The US says it is striking Iran after Donald Trump earlier threatened to "hit them hard" tonight
Iranian media is reporting explosions heard in areas along the country's southern coast and that strikes have hit Iranian-controlled islands in the Gulf
US Central Command (Centcom) says the strikes are in response to "recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews" in the Strait of Hormuz
It follows US strikes on Tuesday, which Centcom said were in response to attacks on three commercial vessels transiting the strait – Iran said it responded with retaliatory attacks on US military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait in the early hours of Wednesday
Responding to Trump's comments earlier, Iran's foreign minister said: "We do not answer vulgarity with vulgarity, but with action: fearlessly and with great valour"
Edited by Ben Hatton
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Donald Trump says the US strikes are "in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran".
The US president adds in a post on Truth Social: "If it happens again, it will get much worse."
His post includes an image of another post on social media that appears to be reporting strikes in Chabahar in southern Iran, which have not been verified by the BBC.
The ongoing strikes on Iran will be greater in number than those carried out on Tuesday, Reuters reports, citing a US official speaking on condition of anonymity.
Axios also reports cites an unnamed US official as saying the latest strikes are wider in scope than Tuesday's.
US Central Command said it hit over 80 targets in its strikes on Tuesday, including Iranian air defence systems, command and control networks, coastal radar sites, anti-ship missile capabilities, and more than 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps small boats.
A reporter on Iranian state television says that the disputed Abu Musa Island in the Gulf has been hit with two projectiles.
Under a clip posted on Telegram, Fars, the semi-official government news agency, says that eight explosions were heard tonight east of Bandar Abbas, a port city on the country's south coast.
It reports that two projectiles struck Abu Musa Island, two struck Sirik Island, and two explosions were also heard elsewhere on the south coast.
For context: Iran controls the three islands of Abu Musa, Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb in the Gulf, but they are also claimed by the UAE. This has been the subject of a longstanding dispute between the two countries.
Trump said earlier today that the US would "probably" strike Iran "very hard" again tonight.
"We hit them very hard last night, very, very hard," Trump said, adding the US would "probably hit them hard again tonight".
Trump added: "I gave them a little warning, we're gonna hit them hard again tonight."
Earlier in the day, when asked whether the ceasefire is over and the memorandum of understanding the two countries agreed last month was also over, Trump said: "To me, I think it's over.
"I don't want to deal with them anymore, they're scum. You know what scum is? They're scum. They're sick people."
Asked if talks would resume, Trump said: "I don't care, they can talk. But I think they're wasting their time. They're a bunch of lying guys."
Iranian media have reported explosions being heard at several locations across the south of the country.
State-run outlets report several explosions being heard in the areas of Konarak and Chabahar, with IRNA saying power has been cut off in parts of the latter.
IRIB adds that air defence systems have been activated in Bandar Abbas and that several explosions have been reported in the area.
US Central Command says it is carrying out further strikes on Iran.
It says on social media: "At the direction of the Commander in Chief, U.S. Central Command forces have started conducting additional strikes against Iran to further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
"The United States is holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews freely navigating a vital international waterway."
Nick Johnson
Reporting from Washington DC
Speaking from the Nato summit in Turkey, President Trump made it clear his patience with Iran was running thin.
Shortly after describing the leadership in Tehran as “scum” – he said the US would "probably" strike Iran “very hard” again tonight.
On Tuesday, the US attacked sites in Iran which it claims were used to launch strikes upon commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran replied by targeting US interests in Bahrain and Kuwait.
But, we’ve been here before.
Only last week, ceasefire talks resumed following another tit-for-tat exchange of fire between Iran and the US. And despite the president’s rhetoric, it’s not clear if the ceasefire has yet run its course.
The duration and intensity of any subsequent US strikes on Iran should provide a clearer picture.
While Donald Trump did not rule out a continuation of the ongoing peace talks, this latest exchange of words and bombs is yet another test of a ceasefire which looks increasingly fragile.
We're ending our live coverage now. You can read more in our news story.
By Joshua Cheetham
The US says it carried out its latest round of strikes in response to attacks on three commercial vessels which it has blamed on Iran.
But these aren’t the only ships to come under attack recently in the Strait of Hormuz.
In total, at least five vessels have been targeted since the US and Iran signed a deal to end the war on 17 June.
The first, on 25 June, was a Singaporean-flagged container ship called Ever Lovely.
The others were three oil tankers and an LPG carrier, tied to owners in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Greece and South Korea.
All were hit near the coast of Oman, along shipping routes that the UN’s International Maritime Organization, the US and its regional allies have said ships should use to transit the strait.
Iran has previously warned ships to only use a corridor further to the north of the strait which has been approved by Tehran.
By Thomas Copeland
As a reminder, Tuesday's US strikes on Iran followed attacks by Iran on three tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has been trying to assert control over the Strait of Hormuz and has demanded that ships take a government-approved route.
Since a deal to end the war with the US was signed on 17 June, Iran has been blamed for five strikes on ships using other routes instead.
This includes a route recommended by the US through Omani waters and also an International Maritime Organization lane through the middle of the strait.
