US Strikes Iran for Second Consecutive Day, Peace Talks Threatened with Collapse
A second, larger wave of United States air strikes has hit Iran within two days, threatening to derail fragile peace talks between the two nations. The US struck multiple targets in the capital Tehran early on Thursday, just hours after hitting several cities in the south of the country on Wednesday. At least 14 people have been killed in the two days of strikes, including at least one member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). In retaliation, Iran launched attacks on US military assets and infrastructure in several Gulf states. The latest escalation follows an Iranian attack on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz earlier in the week. Tensions were further heightened as the US strikes coincided with the funeral procession for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was reportedly killed in a joint US-Israeli air strike in February. Speaking at a NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump declared that a memorandum of understanding with Iran was ‘essentially terminated’. However, he also left the door open for continued peace talks, leaving the future of the negotiation process uncertain. Trump insisted the latest strikes would not evolve into a long-term military operation, but concerns are mounting that both countries will continue to escalate military action, potentially dragging the Middle East into a wider conflict. ‘Iran very much wants to make a deal,’ Trump said following the strikes, though analysts have cast doubt on the claim. US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it struck approximately 90 military targets in Iran on Thursday, aiming to degrade Iran’s ability to target commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. A day earlier, the US military claimed to have hit around 80 military targets in response to attacks on three commercial ships transiting the strait. Washington has also revoked sanctions waivers on Iranian oil exports that were previously part of the memorandum of understanding.