Overnight strikes hit Iranian military and maritime sites, prompting counterattacks on US-linked facilities in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan. Tension threatens shipping lanes and oil flows.
During the night the United States carried out strikes against targets in southern Iran following President Donald Trump’s statement that Iran would pay a heavy price for the deaths of American soldiers, while Iran responded with strikes against U.S. facilities in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan; reports also said a tanker was struck in the Strait of Hormuz.
A day earlier, rebels allied with Iran announced the imposition of a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia, which could open a new front in the war and threaten global energy supplies and trade.
Despite the escalation, which nearly shattered the temporary cease-fire, there are signs that Tehran and Washington are seeking to restore diplomacy that is keeping oil prices in check.
U.S. Central Command said it had completed another round of strikes against Iran, hitting military command centers, naval capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and air defenses.
Explosions were heard near Shiraz in the south of Iran, as well as in the Konarak and Chabahar areas, according to state media.
Iran responded with new strikes along the Persian Gulf, heightening the vulnerability of civilian infrastructure, notably at water-treatment and energy facilities.
According to the Revolutionary Guards, they struck infrastructure in Bahrain owned by the American company Amazon, in response to what they described as an alleged U.S. strike on the site of the planned Darkhovin nuclear plant.
State media in Iran also reported that Iranian forces struck housing facilities for American service members at the Sheikh Isa base in Bahrain. There were no comments from the United States, Bahrain, or Amazon regarding the incidents, and the veracity of the reports could not be independently verified.
The Iranian army said it launched drone strikes against three American bases in Kuwait on that day. The Revolutionary Guards also reported an attack on a U.S. facility in Jordan; Jordan denied it and said its forces had shot down five Iranian drones.
ATTACKS ON TANKERS
The United Kingdom’s Maritime Trade Operations said a tanker in the strait had been struck by an unknown object, and the crew evacuated to a lifeboat.
It was also reported that two tankers caught fire while transiting the southern route through the Strait of Hormuz after the blasts; the timing of the events is being clarified.
Iran sought to force the Houthis to close Bab-el-Mandeb to the Red Sea if the United States continues attacks on Iran’s energy infrastructure – threatening the world’s two most important energy supply routes.
A full blockade of Bab-el-Mandeb could reduce global oil supplies by about 7%, as most of Saudi Arabia’s exports would be unable to pass through the region. Meanwhile, the war reduces supplies to the world market amid decreasing flows.
After the Houthis announced the blockade, the Saudi-led coalition began implementing measures to protect shipping through Bab-el-Mandeb.
Oil prices weighed the threat to maritime transport alongside diplomatic efforts to ease tensions; in early trading, Brent was modestly lower.
DIPLOMATIC PRESSURE AND SEARCH FOR A CEASEFIRE
According to a senior Iranian official, Tehran has received a proposal from mediators for a 10-day ceasefire that would help preserve the temporary agreement and move toward a long-term peace that would end the war started on February 28 with attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran.
Iran’s Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni asked Pakistan to resume its mediator role, and later arrived in Islamabad for further negotiating rounds.
The latest phase of the conflict has been one of the bloodiest for American forces; 17 service members were killed over the weekend.
Trump, under pressure over rising fuel prices, said that the latest U.S. strikes on Iran honor the deaths of American soldiers.
The conflict has claimed thousands of lives, mostly in Iran and Lebanon. Parts of Lebanon remain tense after attacks on Israel by Hezbollah, which said it acted in solidarity with Tehran.
Lebanese President Michel Aoun is set to meet Trump at the White House to discuss a plan for disarming pro-Russian forces and ensuring the withdrawal of Israeli units.
Every time Iran kills an American soldier, they will pay for it many times over. This directive has been relayed to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Daniel Kane, and to every leader in the army.
– Donald Trump
The situation remains tense, but the sides are talking about the possibility of resuming negotiations, and global oil markets continue to monitor developments and the security of sea lanes.