ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Eight Iranian soldiers were killed in overnight US strikes on Wednesday, coming after the US said it retaliated against Iran’s targeting of commercial ships in “international waters.”

The Iranian military’s public relations department said that “8 brave soldiers from the Air Force and Navy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, stationed in Bandar Abbas and Bushehr, were martyred” following rounds of US strikes on southern Iran early on Wednesday, pledging to “take revenge for the blood of the martyrs.”

In the early hours of Wednesday, the US and Iran exchanged strikes targeting ports in southern Iran and US military bases in Kuwait and Bahrain, with both Washington and Tehran accusing each other of violating the ceasefire agreement.

The US hit over 80 targets, including “more than 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps [IRGC] small boats,” according to US Central Command (CENTCOM).

The Iranian military on Wednesday announced that eight of its personnel were killed during US strikes on southern Iran's Bandar Abbas and Bushehr the night prior, vowing to "take revenge" for their deaths - Statement pic.twitter.com/7fMzypshls

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AFP, citing an unnamed US official, reported Wednesday that no US casualties were incurred from the Iranian strikes and no major damage to American facilities was inflicted.

US President Donald Trump said the planned strikes were a continuation of US retaliation for Iranian attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, referring to Iran's Tuesday attack on a Saudi- and Qatari-flagged oil tanker transiting the waterway.

Tehran has repeatedly maintained that vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz must use shipping lanes approved by Iranian authorities and provide prior notification before passing through the strategic waterway.

Trump threatened to hit Iran “hard” again on Wednesday night while speaking at the Ankara NATO summit, adding: "They violate the agreement every day."

Earlier, when asked whether the June 17 truce between himself and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian remained in effect despite the renewed exchanges, Trump replied, "As far as I'm concerned, it's over."

A round of US-Iran talks was held in Switzerland in July to discuss the implementation of the memorandum of understanding and seek a permanent resolution to the Middle East war.

Indirect negotiations between Washington and Tehran were later paused during the funeral ceremonies for Iran's late supreme leader and were expected to resume afterward.