Trump warns Iran to ‘behave’ as US-Iran tensions escalate with fresh strikes, renewed blockade

• US president issues fresh warning as Tehran insists it is prepared for war but open to diplomacy

• Iran rules out talks with Washington, says US must honour commitments before any engagement

• CENTCOM says strikes targeted military sites, denying hitting civilian wheat storage facility

• IRGC threatens wider disruption to Gulf energy routes in response to renewed US naval blockade

• GCC condemns Iranian attacks as Bahrain says it intercepted missiles and drones

 WASHINGTON/TEHRAN: United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday issued a fresh warning to Iran, saying Tehran understood Washington's position and "better behave," as the United States intensified military operations against Iranian targets and the growing confrontation pushed the region closer to a broader conflict.

Speaking after arriving in Pennsylvania, where he was scheduled to address the Defence and Innovation Summit, Trump declined to set a specific deadline for Iran but reiterated his administration's hardline stance.

"I don't like giving deadlines, but they pretty much know—they know the story. They better behave," he said.

His remarks came as Iran's Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf declared that while Tehran remained committed to diplomacy, it must always be prepared for war.

"We have never sought war and do not seek it now, but we must always be prepared for battle and stand ready to defend our national security and interests to the last breath," Ghalibaf said in a statement posted on his Telegram channel.

"At the same time, we must also use diplomacy and negotiations to advance and safeguard our national interests," he added.

 Iran Rules Out Immediate Talks with US

Meanwhile, Iran said it had no plans to resume negotiations with Washington and remained focused on defending the country.

According to Al Jazeera, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told reporters that Tehran would honour its international commitments only if the United States fulfilled its own obligations.

"Our commitments remain in effect only as long as the other side fulfills its pledges," Baghaei said.

He added that Iran had suspended implementation of its obligations under the memorandum of understanding after Washington failed to honour the temporary agreement.

"After the other party violated its obligations, we also refrained from implementing ours in any area where it was required," he said.

 US Military Rejects Claims of Civilian Strike

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) denied Iranian media reports alleging that American forces had struck a civilian wheat storage facility in Hoveyzeh.

"Iranian state media claims that US forces struck a civilian wheat storage facility in Hoveyzeh on July 14. This is FALSE," CENTCOM said in a statement on social media.

🚫 CLAIM: Iranian state media claims that U.S. forces struck a civilian wheat storage facility in Hoveyzeh on July 14. This is FALSE.

✅ TRUTH: On July 14, U.S. forces hit Iranian military targets in Bandar Abbas, Khormuj, Ahvaz, Qeshm, Tunb, Bushehr, and Kuh-e Stak to degrade… pic.twitter.com/n7Njez05lE

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 15, 2026

Earlier, the command announced it had completed a 90-minute wave of strikes at 7:30 a.m. ET, targeting Iranian coastal defence systems as well as cruise missile storage and launch facilities on Greater Tunb Island.

CENTCOM said the operation further degraded Iran's ability to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

In a separate statement, the command said another round of attacks had begun at 6 a.m. EST (3 p.m. PKT), targeting additional military capabilities allegedly used by Iranian forces against commercial vessels operating in the strategic waterway.

https://t.co/2kCtNZXQbj

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 15, 2026

IRGC Threatens Wider Energy Disruption

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned that it could halt energy exports across the Middle East in response to the renewed US naval blockade on Iranian ports.

"The export of oil and gas from the region will be either for everyone or for no one," the IRGC said in a statement.

The latest threat came after President Trump announced the reimposition of a naval blockade on Iran earlier this week.

PHOTOS: Satellite imagery shows aftermath of Iranian strikes on US bases in Oman, Jordan

تصاویر ماهواره‌ای جدید از حملات ایران به پایگاه آمریکا در اردن و عمان https://t.co/nQr59lKODf pic.twitter.com/KBX3gB5bf7

— خبرگزاری فارس (@FarsNews_Agency) July 15, 2026

Trump had initially proposed imposing a 20 percent fee on ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, but later withdrew the proposal after consultations with Gulf allies while maintaining the naval blockade.

In a separate statement carried by IRNA, the IRGC vowed to close "all other export corridors that benefit the US and its allies."

