The United States and Iran launched retaliatory strikes against each other and American allies in the Gulf on Thursday, as the long-time adversaries battled over control of the vital Strait of Hormuz in a dramatic escalation of Middle East tensions.
Iranian forces attacked American military installations across Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain with drone strikes, whilst the US completed multiple waves of attacks against Iranian military infrastructure throughout the day.
The US Central Command said American forces struck command centres, air defence sites, missile and drone capabilities, and coastal surveillance facilities in an evening wave of attacks designed “to further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten innocent mariners crewing commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz”.
The military targeted multiple locations, including the strategic port city of Bandar Abbas. In an earlier 90-minute assault, US forces struck coastal defence and cruise missile sites on Greater Tunb Island.
Seven hours of American raids hit dozens of targets, killing seven Iranian military personnel in a missile strike at a barracks near the south-eastern city of Iranshahr, according to Iran’s army.
“US fighter aircraft, drones, and naval vessels launched precision munitions against Iranian missile and drone sites, naval capabilities, and coastal defence systems,” Central Command said.
Iranian counter-strikes hit American bases
Iranian state media reported that the country’s military carried out separate drone attacks on US bases in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain. The army said it targeted communication systems and fuel storage facilities in Jordan.
In Kuwait, Iranian forces struck radar systems, a Patriot air defence system, and fuel storage facilities at Ali Al Salem Air Base, whilst US military facilities at the Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain also came under attack, according to state broadcaster IRIB.
Kuwait’s military said it intercepted drone attacks following “the nefarious Iranian aggression”. Bahrain’s interior ministry urged citizens and residents to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place.
Hormuz Strait to remain closed
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until the United States ends its “acts of aggression” and warned that other regional oil export routes could become targets.
“Oil and gas exports from the region will either be available for everyone or for no one,” the statement said.
Other developments
Iran’s judiciary announced that Mohammad Amini Dehaghani had been hanged after being found guilty of taking part in anti-government protests at the start of the year. The judiciary’s press agency called him “a collaborator with the enemy”.
Iran added two years to a 10-year jail term being served by British man Craig Foreman for talking to the media, his son said. Foreman, who was accused of spying, and his wife Lindsay were detained whilst in Iran during a round-the-world motorbike trip in 2025. Both were jailed for 10 years.
The body of an Indian sailor, Heramb Karmarkar, who went missing after his ship was attacked off the coast of Oman on Sunday, has been recovered, a seafarers’ union official said.
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