US launches new strikes on Iran after Trump vows to 'hit them hard'

The US military has launched new strikes on Iran after President Donald Trump said US forces would hit the country "hard" as Tehran has taken "too long to make a deal" to end the war.

The US Central Command (Centcom) said it began "additional self-defense strikes" on Wednesday against "multiple targets in Iran". It added: "The strikes are in response to Iran's unwarranted and continued aggression."

Both sides have targeted military and surveillance sites this week in a marked escalation of tit-for-tat airstrikes.

On Tuesday, a US helicopter was downed in an attack that was blamed on Iran. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) responded by targeting US bases across the Middle East.

Explosions have also been heard on the island of Qeshm in the Gulf, as well as a number of other cities, including Bandar Abbas and Sirik.

Responding to the latest strikes, Iran's top military command said it would target any ships travelling through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping channel off southern Iran.

"The Strait of Hormuz has been completely closed to all types of vessels, including commercial ships," it said in a statement.

Hours before the attack was launched, Trump had warned: "We hit them hard yesterday and we're going to hit them hard again today."

Trump wrote on Truth Social that Iranian leaders have "taken too long to negotiate a deal", while the Iranian foreign ministry accused the US of "damaging the diplomatic process through the contradictory message it sends".

In response to Trump's comments Iran's president Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran "will stand firm against any pressure or threat".

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth later said bombs would be "dropping on key facilities in Iran".

Hegseth said Iran had been given a chance to make a deal but had not taken it, and Trump had said Iran would be attacked again if no peace deal was secured.

In April, the US and Iran agreed a ceasefire that was initially meant to last for two weeks. Both sides have since exchanged intermittent fire, without returning to full-scale hostilities.

However, recent efforts to broker negotiations between Washington and Tehran have stalled and attacks have ramped up.