US-Iran News Highlights: Trump warns US may hit Iran again tonight — ‘Gonna hit 'em hard’

Mediator Pakistan urged the United States and Iran on Wednesday to exercise restraint and uphold the memorandum of understanding to halt the Middle East war after renewed fighting broke out.

"Pakistan urges all sides to uphold their respective commitments under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)," the foreign office said in a statement which also called on "all parties to exercise restraint."

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The latest attacks launched by Iran did not result in any American casualties or cause major damage to facilities, a US military official said.

"All missiles and drones fired by Iran were intercepted or failed to cause major damage," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

On recent developments in West Asia, MEA says, "India is deeply concerned over the recent attacks and escalation of tensions in West Asia, which have followed fresh targeting of commercial shipping transiting international waterways in the region. These developments risk undermining regional peace, security and stability. India calls upon all parties to exercise restraint, de-escalate tensions, and ensure protection of civilians as well as the uninterrupted flow of energy supplies and commerce. We urge the parties to return to dialogue and diplomacy to achieve a peaceful and lasting solution to the conflict"

The German chancellor said it was clearly Iran that violated the ceasefire agreement. He said the U.S. military had struck back on Trump’s orders and “that is justified.”

But he added that “in the end, there must be an agreement with Iran that ends the nuclear program permanently and reopens the Strait of Hormuz permanently.”

The US military’s Central Command said American forces launched strikes “to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway.”

It said it hit Iranian targets including air-defense systems, radars and over 60 small boats used by Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.

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Trump has been harping on the renewal of war with Iran rhetoric as initially he declared that the ceasefire with Tehran was ‘over’. following it up with a ‘little’ warning that US might hit Iran tonight (8 July). Read more

Speaking at the NATO summit, Trump said the US would not allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon, adding that if Tehran fails to halt its nuclear programme, "we will do so ourselves." His remarks come just hours after he declared the ceasefire "over," raising fears of a renewed military confrontation in the region.

Gold prices fell on Wednesday as oil prices surged and inflation concerns intensified after US President Donald Trump said an interim agreement aimed at ending the conflict with Iran was "over."

Spot gold dropped 0.8% to $4,072.69 per ounce by 09:11 a.m. EDT (1310 GMT) after hitting its lowest level since July 2 earlier in the session.

US gold futures for August delivery slipped 1.8% to $4,083.20 per ounce.

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President Donald Trump said the US would probably launch further strikes on Iran, ratcheting up pressure on Tehran and raising the prospect of a return to all-out war.

“We hit them very hard last night,” Trump said Wednesday on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey. “Probably hit them hard again tonight.”

“I’ll give a little warning,” he added. “But we’ll see how it all works out. No, I’m not happy with them.”

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday that he believed Iranian strikes on US bases in the Gulf violated the interim accord and Iran had been mistaken to carry them out, but that he understood that meetings as part of the 60-day ceasefire between Iran and the United States would continue.

US President Donald Trump warned Iran that the United States will likely engage in additional strikes on Wednesday night after attacks the previous day.

"I'll give a little warning: We're going to hit them hard tonight," Trump told reporters at the NATO summit in Turkey before his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Qatari LNG tanker was still stuck off Oman on Wednesday awaiting salvage operations, shipping data showed, a day after it was hit by a projectile, while the US military said two other tankers had been targeted by Iran in recent days.

The attacks on the tankers prompted Washington to revoke a licence allowing Iran to sell oil and US forces to strike Iranian targets overnight.

People in Bahrain and Kuwait awoke on Wednesday to the now familiar sound of warning sirens and explosions in the distance, as Iranian strikes again dashed hopes of a return to normalcy.

The latest round of strikes pushed US President Donald Trump to declare the ceasefire was "over", raising fears of renewed conflict in the Gulf, long seen as a safe haven.

As the two major powers fought, two small Gulf states paid the price.

"We want the situation to stabilise, we want our normal lives back. I run a business, and continued instability does me no good," Adel Mohammed, a Bahraini man in his sixties told AFP.

"The fact that Bahrain continues to be subjected to Iranian attacks makes me angry, it's completely unacceptable," he said.

Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency says an Indian oil tanker has been turned back from the Omani corridor in the Strait of Hormuz.