Iran threatens retaliation after US bombs missile sites and mine-laying boats

Tensions between the United States and Iran surged again after Tehran warned of retaliation over fresh US military strikes targeting Iranian missile launch sites and boats accused of laying naval mines near Hormuz Strait.

Iran condemned the US attacks as a "gross violation" of the ceasefire.

The overnight attacks marked the first direct US strikes inside Iran since a fragile ceasefire framework began taking shape earlier this month.

Iran's foreign ministry said it held the US responsible for the consequences of its "aggressive and unjustified actions" in the Hormozgan region, which has a coast along the Strait of Hormuz - the crucial waterway Iran has blocked causing a spike in world energy prices.

It is unclear what impact the strikes will have on talks aimed to end the conflict.

According to US Central Command, American forces launched what officials described as “self-defense strikes” against missile batteries and vessels allegedly threatening US aircraft and commercial shipping routes in southern Iran.

Iran immediately condemned the operation as a violation of ongoing ceasefire negotiations and warned Washington that any further attacks would trigger a response.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry accused the US of breaking the truce and declared that Tehran “will not ignore hostile actions or hesitate in responding,” according to regional and international media reports.

Iranian military officials also claimed American aircraft and drones had entered Iranian airspace near Bandar Abbas and the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical oil chokepoints.

The narrow waterway carries roughly a fifth of global oil shipments, making any military escalation there a major threat to global energy markets.

Explosions were reported near Bandar Abbas and other southern coastal areas after the strikes.

Iranian state-linked outlets said members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were among the casualties, though Tehran has not released an official death toll.

The US insists the strikes were defensive rather than offensive.

CentCom said American forces targeted boats suspected of laying mines in shipping lanes and missile launch sites allegedly threatening US aircraft operating in the region.

Navy Captain Tim Hawkins, a CENTCOM spokesperson, said the military “remains committed to protecting US forces” while also exercising restraint amid ongoing diplomacy.

The military action came even as diplomats from the United States and Iran continued negotiations in Qatar aimed at reaching a broader ceasefire and reopening commercial shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said negotiators were still working toward a possible “memorandum of understanding” with Tehran, though major disagreements remain over Iran’s nuclear program, sanctions relief, and regional security guarantees.

President Donald Trump meanwhile maintained an optimistic tone, saying talks were “proceeding nicely,” even as the new strikes risked undermining fragile diplomatic momentum.

Trump has also pushed for a broader Middle East realignment tied to the Abraham Accords, urging regional countries to normalize ties with Israel as part of any long-term settlement.

But the battlefield reality across the region suggests the crisis is far from contained.

Israeli officials have signaled plans to intensify military operations in Lebanon against Hezbollah positions, while Iran has tied any durable agreement to a halt in Israeli military actions there.

Analysts warn that even limited retaliatory strikes by Tehran could rapidly spiral into a broader regional war involving Gulf states, Hezbollah, and international shipping routes.

Iran’s leadership has already adopted increasingly defiant rhetoric.

According to live regional coverage Tuesday, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei warned that the United States “will no longer have a safe haven in the region” if attacks continue.

For now, diplomacy continues in parallel with limited military action — a volatile combination that has left the Middle East balancing between fragile negotiations and the risk of another major war.