TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — United States (US) President Donald Trump ordered new strikes on Iran on Wednesday and warned of “much worse” if Tehran continues to attack vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, the vital oil shipping channel.

Iran state media reported explosions in multiple locations along the southern Iranian coast after US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced a new wave of strikes.

Warplanes were heard over Kish Island and explosions rocked the port cities of Bandar Abbas, Konarak and Chabahar, part of which lost electricity, Iran’s official news agency IRNA reported.

“This is in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “If it happens again, it will get much worse!”

While ordering retaliation against Tehran, the US president said earlier Wednesday that he expected the latest military flare-up to end quickly and left the door open to more talks.

CENTCOM said the strikes were carried out to degrade the ability of Iranian forces “to threaten freedom of navigation” in the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas normally flows.

“The US is holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping,” CENTCOM said on
X. Before ordering the latest strikes, Trump said the ceasefire with Iran was over, prompting mediators Pakistan and Qatar and the United Nations (UN) to call for de-escalation.

The Strait of Hormuz remains a flashpoint in the Middle East conflict, which began February 28 with US-Israeli strikes that killed Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, who is to be buried in his hometown of Mashhad on Thursday.

Since the attacks, Tehran has insisted on controlling the strait, saying it will charge fees for passage and threatening to hit vessels that deviate from its authorised route.

Its military struck at least three ships in recent days, prompting extensive US strikes against Iranian targets on Tuesday, followed by retaliatory attacks from Iran on Gulf countries.

UN chief Antonio Guterres called meanwhile “on all parties to exercise maximum restraint” — as did Pakistan, a key mediator in the US-Iran talks.