By Zainab Bakare
Iran has launched fresh attacks on US military bases in several Gulf states, while the United States carried out overnight airstrikes on multiple targets across Iran, raising fears of a wider regional conflict.
Tehran said its latest strikes targeted US-linked facilities in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain, despite an earlier agreement aimed at reducing hostilities. The attacks mark the sixth day of renewed military exchanges between the two countries.
The US military said its forces conducted a six-hour operation targeting command centres, air defence systems and coastal surveillance facilities in Bandar Abbas and Greater Tunb Island. According to US Central Command (CENTCOM), the strikes were intended to reduce Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
US President Donald Trump warned Iran to return to negotiations or face additional military action, including possible strikes on the country’s energy infrastructure.
In response, Iran’s top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said Tehran had “no reason” to honour any agreement that did not serve its national interests and insisted the country’s security depended on maintaining control of the Strait of Hormuz.
The escalating conflict has also spread across the Gulf. Kuwait said it intercepted drone attacks, while Bahrain urged residents to seek shelter after reporting incoming threats.
Iran also claimed it targeted US communication systems and fuel storage facilities in Jordan.
The Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s busiest oil shipping routes, remains closed following Iran’s response to recent US and Israeli military operations. The US has also reinstated a blockade on Iranian ports and said it stopped an oil tanker attempting to enter a restricted Iranian port.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has warned that additional oil and gas export routes serving the United States and its allies could also be targeted if the conflict continues.
The renewed fighting has disrupted tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and driven global oil prices higher amid growing concerns over energy supplies.
