previously accused the US of "damaging the diplomatic process through the contradictory messages it sends."
In April, the US and Iran agreed to a ceasefire that was initially intended to last two weeks. Since then, the two sides have occasionally exchanged attacks, without returning to full-scale conflict.
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Mediators call for 10-day US-Iran ceasefire
However, recent efforts to mediate negotiations between Washington and Tehran have stalled, while attacks have increased.
This week, a US helicopter was shot down in an attack blamed on Iran. The US immediately launched strikes on Iran. In response, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has attacked US bases across the Middle East.
Trump cancels planned attacks on Iran, warns of deal finalization
Photo: Associated Press
United States President Donald Trump has said he is canceling attacks on Iran that he had planned for tonight.
He said that he made the cancellation after discussions with Iran were raised to the highest level of leadership there and approved.
“Based on the fact that discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran have been elevated to the highest level of Iranian leadership and have been approved, I, as President of the United States of America, have called off the strikes and bombings against Iran tonight. The discussions and final points have been approved, both in concept and in fine detail, by all parties involved, including the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt, and others. The naval blockade will remain in full force until this agreement is finalized. The time and place of the signing will be announced shortly,” Trump wrote in “Social Truth.”
UN chief 'deeply concerned' by new US-Iran attacks
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is "deeply concerned" by the ongoing escalation in the Middle East, including new attacks between the US and Iran, his spokesman said, reports the BBC.
Guterres calls on the parties to return to "full implementation of the ceasefire" and respect obligations under international law to protect civilians.
His spokesman adds that he calls on the US and Iran to "redouble their efforts for a peaceful, comprehensive and lasting agreement" for regional and international peace.
Iran warns the US
A senior Iranian official has warned the US not to get involved in a "bottomless quagmire", the BBC reports.
Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who is also the chief negotiator, wrote in a post on "X" that "wrong strategies and impulsive decisions will turn the whole table upside down."
He said these decisions could "explode energy infrastructure and markets" and create "an endless swamp where you're stuck for years."
"You will see a different Iran," he said.
This reaction comes after US President Donald Trump warned to hit Iran "very hard tonight" and take control of Kharg Island.
Why is Kharg Island, which Trump says he will take control of, important?
US President Donald Trump recently warned that he would hit Iran hard on Thursday and also said that the US would take control of Kharg Island.
Trump has previously stated that he wants to take control of Iran's oil.
In a post on Thursday on Truth Social, he also said he would deal with Iranian oil the same way he dealt with Venezuelan oil.
The United States had attacked the island earlier in the war.
On March 13, the US carried out airstrikes on Kharg, with Trump declaring that US forces had “totally destroyed” every military target there. However, they did not strike the island’s oil infrastructure.
There has long been speculation about whether US forces will at some point try to take control of the island.
According to security analyst Mikey Kay, taking the island would effectively cut off the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)'s main economic source, affecting its ability to continue the war.
Control of the island could block Iranian oil exports and serve as a platform for US military strikes against Iranian territory.
The US could also use the island as a pressure tool to force Iran to keep the Strait of Hormuz open.
Why is Kharg Island important to Iran?
Kharg is a small rocky island, about 24 kilometers off the Iranian coast.
About 90% of Iran's crude oil is exported through the oil terminal on this island, where the oil is transported by pipeline from the country's mainland.
Giant oil tankers, with a capacity of up to 2 million barrels of crude oil, can dock at the island's long piers to load oil.
They then pass through the Persian Gulf and exit through the Strait of Hormuz towards China, which is the main buyer of Iranian oil.
The island constitutes a very important source of income for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Trump warns of "hitting hard" on Iran and also taking Kharg Island
Photo: Associated Press
US President Donald Trump warned on Thursday that the US would hit Iran "very hard" tonight.
In a post on Truth Social, after two days of consecutive attacks between the US and Iran, Trump also said that the US would take full control of Iran's oil infrastructure, just as it did with Venezuela.
"The United States will hit Iran (whose Navy, Air Force, Radar, Anti-Aircraft Weapons and all other forms of defense, along with most of its offensive capabilities, are gone), very hard tonight. At some point in the not too distant future, we will take Kharg Island and other oil infrastructure points, and take complete control of their oil and gas markets, just as we did with Venezuela, which is working out great for both Venezuela and the United States of America," Trump wrote.
US confirms attack on third ship in Gulf of Oman
The US has confirmed that it carried out an attack on the Guinea-Bissau-flagged ship Jalveer.
Central Command (Centcom) said the ship was "violating the blockade" by attempting to transport Iranian oil through the Gulf of Oman.
According to Centcom, this is the third ship hit by US forces in that area this week, following the attacks on the ships Marivex and Settebello.
Tensions between the US and Iran have increased this week due to the return of mutual attacks.
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Iran had "taken too long to make a deal" and that the US would be forced to attack it.
US strikes leave three Indians dead in Gulf of Oman
Three Indian sailors, who had been reported missing, have died after the US military struck an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman, an Indian federal minister announced on Thursday.
The Palau-flagged tanker MT Settebello was attacked on Wednesday after the US military accused it of disobeying “orders of US forces.” There were 24 Indian crew members on board, 21 of whom were rescued.
In a post on the X network, Indian Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal called the incident "deeply unfortunate", adding that the bodies of the three sailors will be returned to India soon.
Following Wednesday's attack, the Indian government summoned the deputy chief of the US mission in New Delhi to the Foreign Ministry.
The US military has accused the ship "Settebello" of violating the US blockade by "attempting to transport oil from Iran".
In a post on X, the US Central Command (Centcom) said that a plane hit the ship after the crew "repeatedly failed to comply with instructions given."
This is the second Indian-manned vessel to be attacked by the US this week. On Monday, US forces struck the oil tanker Marivex, also flagged by Palau and crewed by India, in the Gulf of Oman after it failed to comply with US instructions, according to Centcom.
Indian authorities have said that all 24 crew members of the Marivex have been rescued by the Omani military.
The US military has blocked access to Iranian ports after official Tehran virtually closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of the world's oil and gas supplies were transported before the war.
According to Centcom, US forces have neutralized eight ships and diverted 134 others since the blockade began on April 13.
The Indian government has meanwhile stated that "attacks on commercial transport and civilian infrastructure in the region must stop."
Meanwhile, tensions between Iran and the US show no signs of easing. The two countries exchanged attacks for a second day in a row on Thursday, adding to the pressure on a fragile ceasefire reached in April.
On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump threatened to hit Iran "hard", saying that Tehran was taking too long to sign a peace deal and was "taking the Americans for fools".
