The United States launched a second round of airstrikes on Iran into Thursday morning after President Donald Trump warned that Tehran would “pay the price” for stalled negotiations, and Iran responded with strikes targeting Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan.

US Airstrikes on Iran

The new US assault across multiple Iranian cities came as efforts to negotiate an end to the war again appeared stuck, with Iran insisting it would maintain its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, which has disrupted global energy supplies and sent oil prices higher.

The American attack appeared more intense and wider than the day before, but Iran released no information about what was hit. The US Central Command said its latest round of airstrikes ended just before sunrise Thursday in Iran.

The military command said the strikes came “in response to Iran’s unwarranted and continued aggression” and targeted “Iranian military surveillance capabilities, communication systems, and air defense sites.”

Iran’s Response

Iran responded by launching strikes on Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan for a second day. Kuwait closed its airspace because of the Thursday morning attack, without elaborating on any damage.

Trump has urged Iran to sign a deal to end the war and suggested earlier this week that an agreement could be reached in days. But Iran has proved resilient despite weeks of heavy bombing.

Trump said the US military has since last month undertaken a “secret mission” to sneak oil shipments past Iran’s forces in the Strait of Hormuz. He said ships were slipping through at night, aided by the destruction of Iranian radar equipment.

Original reporting: NBC10 Boston — read the source article.