Iran Strikes US Bases in Kuwait and Jordan as US Completes 12th Night of Attacks
The United States conducted a 12th consecutive night of strikes on Iranian military targets while Iran strikes retaliated by attacking US assets in Kuwait and Jordan and setting a tanker ablaze in the Strait of Hormuz.
US Strikes on Iranian Targets
US Central Command stated at 02:30 GMT on Thursday that it concluded the latest round of strikes against Iran. [1] The strikes targeted Iranian military targets including maritime capabilities, missile and drone storage facilities, coastal surveillance sites and air defence assets. [1] A local official told the Mehr news agency that US missiles struck the area around a passenger terminal in Shalamcheh. [1] Two people were killed in the attack on Shalamcheh, the deputy governor of Iran’s Khuzestan province told the state broadcaster IRIB. [1] Local media reported that 11 people were injured. [1] Overnight strikes targeted at least three cities in the southwestern province of Khuzestan including the city of Ramshir where an asphalt facility was reported to have been targeted. [1] In Hormozgan province explosions were heard in the city of Sirik which overlooks the Strait of Hormuz. [1] The governor confirmed an overnight attack in Bushehr on a power substation near the city’s nuclear power plant resulting in a few hours of power outage. [1] Explosions were heard in Iran’s Jask. [1] A US missile hit a location on the outskirts of the city of Andimeshk. [1] Two naval search and rescue vessels were hit and seriously damaged in a US attack on Iran’s Hormozgan. [1] CENTCOM said the attack further degraded Iran’s ability to attack mariners and commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. [3] The command claimed to have redirected nine commercial vessels and disabled one to prevent ships from entering or departing Iranian ports. [3]
Iranian Retaliation in Kuwait and Jordan
Iranian drones fly during strikes on US bases in Kuwait and Jordan. — Source: khaamapress The IRGC claimed attacks on US assets in Kuwait on Thursday. [1] It said it had attacked and destroyed a large warehouse of military equipment, a Patriot missile defence system and a hangar of American MQ9 drones at Ali Al Salem airbase. [1] Addressing the Kuwaiti people the IRGC insisted that it was the US not Iran that had violated territorial integrity and sovereignty. [1] Later on Thursday the IRGC claimed attacks on US assets in Jordan saying it had destroyed a radar of the American THAAD missile defence system. [1] A Patriot system and a C-RAM radar were also targeted and destroyed and the fuel tanks of the American base were set on fire. [1] A large helicopter equipment warehouse and a helicopter repair and maintenance shed were also set on fire and destroyed. [1] Addressing the Jordanian people the IRGC insisted that its actions did not violate Jordanian sovereignty arguing that the US military presence infringes on local authority. [1]
Incidents in the Strait of Hormuz
The IRGC said an explosion set a tanker on fire in the Strait of Hormuz. [1] In a statement carried by Iranian media it said two other vessels quickly turned back following the explosion. [1] The IRGC claimed the three ships were acting under US orders and had intended to pass through the mine-laid route south of the Strait of Hormuz. [1] The powerful IRGC Navy emphasises that the Strait of Hormuz is under our control and that as long as America’s evil deeds in the region continue it is completely closed and no oil tanker will enter or exit the strait it warned. [1] Any ship that is deceived by America and intends to pass through without coordination with the Islamic Republic of Iran will suffer the same fate. [1] The attacks in the Strait of Hormuz caused oil price to reach $96 a barrel the highest price since 8 June. [3] US President Donald Trump warned on Wednesday that the US would destroy one bridge or power plant each time Iran shoots at a ship in the strait. [4] From this point forward any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz whether it be by Missile Rocket Drone or any other device or weapon the United States will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT Trump wrote on social media. [4]
Houthi Attacks on Saudi Tankers
US strikes target Iranian military sites in Khuzestan province as conflict escalates. — Source: premiumtimes Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels said early Thursday they had attacked two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea. [4] The Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree on Wednesday said We targeted two Saudi oil tankers named Encelia and Layla for their violation of the blockade decision issued by the armed forces. [3] The Saudi SPA news agency confirmed the Encelia was hit. [1] The Houthis said they targeted those two tankers with cruise and ballistic missiles as well as drones causing huge balls of fire and devastation. [1] The Houthis framed the attack as part of a tit-for-tat campaign against Saudi Arabia calling it a siege-for-siege. [1] They said it has been 12 years since Saudi Arabia has been imposing a siege on the Yemeni people and that it is now time for Yemen and the Houthis to respond in kind. [1] The state-run Saudi Press Agency reported the Encelia was set ablaze by an attack while sailing overnight in the Red Sea citing an unidentified source from the General Authority of Transport. [4] It said there were no casualties. [4] The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center UKMTO said it received a report of a tanker being struck by an unknown projectile 70 nautical miles southwest of Al Shuqaiq Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea. [4] It said no casualties had been reported. [4]
Statements from Leaders and Officials
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio attending a regional summit in the Philippines said Iran wants to talk but doesn’t seem serious about wanting a deal. [4] The problem with them is you can’t make a deal with people unless they’re going to keep it Rubio said. [4] Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf who has led negotiations with the US appeared to brush off Trump’s threats. [4] We have repeatedly said that the situation of the strait will not return to prewar conditions he wrote on social media. [4] Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran’s defence doctrine is an eye for an eye. [3] Our defence doctrine is clear: eye for an eye. Any aggression against Iran including our infrastructure will compel a powerful and decisive response he wrote on X. [3] Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni held meetings in recent days in Pakistan seeking to revive diplomacy. [4] Iran’s Interior Ministry spokesperson Ali Zeinivand said diplomacy isn’t called off and that messages were still being exchanged. [4]
Broader Context and Russian Involvement Questions
Iranian drone attacks on CIA facilities in the Gulf have prompted US intelligence analysts to investigate whether Russia provided targeting information or advanced drone technology to Tehran according to four people familiar with US intelligence. [2] US intelligence officials have not reached firm conclusions about possible Russian involvement in the attacks. [2] At least two CIA sites were struck by Iranian drones in March. [2] One was a CIA station located inside the US Embassy in Riyadh Saudi Arabia while another facility was located in eastern Iraq. [2] A Western intelligence memo reportedly concluded that Russia had likely played a role in targeting CIA facilities in the region. [2] Two Western officials said analysts believed the attack in Riyadh involved two Russian-enhanced versions of Iran’s Shahed drones. [2] Russia had helped Iran improve the range and effectiveness of its Shahed drones. [2] Moscow had also assisted Tehran in improving the accuracy of its Shahed-136 drones by providing the Kometa-M satellite navigation system. [2] The investigation remains ongoing and US intelligence agencies have not publicly confirmed that Russia directly helped Iran target CIA facilities. [2]
What to watch next: Both sides have increasingly threatened civilian infrastructure with Trump warning of further bridge or power plant strikes and Iran vowing an eye-for-an-eye response while diplomatic efforts in Pakistan show no signs of progress. [3] [4]
