The United States carried out a second round of strikes against Iran, hitting approximately 90 military targets including railway bridges on the Tehran-Mashhad line, as Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks on US bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Jordan [5][7][12]. US Central Command stated the strikes were carried out to "further degrade Iran's ability to attack commercial shipping and innocent civilian mariners in the Strait of Hormuz" [3][5][25]. Iran's Health Ministry reported 14 people killed and 78 wounded across five provinces [5][25][28].

US Central Command directly countered Iran's assertion of transit authority, stating that US forces have facilitated the safe passage of more than 800 commercial vessels and 380 million barrels of crude oil through the strait since early May [22][15]. Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf wrote that "the Strait of Hormuz will be reopened only under Iranian arrangements, not through U.S. threats" [8][13][25]. The new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei stated in his first public remarks that "the lever of closing the Strait of Hormuz must certainly continue to be used" [22]. Analysts Negar Mortazavi and Ryan Costello explained that the memorandum's vague language lets Iran claim a right to coordinate all transit while the US establishes a parallel Omani-backed route [22].

Iran's Foreign Ministry condemned the strikes as "flagrant war crimes" and a violation of the UN Charter and the ceasefire memorandum [25][7]. Iran's mission to the UN accused the US of "a blatant violation of the Charter of the United Nations" [8]. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that renewed US aggression would meet a firm response and condemned the attacks as violations of the Islamabad MoU [16]. The Iranian ambassador to Germany, Majid Nili, warned European politicians that the US strike on the Agh-Tappeh-Khan Bridge on the China-Turkmenistan-Iran rail corridor set a precedent for attacks on transport corridors benefiting Europe [34].

President Donald Trump declared the ceasefire "over" and called Iranian counterparts "liars, cheats, and sick people" [29][26][42]. "This is in retribution for yesterday's bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!" Trump wrote [8][10][11]. Anonymous US officials told multiple outlets that Washington remains committed to finding a diplomatic resolution and that technical-level talks with Iran continue [11][14][15][30]. Trump also publicly acknowledged being the target of a new Iranian assassination plot, citing a Wall Street Journal report based on shared Israeli intelligence [21].

Iranian officials reported that a projectile struck the perimeter of the Bushehr nuclear power plant [1][6][7]. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi warned that "an accident on an operating nuclear power plant would be something very, very serious. This is the reddest line of all that you have in nuclear safety" [37][35]. Middle East Institute analyst Alan Eyre stated that radioactive material in Gulf water could preclude desalination across the region [36]. Iran's Foreign Minister Araghchi criticized the West for not speaking up about the dangers of targeting Bushehr as it did over Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia plant [36]. US officials denied carrying out strikes in the hours before the Bushehr reports emerged, leaving responsibility for those blasts unclear [1][2][24][31].

Gulf states condemned Iran's retaliatory strikes on their territory. Bahrain's Defense Force stated it intercepted and destroyed "several treacherous Iranian aerial attacks" and called the targeting of civilians a violation of international humanitarian law [7][12]. Kuwait's Defence Ministry reported intercepting three ballistic missiles, a cruise missile, and ten drones [9][13]. The Gulf Cooperation Council called on the UN Security Council to take a firm stance against Iran's attacks and ensure freedom of navigation in the strait [9]. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas stated that the exchange of fire has further complicated efforts to end the war [45][46].

The International Maritime Organization reported that around 6,000 seafarers remain stranded around the Strait of Hormuz [20][44]. IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez stated that "no seafarer should have to risk their life simply for doing their job" [44]. Maritime data showed daily vessel transits dropping to 14, the lowest since the ceasefire, compared to a post-ceasefire average of 34 [32]. Captain Abhijit Chopra, stranded on a tanker for over 120 days, described the experience: "Ultimately, we are just ordinary people. We are fathers, we are sons, we are husbands who are staying for months out at sea carrying out a duty" [38].

Pakistan and Qatar are seeking to bring the US and Iran back to the negotiating table [4]. Qatar's government called for "all parties to commit to dialogue and diplomacy" [7]. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that the issue must be ended through an agreement reflecting the interests of all parties [12][41]. Iran's Foreign Minister Araghchi held calls with Omani, Turkish, and Saudi counterparts stressing diplomatic channels [16][28].

In the US Congress, Democratic lawmakers argued that Trump's strikes violate the War Powers Resolution. Representative Ro Khanna stated that "Trump must stop this war now – or we will take him to court" [39]. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called the war a "historic blunder" delivering "maximum confusion, maximum chaos, maximum cost" [39]. Republican Representative Brian Mast defended the strikes as defense against "an imminent threat that no other president has had the guts to stand up to" [40]. The Republican-led House voted to reject a resolution that would have constrained Trump's war in Iran [40].

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that Israel is "ready and on alert for a resumption of fighting" and would strike Iran "with even greater force" if necessary [11][28]. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said "the campaign is not over" [28]. Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid criticized the government, saying "there is no strategic objective behind all of this that anyone can understand" [43]. Turkish security analysts speculated that Israel may have sabotaged the ceasefire through parallel elements within Iran's fragmented leadership [29].

Independent analysts assessed that neither side is willing to conclude a durable settlement. Historian Jonathan Piron described a "neither war nor peace" state in which each side believes it can prevail militarily [17]. German Council on Foreign Relations expert Cornelius Adebahr argued that Iran's regime has longer strategic patience than the US, which is constrained by domestic political pressures [18]. Atlantic Council fellow Dennis Citrinowicz stated that further strikes risk pushing both sides away from the negotiated outcome both still appear to prefer [26]. A Washington think tank estimated Iran has suffered $144 billion in economic damage from the war, plus billions in lost oil sales [26].

Massive crowds at the state funeral of slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Mashhad chanted "Death to America" and displayed banners reading "We Will Kill Trump" [28]. The White House is preparing for a conflict with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz that could last days or weeks, with the length depending on Tehran's next steps [12].