Tehran (TDI): Iran launched fresh attacks on US-allied Gulf countries on Saturday after the United States carried out a seventh consecutive night of strikes on Iranian military targets, further escalating tensions a week after the collapse of a fragile ceasefire.
According to the US Central Command (CENTCOM), American forces targeted Iranian surveillance sites, military logistics infrastructure, underground weapons storage facilities and maritime capabilities using fighter jets, drones and warships. The military said more than 50,000 US personnel remain deployed across the Middle East and are prepared for further operations.
Iran, meanwhile, said it struck US military installations in Kuwait and Jordan in retaliation. Iranian state media reported that missile attacks targeted ammunition depots, headquarters buildings and communication facilities at military bases in both countries.
The conflict has also intensified in the Strait of Hormuz, where both sides are attempting to disrupt maritime traffic. The US said it redirected several commercial vessels and boarded another while enforcing its naval blockade, whereas Iran claimed it intercepted ships that violated its navigation rules in the strategic waterway.
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Iran’s Revolutionary Guards also claimed that two oil tankers caught fire after passing through a mined route south of the Strait of Hormuz, although the US military rejected the claim as false. The deteriorating security situation has spread beyond the Gulf, with armed men reportedly seizing another vessel off Yemen, raising fresh concerns over shipping through the Red Sea.
Iran warned that as long as what it described as US “aggression” continues, the region would not be able to export oil, gas or chemical fertilisers safely. Iranian media also reported US strikes on several locations, including Jask, Sirik, Ahvaz, Yazd and Khorramabad. Officials said attacks on infrastructure in Hormozgan province killed at least three people, injured eight others and damaged bridges and a road tunnel.
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The United Nations expressed concern over the widening conflict, with Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warning about attacks on civilian infrastructure across Iran and the wider region. The renewed fighting has further disrupted global energy markets. Oil prices surged more than four per cent on Friday, reaching their highest level in over a month amid growing fears of prolonged supply disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz.
US President Donald Trump has warned that Washington could expand its military campaign against Iran, including strikes on key infrastructure, while declining to rule out the deployment of ground forces if the conflict continues to escalate.
