US‑Iran escalation hits Gulf bases, ships and border sites

The U.S. Central Command announced the completion of a new wave of strikes on Iran, hitting dozens of military targets—including air‑defence systems, coastal radars, missile sites, drone facilities and small vessels—with fighter jets, naval units and, for the first time, one‑way attack drones (air and marine) and one‑way unmanned surface vessels. The operation was intended to reduce Tehran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil corridor.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard responded by claiming attacks on U.S. facilities in Jordan (Prince Hassan air base), Bahrain (U.S. drone‑command centre) and Kuwait (Ali Al Salem air base, HIMARS launchers and fuel depots). It also said it struck U.S. assets in Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf states. Iranian statements asserted the destruction of command‑and‑control centres, missile silos and ammunition stores.

Kuwait’s defence ministry reported drone attacks on three northern border posts and on an offshore oil‑platform, injuring a worker and causing material damage. Bahrain sounded air‑raid sirens, Jordan intercepted missiles, and Iran announced the shooting of a second commercial vessel in the Hormuz Strait. The United States reported no U.S. casualties in its latest raids.

The surge of reciprocal attacks raises the risk of wider regional conflict and threatens oil‑price stability, given the strategic importance of the Hormuz Strait for global energy supplies.