US president threatens to ‘militarily complete the job’ as US strikes Iran over ship attacks.
US-Iran confrontation: Strikes raise fears of return to conflict
The far-right national security minister has again slammed the framework agreement with Lebanon as a “historic mistake, a terrible missed opportunity, and a lament for generations”.
In a post on X, Itamar Ben-Gvr said Israel must “crush” not “anesthetize” Hezbollah.
He said the deal gives Hezbollah the “lifeline it has begged for in the form of a ceasefire” and dismissed claims the Lebanese army can dismantle the armed group guarantee the country’s security as a “dangerous illusion”.
“The Lebanese army is weak and infiltrated. Hezbollah members and their supporters are an integral part of this army’s ranks. They have not prevented the buildup of Hezbollah for decades, and nothing will change now,” he said.
Ben-Gvir says he opposed the deal for weeks in the Israeli cabinet before it was signed and that he would continue to do so.
The latest confrontations between the US and Iran have highlighted the fragility of their agreement.
Al Jazeera’s Mohamed Vall has been speaking to Iranians about their fears and hopes.
Watch below:
Abas Aslani, a senior research fellow at the Center for Middle East Strategic Studies, says the US and Iran are both trying to assert their vision of what a new transit system for the Strait of Hormuz should look like.
“Tehran believes that the US is violating the terms of the MoU by trying to determine a different corridor for the transit of the vessels and tankers that were supposed to go through a determined pathway,” he told Al Jazeera from Tehran.
He noted Iran has been holding talks with Oman “to set the new arrangements”, and was planning to talk to regional countries, too.
“But the US wants now to pressure regional countries and to use force to pressure Iran in order to change the current status quo in the Strait of Hormuz, and bring it back to the pre-war situation, and Iran is insisting that this cannot return to the previous status quo [and that] a new reality and a new strait has been born,” Aslani said.
“So that’s why we are seeing that the two sides are flexing muscles in relation to the strategic assets for Iran. This is very significant because abandoning such a strategic leverage could pose existential risks for the country,” he added.
CENTCOM says the strikes were carried out by US fighter jets “at multiple locations in and near the Strait of Hormuz”.
It also shared a grainy, black-and-white video on social media, showing some of the apparent attacks.
As we just reported, Iran’s IRGC said the US bombed five coastal locations in the country in its latest round of attacks.
U.S. Navy and Air Force fighter jets conducted strikes tonight on 10 Iranian military targets at multiple locations in and near the Strait of Hormuz for Iran's drone attack on M/T Kiku. pic.twitter.com/Z0TLZRqmF6
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) June 28, 2026
We have more from the IRGC’s statement following the latest tit-for-tat attacks with the US.
The IRGC reiterated that, under the US-Iran interim deal, “the arrangements for controlling traffic in the Strait of Hormuz” are with Tehran.
“And from now on, violating ships will be dealt with more forcefully than in the past,” it said.
The IRGC also warned that “any possible enemy aggression, under any pretext” – such as the US attacks carried out over the past few days – will be met with “a crushing response”.
Violating the ceasefire contravenes the MoU, “and will result in a complete halt to the processes”, the statement added.
Reporting from Washington, DC
President Trump is saying that the strikes were carried out because it was Iran that has violated the ceasefire again.
He said that US aircraft targeted Iranian missile and drone storage sites, as well as coastal radar facilities. This is very much consistent with the message published by US Central Command, saying that the US military had conducted strikes in direct response to overnight drone attacks by Iran against a Panama-flagged tanker, the MT Kiku, which was carrying more than 2 million barrels of oil.
One of the most significant parts of this social media post by Trump is this threat, this warning, that there may come a time when the United States is “no longer able to be reasonable” and would be forced to militarily “complete the job”.
That’s similar to language and rhetoric that Trump has publicly used in the past.
It’s very strong language, and it suggests that the White House is trying to send a deterrent message here to Iran, saying to stop these attacks or else Iran could run the risk of further and more broad military action.
This raises fresh questions, fresh concerns, over the possibility of escalation and whether this fragile ceasefire can continue to hold.
