A fresh exchange of attacks between the United States and Iran took place in the Gulf region overnight into Sunday. This has further intensified the Middle East standoff centered on the Strait of Hormuz. At least one person was killed and four others injured in a US strike on an agricultural water pumping station in Iran’s Mahshahr area. Tehran stated that these recent attacks have rendered all diplomatic efforts of the past few months “futile.”
A US military spokesperson claimed that the United States launched new strikes on Iranian military and civilian installations after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targeted another commercial vessel passing through the narrow entrance of the Persian Gulf.
At one time, one-fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas was transported via this route. Washington and Tehran have long held conflicting claims regarding maritime traffic through the strait. The strait serves as a major source of leverage for Tehran in negotiations concerning agreements between the two nations.
US military bases in the region have also come under Iranian retaliatory fire. Tehran has acknowledged these recent attacks, significantly heightening fears of a complete breakdown in diplomatic relations between the two countries.
What the US has said
The US military began launching further strikes against Iran yesterday. US Central Command (CENTCOM) claimed to have struck dozens of targets with precision munitions across various locations to “degrade Iran’s ability to continue attacking international shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.”
These targets included Iranian military air defense systems, coastal radar sites, missile and drone capabilities, and small boats.
CENTCOM further claimed that, for the first time, it utilized a combination of “US fighter jets, naval warships, one-way attack drones, and one-way attack maritime drones.” The US military had previously claimed to have struck approximately 140 targets—an operation far more intense than the two rounds of attacks carried out the week prior.
Speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press, US President Donald Trump said, “We unleashed a massive bombardment on them last night.”
Iranian Attacks on US Bases
In retaliation for US aggression, Iranian forces launched attacks on US military bases located in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan, and even Oman. The Strait of Hormuz lies within the territorial waters of Oman and Iran. According to Iranian news agencies, drone attacks on US bases in the region are ongoing. Tehran has claimed to have destroyed a US drone fleet in Bahrain.
In a statement, the IRGC announced that its aerospace division had struck a US helicopter maintenance facility, a hangar housing a P-8 aircraft, and a US military drone command-and-control center.
Iranian media further claimed that Tehran launched “devastating drone” attacks against US forces in Kuwait. That base houses US defense and missile systems, bunkers, and shelters. Iran’s IRGC had previously claimed to have attacked the Ali Al Salem and Ahmad Al-Jaber bases in Kuwait as well.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry alleged that this latest US attack has undermined all efforts made over the past few months to de-escalate tensions and establish peace in the West Asia region.
The ministry further accused the US administration of bringing insecurity back to the area and disrupting international commercial shipping by openly interfering with Iran’s measures regarding the Strait of Hormuz.
An Al Jazeera report stated that one person was killed and four others were injured when a missile or shell struck an agricultural water pumping station in the Mahshahr area of Iran’s Khuzestan province. Valiollah Hayati, the deputy governor for security and law enforcement, said the attack took place early Saturday morning. The deceased was a security guard at the facility. US forces have launched attacks on cities across Iran’s Khuzestan, Hormozgan, and Sistan-Baluchestan provinces. Explosions have been reported at at least four locations in Hormozgan province—Jask, Sirik, Qeshm Island, and Bandar Abbas—where radar sites and military installations are located.
Explosions were reported in the areas surrounding Ahvaz, as well as in the cities of Omidiyeh, Mahshahr, Behbahan, and Dezful in Khuzestan province. Airstrikes were also carried out near Chabahar in Sistan-Baluchestan and outside the city of Khondab in Markazi province, where a water treatment plant is located.
