The United States and Iran expanded their military confrontation over the past 24 hours with fresh strikes, missile and drone attacks across the Persian Gulf and growing disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz despite diplomatic efforts to preserve a ceasefire.
The latest US strikes hit southern Iran on Thursday, with a provincial official saying an attack on a pier in Sirik killed three people and wounded 15 others. Iranian media also reported explosions near Bandar Abbas, while a Bushehr official said projectiles struck areas around the province's nuclear power plant.
The attacks followed a broader US campaign against Iranian military infrastructure along the country's southern coast.
US Central Command said it struck around 90 military targets, including coastal surveillance systems, air defenses, anti-ship missile positions, drone and missile storage sites, logistics infrastructure and dozens of Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps naval vessels, saying the operation was intended to reduce Iran's ability to threaten shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran responded by announcing missile and drone attacks on what it called US military facilities in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, saying it targeted air defense systems, fuel storage sites and other military infrastructure in retaliation for the US strikes.
Bahrain and Kuwait said their air defenses intercepted incoming missiles and drones, while Jordan activated nationwide air raid sirens after missiles and drones entered its airspace.
The US Embassy in Amman urged Americans to seek shelter indoors, and Qatar condemned Iranian attacks on Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait while urging all sides to return to diplomacy.
Strait of Hormuz
The confrontation increasingly centered on the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important energy corridors.
Bloomberg reported commercial traffic through the waterway had slowed to a near standstill, while CBS News, citing vessel-tracking data, said only three fuel tankers were observed transiting the strait on Thursday.
The IRGC Navy said shipping had recovered to about half of pre-war levels under routes designated by Iran but warned any US attempt to control maritime traffic would receive a "crushing response."
Oil prices climbed to their highest levels in about three weeks as traders weighed the risks to global energy supplies.
Diplomacy falters
President Donald Trump said the United States had struck Iran "much harder" after attacks on commercial ships and warned further Iranian action would trigger an even stronger response.
He also questioned whether Tehran could be trusted to uphold any future agreement despite saying Iran had again sought negotiations.
Axios reported the White House was preparing for the possibility of a military exchange lasting days or even weeks depending on Iran's next moves in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran accused Washington of violating the memorandum of understanding reached after April's ceasefire and appealed to the UN Security Council, arguing the latest strikes breached both the agreement and the UN Charter.
Qatar urged both Washington and Tehran to honor the memorandum and return to dialogue, while Iraq said it was seeking to promote rapprochement between the two countries.
Funeral ceremonies continue
Military operations unfolded alongside the final stage of funeral ceremonies for former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
After processions in Tehran, Qom, Najaf and Karbala, Khamenei's coffin was flown from Iraq to Mashhad for burial. Iranian authorities presented the ceremonies as a demonstration of regional solidarity, while IRGC-affiliated media published photographs it said showed Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani attending the funeral.
The past day's events showed how the confrontation has shifted beyond Iran's nuclear program, with the Strait of Hormuz emerging as the military and economic center of the conflict.
The responses shared with Iran International and posted on X and Instagram pointed less to enthusiasm for military escalation than to exhaustion after nearly four months of conflict. Many described life in a state of “neither war nor peace,” where even short-term decisions have been put on hold.
They spoke of worsening economic pressure, constant anxiety and tighter security conditions, as the United States and Iran traded a fresh round of attacks on Wednesday and Thursday, throwing their fragile agreement to end the war into deeper doubt.
The US military said it struck about 90 targets across Iran after Trump said the interim deal with Tehran is over for him, citing Iranian attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran responded with strikes on US-linked targets in Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait, as both sides accused each other of violating the interim agreement.
The Pentagon said it targeted Iranian military sites involved in attacks on commercial shipping.
Iran’s foreign ministry said the US strikes hit civilian infrastructure, including two railway bridges on the route to Mashhad, where authorities planned to bury former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Thursday. Fars said one was the Aq Taqeh Khan railway bridge in Golestan province, part of a northern route to China and Russia that became more important after the US blockade of Iran’s Persian Gulf ports.
