US Politics as it happened: US launches new strikes against Iranian targets

That’s where we’ll leave our live coverage of the US-Iran conflict.

The ceasefire is now a distant memory after the US launched strikes on 80 targets across Iran.

Iran responded with strikes in Bahrain and Kuwait, and has vowed even worse.

It all stemmed from Iranian strikes on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday.

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The US said it has hit over 80 targets with precision munitions as hostilities intensify with Iran.

US Central Command said it struck “Iranian air defense systems, command and control networks, coastal radar sites, anti-ship missile capabilities, and more than 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps small boats”.

“CENTCOM forces remain postured and prepared to hold Iran accountable when the agreement is not adhered to or obeyed.”

The military command included video of some of the strikes in their tweet.

Several people have been injured by shrapnel at a commercial pier in the Iranian city of Minab, Iran state-run media reports.

The outlet referenced how the US had previously struck a school in the city, killing 120 children.

“After killing Minab’s children, the US is now taking revenge on their parents,” the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) said.

Kuwait is now under attack from Iranian drones and missiles.

The Arabic nation’s military issued a statement.

“Any explosions that may be heard are the result of air defense intercepting hostile targets,” the statement read.

“The public is urged to adhere to safety and security instructions issued by the relevant authorities.”

Donald Trump’s former counterterrorism chief has weighed in on what he considers to be the best options.

Joe Kent resigned from his position in protest of the Iran war.

“The problem is that we signed the MOU (memorandum of understanding) because there was no military solution & we needed the (Strait of Hormuz) open,” Kent said.

“Our best option is to just walk away. 

“If we walk, Iran has no justification for targeting ships & we can use sanctions relief as our carrot, as opposed to risking a larger war in these ineffective tit for tat strikes.”

It gives us no joy to report that oil prices are climbing back up again.

Crude oil is up 2.62 per cent today, reaching US$72 a barrel.

It’s a long way from the oppressive heights of early April, but still substantially higher than the prices pre-war. 

The oil spike has been credited with sinking the Australian stock exchange today, with most shares in the red today.

Bahrain has sounded its missile alert siren.

“The alarm siren has been activated. Citizens and residents are requested to remain calm, head to the nearest safe location, and follow updates through official channels,” a message from the Arabic nation’s Ministry of Interior said.

It is about 5.45am in Bahrain.

The island nation in the Persian Gulf has been subject to repeated attacks in recent months from Iran.

One of Iran’s most powerful politicians has issued a list of US breaches of the peace deal in a post on X.

Parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf posted the tweet shortly after midday AEST.

“The era of bullying and extortion is over. It leads nowhere. We don’t fold,” Ghalibaf wrote.

Iran has warned on Wednesday that it would deliver a “crushing response” to US strikes – with the ceasefire between the two countries on increasingly shaky ground.

“The Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will deliver a crushing response to the US aggression and terrorist action,” said Iran’s top joint military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, according to state broadcaster IRIB.

The command added that it would “under no circumstances, will allow interference in the affairs or management of the Strait of Hormuz”.