The United States military announced early on Thursday that it had completed a heavy wave of strikes against Iran, a move described as a direct response to earlier Iranian attacks on a US base in Jordan. According to the US Central Command, the operation took place over a two-hour period and targeted dozens of sites belonging to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps. The strikes hit a variety of facilities, including military command centres, missile and drone infrastructure, as well as coastal surveillance and defence sites.
The military action followed a vow from US President Donald Trump to hit Iran “very hard” in retaliation for the strike on the base hosting American troops. During an Oval Office event, when asked if Iran was responsible for separate strikes on natural gas vessels, President Trump stated, “It's a little more of the same,” adding, “In the meantime, we’re going to be hitting them very hard because it’s our turn to hit them.”
The regional situation remains volatile, with reports of damage extending beyond the direct US-Iran exchanges. UK maritime security firm Ambrey reported that drone strikes ignited fires on two natural gas vessels at the Egyptian port of Damietta. The vessels, which included a US-owned floating storage facility and a Greek-owned tanker, sustained damage, though no injuries were reported. It remains unclear who was responsible for the attack on the port.
Inside Iran, state media reported that two people were injured during attacks on the island of Qeshm in the Strait of Hormuz. Explosions were also reported in the western province of Khuzestan, which borders Iraq and Kuwait. These events have raised concerns about a potential return to all-out war, further complicating a five-month conflict that has impacted the global economy and faced domestic political pressure in the United States. There are also concerns that the ongoing fighting is depleting US stockpiles of sophisticated munitions needed to protect its allies and bases.
The conflict has also drawn in other regional actors, with Saudi Arabia accusing Iraqi militias of launching drones against its oil facilities over the past two days. Meanwhile, an interim agreement signed in June has collapsed due to renewed fighting in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for global energy supplies that has been effectively closed by Iranian attacks. A regional official noted that mediators are still attempting to engage both sides to restore calm, though no details were provided regarding any progress in these closed-door diplomatic efforts.
The flare-ups on multiple fronts after several days of relative calm raised the risk of a return to all-out war. It also underscored the difficulty of winding down a five-month conflict that has jolted the world economy and is unpopular domestically among Americans.
