The United States launched a new wave of military strikes against Iranian targets Wednesday night, just hours after President Donald Trump declared the U.S.-Iran ceasefire was effectively over and warned that additional military action was imminent.

The strikes mark a dramatic escalation in the conflict after Iran resumed attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, violating the agreement reached only days earlier.

At approximately 11:15 p.m. local time, multiple explosions were reported near the strategic Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas and the nearby coastal city of Sirik.

Iran’s semi-official Fars News Agency reported that “the sound of several explosions was heard in Bandar Abbas and Sirik. The sound of some explosions was also heard coming from the sea in the area off the western coast of Sirik.”

According to Fars, Iranian air defense systems were activated and were “engaging hostile targets” in the area.

Initial reports from Bushehr indicate a high number of casualties after the reported strike on an IRGC base in the city, with witnesses saying military forces were seen evacuating wounded personnel and bodies from the compound into nearby streets. Meanwhile, Mehr reports widespread power outages across much of Chabahar in southern Iran, while IRIB says Imam Ali Hospital in the city sustained damage.

Iran’s Mehr News Agency also reported explosions in Bandar Abbas, as well as in the southern coastal cities of Konarak and Chabahar.

Moments later, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that American forces had begun carrying out strikes against Iranian military targets.

“At the direction of the Commander in Chief, U.S. Central Command forces have started conducting additional strikes against Iran to further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,” CENTCOM said in a statement.

“The United States is holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews freely navigating a vital international waterway,” the statement added.

Earlier Wednesday, President Trump said the ceasefire was over and warned that the United States would “very probably hit” Iran later in the night if Tehran continued its attacks.

Vice President JD Vance also made clear that the administration viewed Iran’s recent actions as a direct violation of the agreement reached between Washington and Tehran.

“They were good. They were well behaved for about a week, but then they started shooting at ships,” Vance told reporters in Milwaukee.

“The deal is very simple. If they shoot at ships, we’re going to knock the hell out of them. … They can either follow it or they can have exactly what happened to them last night. It’s just going to keep on happening until they open up that lane and stop shooting at ships.”

Vance stressed that President Trump remains committed to ensuring freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, describing it as “that crucial artery through which we ship a lot of the world’s energy.”

The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world’s most strategically important waterways, with roughly one-fifth of global oil supplies passing through the narrow shipping lane.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)