The United States has carried out a fifth consecutive day of strikes against Iran, targeting coastal defence systems and missile infrastructure as Iranian leaders declared they have no interest in returning to the negotiating table. The latest bombardment came after Washington reimposed a naval blockade of Iranian ports, deepening a crisis that has sent global oil prices surging and left the vital Strait of Hormuz effectively closed to commercial shipping.
What the US military struck — and why
US Central Command confirmed that American forces launched a coordinated wave of strikes beginning at 6am, hitting coastal defence systems and cruise missile storage and launch sites on Iran's Greater Tunb Island. The operation was completed within approximately 90 minutes.
"The strikes are designed to further degrade military capabilities Iranian forces have used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz," the US military said in a statement.
Reports also indicated that US projectiles struck a location on Iran's Hengam Island in the strait. Three US officials are understood to have confirmed that the strikes targeting the strait serve a dual purpose — forcing the waterway back open while simultaneously destroying Iranian military assets that would need to be neutralised before any more complex operations could be undertaken.
For more on the escalating military campaign, see our earlier coverage of US strikes on Iran as Tehran declared the Strait of Hormuz closed.
Iran rules out talks, threatens wider energy disruption
Iranian leaders used pointed language on Wednesday to signal that diplomacy is no longer on offer. The country's foreign ministry spokesman was quoted as saying: "We have no plans for negotiations at the moment and are focused on defence."
Iran's top negotiator and parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, framed the conflict in the starkest of terms, declaring: "We are in an essential and existential war with America." Qalibaf argued that Iran's security depended on maintaining what he described as "Iranian arrangements" in the Strait of Hormuz — a claim that marks a significant departure from Iran's pre-war stance, when it did not assert authority over the waterway.
Tehran also escalated its economic threats on Wednesday, with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warning that the US "must brace for the closure of all other export corridors that benefit the US and its allies." The IRGC additionally claimed it had struck US military targets in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan.
Strait of Hormuz closure hammers global oil markets
The strategic and economic consequences of the conflict are already being felt worldwide. The Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of global oil and gas shipments passed before the war, has seen shipping traffic fall to a fraction of its pre-war levels since Iran announced its closure late on Saturday.
Brent crude oil, the international benchmark, closed at a one-month high of $US84.95 a barrel on Wednesday as markets absorbed the ongoing disruption.
The broader conflict, which analysts say has killed thousands and displaced millions — primarily in Iran and Lebanon, where fighting has also resumed between Israel and Hezbollah — has its roots in a fragile ceasefire that collapsed after an interim deal last month failed to lead to substantive negotiations. You can review the full Timeline of the 2026 Iran war for context on how hostilities reached this point.
Trump signals deal possible, but Iran unmoved
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Iran badly wants to reach a settlement, and that Washington would determine whether to pursue such an outcome. He had previously said on Tuesday that US negotiators had been in contact with Iranian counterparts, relaying the message to "make a deal."
Despite Trump's public overtures, Iran's position appears hardened. The collapse of the interim ceasefire — which was intended to pave the way for talks on Iran's nuclear programme and a permanent truce — has left little diplomatic ground to stand on, with Iranian officials now publicly dismissing any imminent return to dialogue. For background on how the ceasefire unravelled, see our earlier report on Trump declaring the ceasefire over.
