The United States launched new airstrikes against Iran early Thursday, and Tehran responded by targeting Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar in crossfire that again threatened an interim deal intended to help end the war in the Persian Gulf.

US Strikes Iranian Military Sites

The US struck a variety of military sites and port facilities early Wednesday after Iran targeted several merchant vessels off the coast of Oman, sparking Iranian fire then as well. The US military’s Central Command said it hit some 90 targets across Iran, releasing black-and-white footage of what appeared to be strikes on an airport runway and missile launchers.

In Iran, the two days of American airstrikes have killed at least 14 people and wounded another 78, Iran’s Health Ministry said Thursday in its first overall count of casualties. Iranian state media reported explosions in several locations, including Bushehr, home to Iran’s nuclear power plant complex, and the southern port cities of Chabahar, Konarak, Bandar Abbas, and Sirik.

Iranian Response and US Warning

After leaving a NATO summit in Turkey, President Donald Trump posted several videos on his social media site of what he said were explosions in Iran and issued another warning to the Islamic Republic. “This is in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!” Trump wrote.

Trump had said earlier in the day that the latest back-and-forth fighting would not result in “long-term” military action. “Anything that happens is going to happen very fast,” Trump said, though he also suggested the US military might “just finish the job.”

Original reporting: Dallas TX News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.