Iran, Houthis strike tankers as US bombing continues: What’s the latest?

Military operations in the Middle East intensified as the United States continued sustained bombing campaigns against Iran for a 12th consecutive night into Thursday morning. US Central Command announced the conclusion of the latest strike round at 02:30 GMT, having targeted Iranian military installations including maritime capabilities, missile and drone storage facilities, coastal surveillance infrastructure, and air defence systems. The command did not specify which Iranian regions were struck.

Iranian sources reported that US missiles struck multiple southwestern cities. A local official indicated that strikes hit the area surrounding a passenger terminal in Shalamcheh, a western city near the Iraqi border, resulting in two deaths and 11 injuries according to provincial officials. Al Jazeera's correspondent in Tehran reported that overnight strikes affected at least three cities in Khuzestan province, including Ramshir where an asphalt facility was targeted. Explosions were also reported in Sirik in Hormozgan province, which overlooks the Strait of Hormuz, and in Bushehr, where a power substation near the nuclear power plant was reportedly attacked, causing temporary power outages. Additional explosions were reported in Jask and on the outskirts of Andimeshk.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed that two naval search and rescue vessels were hit and seriously damaged during the US attack on Hormozgan. The IRGC subsequently announced retaliatory strikes against US military assets in Kuwait and Jordan. The organization claimed to have "attacked and destroyed a large warehouse of military equipment, a Patriot missile defence system, and a hangar of American MQ9 drones" at Ali Al Salem airbase in Kuwait. In a statement addressing Kuwaiti citizens, the IRGC asserted that the United States, not Iran, had violated Kuwait's territorial integrity by occupying Kuwaiti territory with military forces.

Separately, Yemen's Houthi movement claimed responsibility for attacks on two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea. The escalating military activities have compounded shipping disruptions affecting both the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandeb strait, as the Houthi naval blockade continues to impact regional maritime commerce.