The numbers of ships carrying cargo, oil or gas through these non-Iranian routes steadily grew to a peak of 38 on 24 June, according to data from maritime intelligence firm Kpler.
Then Iran attacked two ships and traffic through the non-Iranian routes slumped.
But these transits have continued at a lower level, despite Iran’s threats, averaging about 13 a day between 30 June and 7 July.
We’ll be keeping a close eye on the data to see what impact yesterday’s three ship attacks will have.
The UN secretary-general has urged Iran and the US to "urgently resume negotiations".
Antonio Guterres says in a statement that a return to full-scale hostilities between the two countries would have "catastrophic consequences" – on the people of the region, international peace and security, as well as the global economy.
He calls on all parties to take immediate steps to de-escalate.
Iran's foreign ministry has also just released a statement accusing the US of violations of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) – an agreement between Iran and the US to work towards ending the conflict.
The ministry highlights what it describes as "repeated illegal attacks against Iran, along with the decision last night by the US Treasury to revoke the license to sell Iranian oil" among the violations.
The US is responsible for the "dangerous consequences" of this escalation, it warns.
In a post on X, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says: "Addressing the civilised and courageous nation of Iran with derogatory language does not diminish its greatness.
"Iranians are known for their civility, culture, and strong moral values.
"We do not answer vulgarity with vulgarity, but with action: fearlessly and with great valour."
Pakistan has expressed its "deep concern" at the escalation in tensions in the Middle East.
The country was one of the key mediators in getting the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the US and Iran last month, having hosted high-level talks in April.
A spokesperson from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said "a renewed conflict is in no one’s interest", calling on "on all parties to exercise restraint" and uphold their commitments to the MoU.
"There is no alternative to continued engagement, dialogue, and diplomacy," the statement says.
US Vice-President JD Vance with Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the Islamabad talks in April
Bernd Debusmann Jr
White House reporter
Over the last few weeks, President Trump has repeatedly praised Iran's leadership as one he believes is more rational and easier to deal with than those that were killed at the height of Operation Epic Fury earlier this year.
But at the summit in Ankara, he has repeatedly referred to them as "scum" – and leaving an open question on whether he believes negotiations can continue, even if he believes further US strikes are necessary.
"We can play games. But I'm not sure I want to make a deal," he told reporters. "Let's just finish the job."
Notably, he has also brushed off questions about the price of oil – an important domestic consideration for Americans who grew increasingly antsy about rising petrol prices at US pumps.
Trump has repeatedly expressed optimism that oil prices are dropping, and that any price increases would end quickly.
It is unclear, however, how that can be the case if military strikes continue or Iran takes steps to impose further controls over the Strait of Hormuz.
"I've been right about everything," Trump said. "I have been for a long time."
But with the November midterms just a few months away, many Republicans will be hearing from concerned constituents – for whom Trump's argument that high oil prices are a worthwhile price to pay may ring hollow.
Trump is asked if it seems like the war might start again.
"I don't think it's going to start again," he says.
"I think it's going to go very quickly, they hit a couple of ships and so we hit them much harder."
He adds that he had been asked earlier if he planned to hit Iran again, "I said we might, yeah we might."
"But when they hit, we hit," he says. "We use their language and we speak their language."
The news conference has now finished.
Trump is asked about his comments last month that Iranian people were nice and rational to deal with – compared to him calling them "scum" today.
He responds by saying he "got to know them", adding that the country's leaders are not doing a service to their people "based on their actions over the last week or two".
Trump then says he does not think a full-scale conflict is going to start again, adding: "Anything that happens is going to be over very quickly."
The president reiterates earlier comments that the US "might" strike Iran tonight.
He adds that anybody who goes near the country's underground nuclear material will "get blown up" and that the US will eventually "take it".
Trump insists the war with Iran has been a "tremendous military success" and says it has prevented Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
He says Iran's negotiators are "a little loco, they're a little crazy", and goes on to say: "In one day, all of their anti-aircraft is gone… everything is gone. Their leaders are gone."
He adds: "They have another set of leaders, they may be gone. Who knows?"
Repeating his remarks about Iranian leaders being "scum", Trump says: "I may be gone too, because I'm their number one target."
In 2024, Trump's campaign said it had been briefed by US intelligence on Iranian assassination plots against him. The Iranian government did not comment at the time.
Trump is still speaking at the Nato summit, flanked by some of his closest advisers – Pete Hegseth, Marco Rubio and Scott Bessent.
His remarks are wide-ranging and have touched on Iran, Ukraine, and more.
Trump says there was "tremendous love" and "unity" in the room when Nato leaders met earlier, describing the summit as "tremendously successful" – in contrast to some criticism of allies earlier in the day.
On Iran, Trump says its air force is "totally decimated", their leaders are "gone" and its combat capability is "pretty low".
He says other nations "respect us as a country again", and that two years ago "Nato laughed at us… they don't laugh anymore".
Donald Trump is still speaking at the Nato summit – we'll bring you any news if there is a significant update from him there.
In the mean time, our security correspondent Frank Gardner has been giving his assessment of events in the Turkish capital.
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Frank Gardner on the 'black cloud' over Nato summit
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