The US carried out strikes in Iran for the second consecutive day on Thursday as President Donald Trump sought to pressure Tehran into accepting his peace terms.
Explosions and impacts were reported across southern and central Iran hours after Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said US Central Command “will be busy tonight.”
“Because President Trump said we will be hitting Iran hard – and we will be,” Hegseth told reporters.
The Pentagon chief said the strikes would target “key facilities” in Iran and added that Tehran “has an opportunity to make a deal” with Washington.
The hostilities marked the biggest escalation since a truce was reached in April.
Despite Trump’s insistence that the sides were close to a deal, the negotiations had stalled for weeks, with both sides accusing each other of bad faith and ceasefire violations.
Last week, Iran threatened to suspend the talks in response to Israel’s continued airstrikes in Lebanon. Tehran’s conditions for a peace agreement include the cessation of hostilities “on all fronts,” including Lebanon, where Israel has been waging a war against Hezbollah since early March. Israel and Iran exchanged strikes on Monday.
On Wednesday, the US launched strikes in Iran in response to what it described as the downing of an American AH-64 Apache attack helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz. Iran denied responsibility for the incident and responded with a missile barrage targeting US bases in the region.
Here are the latest developments:
10 June 2026
The Iranian Central Command announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz to all commercial shipping and warned that any vessel attempting to transit the waterway would be fired upon.
The strait, which normally handles around a quarter of the world’s seaborne oil and LNG trade, has remained largely closed since the US and Israel launched their bombing campaign against Iran in late February.
Oil prices surged above $93 per barrel after Trump announced plans for additional strikes on Wednesday night.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth dismissed a reporter’s question about whether strikes on bridges and other civilian infrastructure could constitute a war crime.
“That’s precisely the kind of disingenuous question that I’m used to from the media, impugning the motives of the folks on our side who are incredibly professional and incredibly effective,” Hegseth said.
“We will hit them hard on our terms,” he added.
Iran earlier accused the US of destroying two water reservoirs in the southern province of Hormozgan, cutting off drinking water supplies to more than 20,000 residents.
Iranian aircraft were spotted patrolling the skies over Tehran.
Axios, citing US officials, reported that Washington hopes to use the strikes to pressure Iran into signing a peace deal on Trump’s terms.
The outlet said the US was targeting Iran’s air defenses, radar systems, and drone command-and-control units.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the US had begun carrying out “additional self-defense strikes” against multiple targets.
“The strikes are in response to Iran’s unwarranted and continued aggression,” CENTCOM said.
Axios reporter Barak Ravid cited a senior US official as saying that “attacks on Iran have begun.”
More explosions were reported across southern Iran, with impacts also reported near the port of Bandar Abbas.
According to IRNA, explosions were heard in Iran’s southern Fars Province, near the Strait of Hormuz, as well as in the central city of Isfahan. Local media reported that air defenses had been activated.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that “the campaign against Iran is far from over.”
“If Iran attacks Israel, it will suffer a heavy blow like the one we delivered a few days ago. The IDF is prepared to strike Iran with great force,” he said at an awards ceremony, according to The Times of Israel.