US and Iran exchange airstrikes for second day in a row

The United States carried out a new round of airstrikes on military targets in Iran on June 10, prompting Tehran to carry out retaliatory attacks against American military targets in Bahrain and Kuwait.

US Central Command, CENTCOM, said its forces carried out additional "self-defensive" strikes, striking Iranian military surveillance capabilities, communications systems and air defense positions across Iran.

The operation involved US Marine Corps, Air Force and Navy assets, which used high-precision munitions against targets that Washington said posed a threat to US forces and international commercial shipping in the region's waters.

"The strikes are in response to Iran's unprovoked and ongoing aggression," CENTCOM said in a statement in the early hours of June 11, adding that US forces are "aware, robust and ready."

Shortly thereafter, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that it had struck US military targets in Bahrain and Kuwait in retaliation for the US attacks.

In a statement, the IRGC said it had struck 18 targets linked to the US military in two waves of operations against the Ali Al Salem and Ahmed Al Jaber air bases in Kuwait. It said Iranian forces also struck the Sheikh Isa air base in Bahrain.

US officials have not announced the extent of possible damage, while the impact of the attacks remained unclear.

Bahrain's Interior Ministry said air raid sirens sounded across the Gulf kingdom for the second time and urged citizens and residents to remain calm and move to the nearest safe place.

Meanwhile, Kuwait's civil aviation authority announced on June 11 that the country's airspace has reopened and that commercial traffic has "returned to normal," after a series of Iranian attacks caused their temporary closure.

The latest clash constitutes a significant escalation of the confrontation between Washington and Tehran, raising concerns about broader instability in the Gulf region and threats to energy infrastructure and maritime trade routes.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an immediate cessation of hostilities, warning that the Middle East is plunging "deeper into crisis" and that the consequences extend far beyond the region.

A day earlier, US airstrikes hit several targets in Iran in response to Iran shooting down a US military helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran then launched attacks on US bases in the region in retaliation.

The June 10 attacks occurred just hours after US President Donald Trump told reporters that "we hit them hard yesterday and we're going to hit them hard again today."

Before the airstrikes, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on X that his country would withstand any pressure and that Trump's threats were a sign of Washington's desperation.

Speaking to reporters, Trump also claimed that the United States has been taking oil from Iran.

"I'm making it public today for the first time, but we've been pumping out millions of barrels of oil, millions of barrels every night," Trump said, adding that Iran "is just now realizing this."

Regarding negotiations with Iran, Trump added: "We want a deal that makes sense, we want a deal that works. We were very close to a deal, but they keep dragging us along, keep playing us like we're fools."

Trump said Iran has already agreed not to develop nuclear weapons - one of Washington's main demands - but the deal has not yet been signed.

Earlier on Wednesday, the 35-member board of governors of the UN nuclear watchdog approved a US-backed resolution demanding that Iran disclose its remaining stockpiles of enriched uranium and allow inspectors into the country.

The Iranian ambassador to Austria, Reza Najafi, told AFP that the resolution is "counterproductive" and an obstacle to talks with Washington.

Earlier, Trump declared that the Iranian military has been "totally defeated," warning Tehran that it will "pay the price" for "taking too long to negotiate a deal" with Washington.

Tehran and Washington have been engaged in negotiations since April 8, when a ceasefire ended the US-Israeli bombing campaign against Iran.

However, several complex issues have prevented a deal from being reached, including the fate of Iran's enriched uranium reserves, Israel's ongoing war against Hezbollah in Lebanon and Tehran's demand that Washington release Iranian funds frozen abroad.