Iran calls US strikes a 'gross war crime'; says 'deal breaches' won't affect national interests

Iran on Thursday said it would not allow what it described as US "deal breaches, bullying and baseness" to affect its national interests, while also condemning American strikes on its southern coastal provinces and two bridges in the country's east.

The Iranian foreign ministry condemned the US attacks on southern coastal provinces and two bridges in eastern Iran, and termed the strikes on civilian infrastructure a "gross war crime."

Also read: Iran War Runtime: A day or two, a week, or a month? White House official says this

Trump says conflict unlikely to reignite

The statement came as US President Donald Trump said he did not expect hostilities with Iran to flare up again, while warning that Washington would respond with far greater force if Tehran launched fresh attacks.


"I don't think it's going to start again," Trump said. "If they hit, we hit ten times harder. Anything that happens will get over very quickly, and we'll make things safer, even for oil. Oil is going to be very free, very easy."

Earlier in the day, Trump defended fresh U.S. military strikes as "retribution" for what Washington said were Iranian attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

"This is in retribution for yesterday's bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!" he wrote on Truth Social.

Meanwhile, Axios, citing a US official, reported that the Trump administration is preparing for the possibility of another round of military exchanges that could last several days or even weeks, with the Strait of Hormuz expected to remain the main flashpoint. The report said Washington was prepared to intensify its military campaign if Iran continued targeting commercial shipping through the strategic waterway.

Also read: Trump says Iran war may not return & oil has little to fear

Strait of Hormuz remains key flashpoint

The latest exchange follows Trump's declaration on Wednesday that the 60-day ceasefire framework between Washington and Tehran had effectively collapsed after Iranian attacks on commercial vessels reignited hostilities.

The US subsequently carried out a fresh wave of strikes near the Strait of Hormuz and expanded attacks to infrastructure targets inside Iran, while Tehran retaliated by launching attacks on US military bases in Kuwait and Bahrain and reiterated that it would not relinquish its influence over the strategic waterway.

Iran has repeatedly accused Washington of violating past agreements and attempting to impose its will through military force. Senior Iranian officials have also maintained that passage through the Strait of Hormuz would be governed only under Iran's arrangements.