Many messages sent to Iran International linked the timing of the strikes to Khamenei’s funeral, saying they disrupted what the Islamic Republic had tried to stage as a show of unity and political continuity.
“I hope this time the war makes a difference and this cancer is removed from the root. We’re all suffering,” one citizen wrote.
Others saw Trump’s tougher language as a sign that diplomacy with Tehran had reached a dead end.
“Should we tell Trump, ‘We told you so,’ or is it still too early?” one message read.
Another wrote: “Mr. Trump seems to have only just realized what kind of creature he is dealing with.”
Several urged Trump not to return to negotiations.
“Mr. Trump, Mr. Netanyahu and NATO leaders, have you realized yet that negotiating with the Islamic Republic is a waste of time?” one message said.
Another person in Tehran wrote: “Mr. Trump, you say bad days are coming for Iran. Come here for one day. If you find even one good day under the Islamic Republic, you’ll see the hell they have created for the people.”
Hope tempered by fear
Despite welcoming Trump's apparent shift away from diplomacy, several said they feared another drawn-out conflict that would deepen economic hardship without bringing meaningful political change.
"Mr. Trump, please stop. We don't know whether to worry about war, inflation, the dollar or our future," one citizen wrote.
Another said: "I'm only worried that war starts again but nothing changes. If war is inevitable, I hope it benefits the people of Iran."
Some openly encouraged stronger military action.
"President Trump, please finish the job quickly. People, don't lose hope. Our day of freedom is near," one message read.
Another added: "I'm a Trump supporter. I like him. He's a superpower that nobody can challenge. But sometimes he goes off script. Please, President Trump, finish the job this time. It's hard living in your own country with a group of criminals."
Others remained skeptical, saying Trump's previous preference for negotiations made them doubt whether the latest strikes would ultimately produce lasting change.
'Mohammad Something' becomes an instant meme
Trump's remarks on Wednesday also generated a wave of satire after he seemingly referred to chief negotiator Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf as "Mohammad something" while describing US surveillance of Iran's nuclear facilities.
The phrase quickly became one of the most widely shared jokes among Persian-language users on X, spawning countless memes aimed at senior Iranian officials.
X user Amin Parvin wrote: "We are living in a state of no war, no peace, no ceasefire and Mohammad Something."
Another user wrote: "Mohammad Something, Mojtaba (Khamenei) Nothing. You've become the laughing stock of the world."
Many directed the joke at Ghalibaf’s page after Trump appeared unable to recall his name.
"Mohammad Something, write your will. Trump didn't even bother learning your surname," one post said.
Another wrote: "Mohammad Something, it looks like this time it's your turn."
Reading Trump's strategy
Beyond the humor, users also debated whether Trump's harsher rhetoric signaled the abandonment of diplomacy or a negotiating tactic designed to force Iranian concessions.
"Trump is playing cat and mouse with them. He doesn't want a full-scale war yet. He's waiting for their response before deciding what to do next," one X user wrote.
Another posted: "I'm genuinely happy Trump is finally seeing their true nature."
Others argued Trump still preferred a negotiated settlement but believed military pressure had become his principal leverage.
"Trump loves being able to say he defeated them without war, so he's trying to disarm them through negotiations," one user wrote. "But their file is closed. Trump himself has said they'll lose their uranium either through negotiations or through war."
Iran's foreign ministry said it handed the ambassador a protest note rejecting what it called "groundless and false" British statements that Tehran had sought to carry out security-related activities in the United Kingdom.
Britain summoned Iran's chargé d'affaires on Tuesday after George Stana and Nandito Badea were sentenced to 12 years and eight years in prison, respectively, for their role in the 2024 attack on Pouria Zeraati, an Iranian-British journalist who works for Iran International.
Zeraati was stabbed three times in the leg near his home in southwest London in March 2024.
British prosecutors said the two Romanian nationals were acting as proxies for the Iranian government. They had pleaded not guilty to wounding with intent but were convicted at London's Woolwich Crown Court.
