US and Iran Clash Again in Hormuz...Trump Warns "Iran Will Cease to Exist"

US Launches Retaliatory Strikes for Second Day
Iran Responds by Targeting US Military Bases

The United States and Iran have exchanged further attacks, with clashes in the Strait of Hormuz continuing for a third consecutive day. As a result, the prospects for a follow-up meeting scheduled to take place in Switzerland at the end of this month have become uncertain.

On the 28th (local time), the US Central Command announced that it had launched a strike targeting Iran's communications facilities, air defense systems, drone storage sites, and naval mine deployment capabilities in response to the previous day's attack on an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. The Central Command explained that this operation was intended to weaken Iran's ability to attack merchant vessels.

US President Donald Trump warned via social media that the level of military pressure on Iran could be further increased. He stated, "We may reach a point where we can no longer respond rationally," adding, "If that happens, we will have no choice but to complete, by military means, what we have so successfully started." He went on to say, "If such a situation occurs, Iran will cease to exist."

Iran also retaliated. After the US airstrikes, Iran announced that it had targeted US military bases in Kuwait and Bahrain. An air raid alert sounded in Bahrain, and Kuwait reported that it had intercepted two ballistic missiles. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps declared that it would increase inspections of vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

This latest clash is adding pressure to the follow-up negotiations aimed at implementing the ceasefire agreement. Citing the provision in the agreement that states, "All necessary measures will be taken to ensure the safe passage of commercial ships," Iran is asserting its authority over transit through the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, tensions over passage rights through the strait have escalated again, as ships traversing routes supported by the US have come under attack.

The US military reported that on Saturday, the Panama-flagged oil tanker Kikuho, carrying 2 million barrels of crude oil near the Strait of Hormuz, was attacked by an Iranian drone. According to the UK Maritime Trade Operations, which is linked to the British Navy, the tanker's main command center, the bridge, was targeted in the attack.

Iran has not specifically acknowledged responsibility for the attack on the Kikuho. However, Iranian state media reported that the Revolutionary Guard had struck US targets and reaffirmed its control over vessel traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.

The Joint Maritime Information Center, which includes the US and UK navies, raised the maritime security threat level for the Strait of Hormuz to "significant" as attacks on merchant ships continued. The US military also announced that it had shot down two additional drones aimed at commercial vessels that day.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.