Iran Strikes US Bases in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain After US Hits Targets Near Hormuz

Iran strikes on US bases in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain followed American precision strikes on nearly 20 Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz. [2] The Iranian attacks came in retaliation after the United States responded to the downing of a US Army Apache helicopter off the coast of Oman. [2]

Iran Retaliates With Strikes on US Bases

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards announced attacks on a US base in Jordan including F-35 nests and the command centre at Al-Azraq, plus strikes on US targets in Kuwait, Bahrain and the Fifth Fleet using long-range missiles and drones. [2] The Guards said they had carried out attacks against a US base in Jordan and 21 other targets in the Gulf on Wednesday in retaliation for American strikes around the Strait of Hormuz. [2] Iranian forces fired long-range missiles and targeted and destroyed four major targets in Jordan, including F-35 fighter nests at an air base and the US command centre in Al-Azraq, the country’s Revolutionary Guards said in a statement quoted by state-run IRNA news agency early on Wednesday. [2] Jordan’s military said it shot down five missiles from Iran, with no casualties or material damage. [2] The hostilities extended to other countries in the Middle East, with air raid sirens sounding in Bahrain after the Guards said they had struck another US base there. [2] The Kuwaiti army said its air defence systems were engaging hostile aerial targets and urged the public to follow official safety instructions, after Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had targeted the Ali Al-Salem base in Kuwait with drones. [2] Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said earlier they attacked the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain with drones and threatened more severe responses if hostilities continued. [2] Bahrain’s Interior Ministry said a warning siren had been sounded and urged the public to head to safety. [2] Air defences had repelled Iranian attacks, a media adviser to Bahrain’s king said soon after. [2] On Wednesday night, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard announced drone and missile attacks against US military bases in Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain, targeting a naval base and two airbases. [5] The IRGC warned of a more serious reaction if what it calls US aggression continues. [5]

US Launches Strikes After Helicopter Downing

US Central Command conducted precision strikes on nearly 20 Iranian targets including air defence, ground control stations and surveillance radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz after Iran downed a US Army Apache helicopter off the coast of Oman. [2] The US military said it has begun strikes against Iran following the crash of a US Army Apache helicopter off the coast of Oman. [3] In a statement posted to social media, US Central Command said the strikes would be a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression. [3] The US military has concluded attacks against Iran that were initiated on Tuesday evening. [4] According to U.S. Central Command, the precision strikes were conducted in self-defense following the shootdown of a US military helicopter on Monday near the Strait of Hormuz. [4] US Air Force and Navy fighter jets targeted Iranian air defense systems, ground control stations and surveillance radar sites. [2] The latest US strikes lasted around four hours before the US Central Command posted just before 9pm ET that they had ended. [2] A US official said almost 20 Iranian targets had been struck. [2] Iran’s state media reported that Qeshm island and the port city of Sirik in the Strait of Hormuz were attacked. [2] Sounds of explosions were heard in nearby Bandar Abbas, and later in the vicinity of Jask, near the entrance to the strait, Iranian media reported, citing local sources and residents. [2] The Apache helicopter that crashed went down after colliding with an Iranian drone, according to a US official. [3] It was not clear whether the collision was intentional, and official statements only said the crash is under investigation. [3] Mr Trump said Iran shot down the aircraft while it was on patrol over the Strait of Hormuz. [3] The two crew members were rescued after the helicopter went down near the coast of Oman. [2] The army aviators were rescued at 3.30am local time on Tuesday, about two hours after their helicopter went down during a patrol off the coast of Oman. [3] The US service members were spotted and picked up by a drone boat that took them to another location on the water, where they were picked up by a helicopter. [3]

Ceasefire Tested as War Escalates

The exchanges mark a major escalation that tests the April ceasefire between the US and Iran in a war that began on February 28 with joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran. [2] The clashes mark one of the biggest exchanges in hostilities since the two countries agreed to a ceasefire in April. [2] The escalation in violence deepens doubts about the prospects for a deal to end the war that started on February 28 with joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran. [2] The shaky ceasefire between Washington and Tehran already faced a serious test over the weekend when Iran and Israel briefly resumed their attacks, before later announcing a halt. [2] Iran has insisted any deal to end the war must include a truce in Lebanon, which was drawn into the conflict when Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel on March 2. [2] Israel responded with an extensive campaign of airstrikes and a ground invasion that has killed more than 3,600 people. [2] Exchanges of fire with Hezbollah have not stopped despite a nominal truce. [2] Lebanese officials said 11 people were killed in airstrikes on the southern city of Tyre on Tuesday. [2] The Israeli military also warned the entire city to evacuate. [2]

Strait of Hormuz Remains Critical Flashpoint

Iranian threats and the effective blockade of the strait have kept the waterway a critical flashpoint. [2] Tehran responded by firing on US bases and assets in Gulf countries and all but choked off the Strait of Hormuz, a vital conduit for oil and gas. [2] The renewed fighting has also overshadowed efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the critical waterway for global fuel supplies that Iran has virtually blockaded since the start of the war. [2] On Tuesday, Araghchi urged foreign forces to leave the strait and surrounding areas, warning that they faced a risk of being caught in the crossfire if they remained. [2] The Strait of Hormuz is NOT international waters but shared between Iran and Oman, Araghchi said. [2] Foreign forces in proximity to our territory are at constant risk on account of their own human errors, plain accidents, or potentially being caught in crossfire, he added. [3] The best solution is for them to leave, he said. [2] The Apache helicopter is the second crewed aircraft that Washington has confirmed was shot down by Iran during the war, following the loss of an F-15 fighter plane in April. [2]

Trump Comments on Response and Negotiations

President Trump stated that the response should be very strong, very powerful, and that’s what this one is. [2] During the US strikes, Iranian media reported at least two series of explosions along Iran’s southern coast near the Strait of Hormuz. [2] Hours earlier, Trump had said talks to end the three-month-long war were in their final stages. [2] Asked whether it would be a matter of days or weeks, the US leader said it would take two or three days. [2] But after the downing of the helicopter on Monday, Trump said in a telephone interview with ABC News that the United States was responding in a strong manner. [2] We have a good chance of signing a deal in two or three days, Mr Trump said late Monday. [3] We’re very close to having a very, very good, strong, powerful deal, the president said. [3] Mediators, led predominantly by Pakistan, have been trying for weeks to get a deal across the line. [3] The US wants to see Iran give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, which is believed to be entombed in the aftermath of American air strikes that happened during the 12-day war in 2025. [3] Iran is refusing that and demanding relief from sanctions. [3] It also wants the release of frozen assets even before a final agreement is in place, something rejected by Mr Trump. [3]

Iran Releases Footage of Missile Launches

Iran releases footage claiming to show missiles launched at US targets. [1] Iran’s state media release of footage claimed to show missiles launched at US targets amid the exchanges. [1]

What to watch next: Mediators continue efforts to secure a permanent deal while both sides maintain hard-line positions on uranium stockpiles and sanctions relief, and exchanges of fire with Hezbollah persist despite the nominal truce in Lebanon.