Iran-US war latest: Trump launches more strikes ‘to hold Iran accountable’ as Strait of Hormuz standoff escalates – UK Times

A fiery MAGA squabble erupted Thursday night on CNN as two Republican pundits bickered over President Donald Trump’s recently restarted Iran war — with one snarking, “I’m sorry you don’t read much.”

The clash started when former Trump aide Caroline Sunshine questioned an assertion by CNN senior political commentator Scott Jennings that Iran has “been at war with us for 47 years.”

“I’m sorry, the first time I’ve heard about the 47-year Iran war was like this year,” said Sunshine, who’s publicly opposed U.S. military action against Iran since last year.

Donald Trump has called Iran “evil and sick” after claiming it broke an agreed peace deal yesterday when it fired a drone at a ship.

Speaking to NBC’s Meet the Press, Trump said: “They agreed to a deal yesterday – a perfect deal for us, no nuclear, no this, no that, no nothing, they gave up everything – and then after that, they left the room, and then within an hour they launched a drone at a ship.”

“We bombed the hell out of them last night. They are very, very evil and sick people,” he added.

The US president resumed bombing in Iran after labelling the country ‘scum’ at this week’s Nato summit. Name-calling might make him feel better – but it doesn’t change the fact that his opponent holds the cards in the Strait of Hormuz, writes Jon Sopel.

Iran said it considers the Strait of Hormuz closed once again after a vessel using an ‘unauthorized route’ was struck by a warning shot in the critical waterway, further jeopardizing the already tenuous ceasefire agreement with the United States.

U.S. Central Command said a short time later that its forces began a third round of strikes against Iran.

“The United States is imposing a heavy cost by continuing to degrade Iran’s ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial ships freely transiting the strait,” the military said.

Missiles ​were ⁠launched ⁠by ​the “enemy” ⁠towards Qeshm ‌Island on Sunday ‌afternoon, Iran’s IRNA ⁠state news agency ⁠said. It adding ‌that ⁠no casualties were reported.

It comes as several explosions were heard east of Iran’s Bandar Abbas and in the coastal area of Qeshm.

Several explosions have been heard east of Iran’s Bandar Abbas and in the coastal area of Qeshm, state news agency Fars is reporting.

US ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz, has said he “doesn’t buy” the claim that Tehran “screwed up” targeting vessels in the Strait of Hormuz this week.

On Friday a US official suggested Iran had admitted that the strikes were a mistake.

But speaking to ABC Waltz said: “Are we supposed to believe that some junior officers are going rogue and firing on ships but yet face no consequences from a dictatorial hierarchy-based entity like the IRGC? I don’t buy it.”

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the former ruler of Qatar who dramatically reshaped the tiny Persian Gulf nation into a global powerhouse before making the unprecedented move of voluntarily abdicating, has died at the age of 74.

State media confirmed his passing, though no cause was specified.