Analysts said Iran appeared to be signalling that it could rely on its Houthi allies in Yemen to threaten the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, another strategic maritime chokepoint linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

A senior Houthi official warned earlier this week that the group was prepared to shut the Bab el-Mandeb Strait if Saudi Arabia continued military operations in Yemen, saying such a move could push global oil prices to $200 per barrel.

The Houthis resumed missile attacks on Saudi Arabia after accusing Riyadh of bombing an airport under their control, effectively ending a four-year truce.

The group had previously disrupted international shipping in the Red Sea following the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, targeting vessels it said were linked to Israel.

 

GCC Condemns Iranian Attacks

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jasem Albudaiwi strongly condemned Iranian attacks targeting Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, including strikes on infrastructure that reportedly injured Kuwaiti military personnel.

معالي الأمين العام لمجلس التعاون @jasemalbudaiwi : الهجمات الإيرانية الغادرة على البحرين والكويت والأردن تكشف إصرار إيران على جر المنطقة إلى مزيد من الفوضى وعدم الاستقرار، واستهدافها للبنى التحتية تجاوز خطير لا يمكن للمجتمع الدولي السكوت عنه. https://t.co/nPpzyEG97p… pic.twitter.com/mjIawXCS0K

— مجلس التعاون (@GCCSG) July 15, 2026

"The treacherous Iranian attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan reveal Iran's determination to drag the region into further chaos and instability, and its targeting of infrastructure is a dangerous escalation that the international community cannot remain silent about," Albudaiwi said.

He described the attacks as an unprecedented escalation threatening regional security and urged the international community to take practical deterrent measures, prevent further attacks and hold those responsible accountable.

The GCC chief also reaffirmed the organisation's solidarity with Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan and its support for measures aimed at protecting their sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Separately, Bahrain announced that its defence forces had successfully intercepted several Iranian missiles and drones launched against the kingdom.

Authorities described the attacks as "heinous" and a "flagrant violation of international humanitarian law" and urged residents to avoid suspicious objects that might have fallen to the ground.

 

Trump Says Iran's Missile Capability Weakened

In an interview with Fox & Friends, President Trump claimed that Iran had "largely spent their best" missiles during the ongoing confrontation.

PRESIDENT TRUMP: Iran has "largely spent their best" missiles at this point in the conflict.

"If you look at over the last four or five days they've hit with a lot of missiles - and almost every one of them has been shot down." @TreyYingst pic.twitter.com/DiUslmghTz

— FOX & Friends (@foxandfriends) July 15, 2026

"If you look at over the last four or five days they've hit with a lot of missiles—and almost every one of them has been shot down," he said.

 Casualties Continue to Rise

Iranian media reported that at least seven military personnel were killed overnight in US strikes on an army base in Bampur, near the southeastern city of Iranshahr.

According to the semi-official Tasnim News Agency, 13 missiles struck a guesthouse, guard posts and accommodation facilities in what the army described as an attack intended to inflict maximum casualties.

Several personnel were also wounded, while the military vowed a "decisive response."

Government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani said that more than 30 civilians had been killed in recent attacks on southern Iran, although she did not specify the locations.

Separately, Fars News Agency reported that US strikes targeted three locations in the southwestern city of Bushehr, with provincial authorities saying no injuries had been reported.

Iran's Ports and Maritime Affairs Authority also said overnight US strikes damaged the maritime traffic control centre at Chabahar Port in southeastern Iran.

The authority said the civilian facility, used primarily for maritime search-and-rescue operations and commercial navigation, sustained structural damage but no casualties were reported.

Meanwhile, Khuzestan provincial authorities said a wheat storage silo in Hoveyzeh County and another site in Dasht-e Azadegan County had been struck overnight, although no casualties were reported.

Iran's Health Ministry spokesman Hossein Kermanpour said more than 260 people had been injured in the latest wave of US attacks.

According to figures released by the ministry, 222 injured people had already been treated and discharged, while at least two people were killed. He added that three of the injured were under the age of 18.

The latest exchange of military action came as the conflict entered its fifth day, with both Washington and Tehran intensifying military operations and diplomatic rhetoric, heightening fears of a wider regional war and further disruption to global energy supplies and international shipping.

 Jordan says its air defenses downed 3 missiles from Iran

Jordan’s armed forces said Wednesday that its air defense systems intercepted and downed three ballistic missiles that entered Jordanian airspace from Iranian territory, the Jordan News Agency (Petra) reported.

