Iran targets military bases as US launches wave of strikes
4 hours ago
Ella Kipling
Reuters
The US and Iran have continued to exchange fire as negotiations stall
Tehran has launched fresh attacks on US military bases in neighbouring Gulf states, while Washington continued to strike sites across Iran overnight.
Tehran said it had struck targets in the region, including in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain, as a sixth day of renewed hostilities strained their preliminary deal to end the war.
Meanwhile, the US military said it inflicted a six-hour wave of strikes in multiple locations to "degrade Iran's ability to threaten innocent mariners" in the Strait of Hormuz.
The latest exchanges came after US President Donald Trump warned Iran it had "better behave" or face further military action should Iran not return to negotiations.
Reuters
Footage released by US Central Command
On Tuesday, Trump threatened to target Iran's energy infrastructure if Tehran failed to return to talks.
Iran's top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, told state media Tehran had "no reason" to abide by any agreement that did not benefit the country.
He added that Iran's national security depended on maintaining what he described as "Iranian arrangements" in the Strait of Hormuz.
In the latest attacks, the US targeted command centres, air defence sites, and coastal surveillance facilities across Iran - including in the port city of Bandar Abbas and Greater Tunb Island - US Central Command (Centcom) said.
Explosions were heard across Iran and air defences were triggered in Tehran, Iranian state media reported.
Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said a children's cancer treatment centre in the western city of Ahvaz had been evacuated after strikes on a nearby location.
BBC Verify has authenticated video footage of strikes on three coastal cities in Iran - Chabahar, Ahvaz and Bandar Abbas.
Shortly after, US allies in the Gulf reported attacks. Kuwait's military said it intercepted drone attacks, while Bahrain's interior ministry told citizens to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place.
The Iranian military also said it targeted US communication systems and fuel storage facilities in Jordan in its latest round of strikes.
As tensions intensify, the Strait of Hormuz - a critical waterway off Iran's coast that Tehran effectively blocked in response to US-Israeli strikes - remains closed.
On Tuesday, the US said it had resumed a blockade on Iranian ports, which was previously lifted as part of a deal that was struck by the two countries last month - known as a memorandum of understanding.
The following day, the US fired on and disabled an unladen, Curacao-flagged oil tanker, which Centcom said was attempting to sail toward a blockaded Iranian port.
In response to the renewal of the US blockade, Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps warned the US that it should "expect the closure of other oil and gas export routes that serve the interests of the United States and its allies".
It did not elaborate on which routes could be affected.
As the dispute over the Strait of Hormuz continues, there has been sharp rise in oil prices globally triggered by tanker traffic virtually stalling through the key shipping lane.
Despite the ongoing hostilities, Trump welcomed what he saw as a potential olive branch from Tehran in freeing an American detainee that the US president said had been "wrongfully detained" in December 2024.
"The United States of America appreciates this gesture of Goodwill by Iran!" Trump wrote on Wednesday on his Truth Social platform.
The woman, Dena Karari, was on her way back to the US, according to her attorney, Jared Genser, in a post on X.
The Strait of Hormuz
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A very quick guide:
The Strait of Hormuz
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What is it?
The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow stretch of water located between Iran, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman.
The waterway - which is about 21 miles (33 km) at its tightest point - connects the Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, making it a vital global shipping route.
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Who uses the Strait?
About 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas usually passes through the Strait of Hormuz.
That oil comes not only from Iran, but also Gulf states such as Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
In 2025, about 20 million barrels of oil passed through the waterway per day, according to estimates from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) – that's nearly $600bn (£447bn) worth of energy trade per year.
Since the US and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February, shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has been severely disrupted, impacting global oil prices.
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Where does the oil go?
In 2022, around 82% of crude oil and other fossil fuels leaving the Strait of Hormuz were bound for Asian countries, according to EIA estimates.
China alone is estimated to buy around 90% of the oil that Iran exports.