Judge links attack to Iranian state
The British Foreign Office said the judge had concluded that the attack was carried out "in the interests of, and on behalf of, the Iranian state."
According to a police statement, the judge ruled that the "foreign power condition" under Britain's National Security Act was met in Stana's case because of "extensive planning and his lengthy involvement in the plot", indicating that he knew, or at least should have known, of the connection to the Iranian state.
The police statement said the condition was not met in Badea's case because he was not aware of the Iran connection as the reason for the attack.
Tehran rejects British move
Iran's foreign ministry rejected Britain's statements as "groundless and false" and said they amounted to an attempt to divert attention from Britain's own conduct.
Britain's Foreign Office said the case followed "a longstanding pattern of hostile activity by the Iranian intelligence services on UK soil" and said Iran must stop such activity immediately. Iran's embassy in London has rejected what it called "unfounded, politically motivated and hostile allegations."
Iran's foreign ministry also called on Britain to stop hosting media outlets that Tehran said were "funded and directed by the Israeli regime." It said Britain should end such activity "as soon as possible."
"As far as I'm concerned, it's over," Trump told reporters in Ankara before a NATO summit.
"I don't want to deal with them anymore. They're scum... they're sick people, they're led by sick people, and they're vicious, violent people."
Trump said he would allow US negotiators to continue talks if they wished but signaled he no longer believed diplomacy would succeed.
"They want to negotiate. They're good people... but they have to come back to me," he said. "As far as I'm concerned, it's just a waste of time dealing with them, they're liars."
Last month, Washington and Tehran had signed a memorandum of understanding setting out a framework to end the conflict, including steps toward a ceasefire and renewed talks over Iran's nuclear program.
Trump defends overnight strikes
Trump defended US strikes carried out overnight, saying they came after Iran launched missiles at ships a day earlier.
"We hit them very hard last night, very hard," he said. "I told them every time you hit, we hit."
He said Iran targeted commercial shipping after Washington had allowed time for funeral ceremonies for supreme leader Ali Khamenei following earlier fighting.
"We said, 'Go and do your funeral stuff,' and instead of that they start shooting rockets at ships yesterday."
'We're going to denuke it'
Trump repeated that Iran could never be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon.
"They can't have a nuclear weapon," he said. "We're going to denuke it. We're not going to let them."
He said Iran killed US troops through proxy attacks and blamed former Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani for supplying roadside bombs that killed American soldiers.
"They've killed thousands and thousands of our soldiers," Trump said. "They've killed hundreds of thousands of innocent people."
Trump also said Iran had sought to kill him.
"I saw things this morning. I'm on every single one of their lists," he said. "So far I guess I've been lucky."
He described Iran's leaders as "evil, sick people" and compared the country to "cancer."
"You've got to cut out cancer early."
'They killed 54,000 people'
Trump also said Iran's authorities killed thousands of protesters during anti-establishment demonstrations.
"They killed 54,000 people as of now that were protesting," he said.
"When people say, 'How come they haven't taken over?' They can't take over because they're dead."
He also added that Iran repeatedly breaks agreements.
"We make a deal... everyone's agreed, no nuclear weapon... they go outside, talk to the press, they say we never even talked about it," Trump said.
"There's something wrong with them. They're cuckoo."
Criticizes NATO allies
Trump also renewed criticism of NATO, saying several allies refused to support the United States during the conflict with Iran.
He said Britain, Germany and France declined requests to assist Washington during the fighting.
"They said, 'We don't want to help you now, but we'll help you when the war is over,'" Trump said.
He said the United States had been "treated unfairly" by NATO and paid "billions and billions of dollars too much" for the alliance's defense.
Trump also repeated criticism of Spain, calling it "a terrible partner in NATO" and saying he wanted to end US trade with the country.
The remarks came after the United States carried out a new wave of strikes on military targets in Iran in response to attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran later launched missile and drone attacks on US military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait, further eroding the memorandum signed earlier this week to halt the fighting.
