U.S. launches new strikes in Iran after missiles target American bases

Amna Nawaz:

As we come on the air tonight, the U.S. is again striking targets in Iran after President Trump and Defense Secretary Hegseth both said today that the U.S. would hit Iran hard.

Geoff Bennett:

An Iranian state news agency today quoted officials warning that attacks would be met with retaliatory strikes against what it called new U.S. interests. Iran's ambassador to the U.N. said a deal to end the conflict cannot be achieved through threats or military force.

Meantime, President Trump said the U.S. has been helping stranded vessels transit the Strait of Hormuz, again asserting American control over that vital waterway.

Ali Rogin reports.

Ali Rogin:

From the Oval Office today, the president's patience with Iran apparently wearing thin.

President Donald Trump:

They keep tapping us along. They keep playing us for suckers. But we hit them hard yesterday and we're going to hit them again hard today.

Ali Rogin:

That warning after violent overnight exchanges between the U.S. and Iran. This video released by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps today shows missile launches targeting U.S. bases in the region.

Meantime, on the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. disabled another oil tanker, enforcing its blockade. Following the fighting, Iran's president, in a rare appearance, said the country must choose a decisive path.

Masoud Pezeshkian, Iranian President (through interpreter):

We must get out of this no war, no peace state. War is certainly not in the country's interest. But if they think that, by violating our dignity, our territory and our homeland, we will surrender or back down, then let them only dream about it. This is not something that we will back down from.

Ali Rogin:

And west of Iran, Israel today launched a series of strikes in Southern Lebanon, killing at least 17 people.

South of Beirut, in the coastal city of Sidon, sirens wailed and fire crackled after an Israeli drone strike struck several cars, killing two. Lebanon says it's now been bombed nearly 3,500 times by Israel since a cease-fire was struck in mid-April, those strikes echoing throughout the region, as Turkey's president today fiercely denounced Israel.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish President (through interpreter):

The Zionist regime is truly a festering sore, a factory of discord, constantly producing unrest across a wide geography. Israel must be stopped.

Ali Rogin:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired back in a statement, writing: "The antisemitic dictator Erdogan, who is committing genocide against the Kurds, supports the Hamas terrorist organization, oppresses his own people and imprisons his political rivals, is the last person who can lecture the state of Israel on morality.

Those ongoing strikes into Lebanon have now spurred the U.N. to launch an on-the-ground investigation.

Volker Turk:

Prompt and independent investigations into alleged violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law must be conducted. This is why I have agreed with the government of Lebanon to conduct an impartial and independent assessment mission in the country.

Ali Rogin:

Back in the Oval, President Trump revealed a mission to move oil from the Gulf.

Donald Trump:

Every night we took out oil. Millions of barrels of oil has come out, and that's why it's at $85, $90 a barrel, instead of $250.

Ali Rogin:

He later provided detail on social media, saying this effort has resulted in more than 100 million barrels of oil making its way through the strait, then wrote: "The United States of America controls the Strait of Hormuz, not Iran."

But, on the waterway, vessels dot the coast and deadlock persists, as prices around the world continue to climb.

For the "PBS News Hour," I'm Ali Rogin.