US attacks Iran as Houthis allow Chinese ships to pass: What’s the latest?

Military operations in the Middle East intensified as the United States continued a sustained campaign against Iranian targets. According to US Central Command, strikes concluded early Friday morning and focused on Iranian military infrastructure including command centres, drone storage, communications networks, and maritime capabilities. Iranian state media reported explosions across multiple cities including Khondab, Khorramabad, Konarak, and Jask, with casualties reported in some locations. Attacks on the port city of Bandar Abbas injured two people, while a strike near Ahvaz resulted in four deaths and five injuries according to Iran's Tasnim news agency.

Iranian military officials claimed retaliatory drone strikes against US-allied military installations. The Iranian army stated it targeted fuel storage and equipment facilities at Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain, as well as aircraft hangars and maintenance facilities at the Muwaffaq Salti base in Jordan. Officials warned that further actions against Iranian interests would destabilize regional security and economic conditions.

Shipping activity in critical waterways experienced significant disruption. Data showed only one tanker crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, the lowest volume since early May. However, two Chinese supertankers carrying Saudi Arabian crude oil successfully transited the Bab al-Mandeb strait on Friday, despite Yemen's Houthi movement announcing a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia earlier in the week.

US President Donald Trump escalated rhetoric regarding potential future military action. In statements to media outlets, Trump indicated consideration of larger-scale strikes against Iran following recent Iranian retaliatory attacks on Gulf allies, including strikes on Kuwaiti telecommunications infrastructure.