Iran says it struck ships in Strait of Hormuz after US launches new strikes

The US military has launched new strikes on Iran after President Donald Trump said US forces would hit the country "hard" as Tehran has taken "too long to make a deal" to end the war.

The US Central Command (Centcom) said it began "self-defense strikes" on Wednesday against "multiple targets". It said the strikes were a "response to Iran's unwarranted and continued aggression".

Two ships in the Strait of Hormuz were hit by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) navy shortly after the country's military said vessels would be "targeted" in the Strait, state media reports.

Both sides have targeted military and surveillance sites recently in a marked escalation of tit-for-tat airstrikes.

Explosions have also been heard on the island of Qeshm in the Gulf, as well as a number of other cities, including Bandar Abbas and Sirik.

In response to the US strikes, Iran's top military command warned all vessels – including oil tankers and commercial ships – transiting through Hormuz would be attacked.

The IRGC navy, which patrols the strategically important strait, said soon after that it had struck two oil tankers attempting what it called "illegal passage".

Hours before the latest US attack was launched, Trump had warned: "We hit them hard yesterday and we're going to hit them hard again today."

Trump wrote on Truth Social that Iranian leaders have "taken too long to negotiate a deal", while the Iranian foreign ministry accused the US of "damaging the diplomatic process through the contradictory message it sends".

In response to Trump's comments Iran's president Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran "will stand firm against any pressure or threat".

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth later said bombs would be "dropping on key facilities in Iran".

Hegseth said Iran had been given a chance to make a deal but had not taken it, and Trump had said Iran would be attacked again if no peace deal was secured.

In April, the US and Iran agreed a ceasefire that was initially meant to last for two weeks. Both sides have since exchanged intermittent fire, without returning to full-scale hostilities.

However, recent efforts to broker negotiations between Washington and Tehran have stalled and attacks have ramped up.

On Tuesday, a US helicopter was downed in an attack that was blamed on Iran. The IRGC responded by targeting US bases across the Middle East.