A responsible military source at the General Command of the Jordanian Armed Forces said the missiles were intercepted and brought down at dawn, according to the agency.

The army said the incident caused no injuries or material damage, Petra added.

Royal Engineering Corps teams dealt with shrapnel that fell in several locations under approved technical and security procedures, the source said, adding that the sites were secured and necessary measures were taken to protect citizens and property.

 Chinese UN envoy says US pushed world to ‘dangerous precipice’ with Iran attacks

Chinese Ambassador Sun Lei says that the US launching “major attacks against Iran” has “once again” pushed the region “into a dangerous precipice”, as per Al Jazeera.

Sun made the comments after US envoy Mike Waltz claimed that China was not doing enough to stop the flow of goods to Iran and Yemen, a claim Sun said was “completely baseless”.

“China exercises strict control over such exports,” he said.

“The priority now is for the US to stop creating new conflicts and turmoil in the Middle East.”

US accuses China of not doing enough to stop flow of goods to Iran, Houthis

Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the United Nations, has accused China of not doing enough to stop the flow of goods to Iran and the Houthis that could have non-civilian uses, as per Al Jazeera.

“States like Iran, and to some degree companies and entities in China, have violated [a UN resolution imposing an arms embargo on the Houthis] with little consequence,” Waltz told the UN Security Council in prepared remarks late on Tuesday.

In a heated exchange with his Chinese counterpart, Waltz then said he was referring to “dual-use” items and “satellite imagery” provided to “Iran and the Houthis… that, of course, have civilian uses, but also have been used to threaten our partners, civilian aircraft, and commercial shipping”.

 'End of America's evils'

The IRGC said on Wednesday that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until what it described as "the end of America's evils". Before the war began in February, about a fifth of global oil and gas shipments passed through Hormuz each day.

The Guards said they had targeted what they described as command-and-control, logistics, fuel and military equipment facilities belonging to the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, in response to the latest US strikes in the Strait of Hormuz.

They also said they had set fire to and destroyed what they described as a US logistics facility in Kuwait's Mina Abdullah and that their air force had struck what they described as a US base at Azraq in Jordan, targeting aircraft hangars. They said some of the US attacks had been launched from bases on Jordanian territory.

Earlier on Wednesday, Kuwait's state news agency reported that a fire was brought under control at a site targeted in Iranian attacks. It was not immediately clear whether the fire was at the same site referred to in the IRGC statement.

Read more: China urges US, Iran to avoid return of war, backs ‘lawful rights’ of coastal nations in Hormuz

Jordan's air defence intercepted and shot down three ballistic missiles that entered the country's airspace from Iranian territory early on Wednesday.

The hostilities between Iran and the US reignited last week, fraying an already fragile truce reached in June after several months of fighting that has killed thousands of civilians, mostly in Iran and Lebanon.

 US completes additional strikes against Iran: CENTCOM

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said late Tuesday that it has completed an additional round of strikes against Iran, hitting “dozens of military targets” near the Strait of Hormuz and Iranian coastal areas.

“US fighter aircraft, drones and naval vessels launched precision munitions against Iranian missile and drone sites, naval capabilities and coastal defense systems during the seven-hour wave to further degrade Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping and civilian crews,” CENTCOM said in a statement.

The strikes came the same day US forces resumed a naval blockade against vessels transiting to or from Iranian ports and coastal areas, according to the statement.

"US forces remain vigilant, lethal and prepared to execute operations directed by the Commander in Chief," CENTCOM said.

 Trump threatens to hit energy targets

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to hit Iranian power plants and bridges next week unless Tehran resumes negotiations.

"I'll save the energy targets for last, but ultimately we'll hit energy targets," Trump said in an interview with Fox News’ Trey Yingst.

US negotiators had been in touch with their Iranian counterparts to tell them "you better make a deal", Trump added.

As tensions escalated, Trump on Monday floated the idea of a 20% fee on shipping through the strait, which drew sharp criticism from the UN shipping agency and others. On Tuesday, he scrapped the idea and said, without providing details, that he would instead seek investment deals with Gulf states.

Oil prices rose on Wednesday, after closing up 2% to a one-month high on Tuesday, as the latest attacks deepened a supply disruption in the Strait of Hormuz.

For the second straight session, Brent closed at its highest since June 12, and West Texas Intermediate at its highest since June 15. Both contracts rose further in early Wednesday trading.