Iran’s IRNA and Tasnim news agencies have shared a statement from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), confirming the attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain.
The IRGC said its navy and air force launched ballistic missiles and drones at the US Ali Al Salem airbase in Kuwait and the US Fifth Naval Fleet at Port Salman in the Bahraini capital, Manama.
The statement said the attacks were in response to the US bombing of five coastal locations in Iran.
Oman has joined other Gulf neighbours in condemning an alleged Iranian drone strike on Bahrain on Saturday.
The government says it is “reaffirming its full solidarity with [Bahrain] in all that serves to safeguard its security, the safety of its territories, and the protection of its sovereignty, and renewing its total rejection of all acts that would undermine the security and stability of the region”.
Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE condemned the strike earlier.
The report comes as Bahrain activated air raid sirens for a second day as the US and Iran exchanged tit-for-tat attacks in their worst escalation since the signing of an MoU more than a week ago.
Reporting from Tehran, Iran
So far, there hasn’t been any statement released by Iranian officials, neither by the army nor the government.
However, state TV is reporting that several projectiles hit telecommunications towers.
There have been two districts hit, the city of Sirik and Qeshm Island.
We are seeing a pattern. Since the memorandum of understanding was signed in Switzerland last week, this is the second time these two parties are engaging militarily, and that, of course, is raising concerns and questions about the future of the memorandum, and also about the future of the ongoing negotiations.
There is a dilemma here now for both countries.
For the United States, keeping the Strait of Hormuz is extremely important for global stability, for the price of oil, and, of course, to diminish tensions that are rising in the Gulf countries as well.
For Iran, on the other hand, the Strait of Hormuz is almost the only leverage that Iran has in the ongoing negotiations. And Iranians believe if they allow the country to be bypassed, then they’re going to lose their biggest leverage, and it’s going to significantly weaken the Iranians’ hand at the negotiating table.
That’s why they’re saying they are ready to fight to preserve their control over the Strait of Hormuz.
The Kuwaiti military says the country’s air defences are responding to “hostile missile and drone threats”.
The military urged people to adhere to safety instructions.
We’ll bring you more as soon as we can.
تتصدى حالياً الدفاعات الجوية الكويتية لهجمات صاروخية وطائرات مسيرة معادية.
تنوه رئاسة الأركان العامة للجيش أن أصوات الانفجارات إن سمعت فهي نتيجة اعتراض منظومات الدفاع الجوي للهجمات المعادية.
يرجى من الجميع التقيد بتعليمات الأمن والسلامة الصادرة عن الجهات المختصة.… pic.twitter.com/A65ETW44zq
— KUWAIT ARMY – الجيش الكويتي (@KuwaitArmyGHQ) June 28, 2026
We have more on the US’s earlier attacks on Iran.
According to the IRIB state broadcaster, four projectiles hit the city of Bandar-e Lengeh in Hormozgan province, following attacks on the city of Sirik and on Qeshm Island.
The Strait of Hormuz remains at the centre of tensions between the US and Iran, despite a ceasefire aimed at ending the conflict.
Different transit routes have been promoted as safe for commercial shipping, while competing claims over control of the strategic waterway have raised new concerns about maritime security and the durability of the truce.
Watch below:
Bahrain’s Interior Ministry has urged people to “remain calm and head to the nearest safe place” as “the siren has been sounded”.
We’ll bring you more as soon as we can.
The siren has been sounded ..Citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place.
— Ministry of Interior (@moi_bahrain) June 27, 2026
Hello, and welcome to our live coverage of the United States and Israel’s war on Iran, and Israel’s attacks on Lebanon.
Stay with us for the latest news and analysis from across the Middle East and beyond.
You can find our updates from Saturday, June 27, here.
The attacks come after an alleged Iranian drone struck another commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday.
Israel, Lebanon and US have signed deal aimed at ending hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, but group rejects it.
Hezbollah chief calls the deal ‘null and void’, raising questions if the latest agreement can lead to peace in Lebanon.
Iran’s IRGC appears to have rejected US claims of a military hotline will operate between the two countries.
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