Lebanon Israel Iran War

The United States launched a second round of airstrikes on Iran and Iran has fired back at Gulf States after President Donald Trump warned that Tehran would “pay the price” for stalled negotiations. The new U.S. assault across multiple Iranian cities came Thursday as efforts to negotiate an end the war again appeared stuck, with Iran insisting it would maintain its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, which has disrupted global energy supplies and sent oil prices higher. Iran retaliated with strikes targeting Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, all of which host U.S. troops. Kuwait closed its airspace in response.

The U.S and Iran have traded strikes for a second day, pushing the Middle East closer to the resumption of a full-scale war. The American attack lasted into Thursday morning in Iran. It appeared more intense and wider than the day before, but Tehran released little information on the extent of the damage. The U.S. military says it fired missiles to disable another oil tanker attempting to breach its blockade of Iranian ports. Indian official said a prior U.S. attack on an oil tanker accused of trying to violate the blockade killed three Indian mariners. It was the third time this week that back-and-forth strikes have rattled the Middle East.