Iran‑US Gulf Conflict Escalates with Airstrikes and Retaliatory Threats

The United States military carried out a fourth wave of airstrikes in a week against Iranian facilities in the Persian Gulf, using combat drones to weaken Iran’s capacity to target ships in the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy trade. The attacks, announced by U.S. Central Command, were said to target missile sites and naval infrastructure.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard responded with ballistic missile strikes on the U.S. Al Udeid air base in Qatar and launched retaliatory attacks on Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan. Residents of the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas reported continuous explosions and night‑time blasts. The confrontation follows a failed follow‑up to a June framework agreement between Iran and Oman, and has pushed oil prices higher.

In parallel, the Iranian newspaper Hamshahri posted a graphic that places a crosshair over U.S. President Donald Trump and depicts several Western leaders, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, in orange prison‑garments, promising “certain retaliation.” The image was presented as a response to a speech by Iran’s new Supreme Leader’s son, calling for vengeance for his father’s death.