The Iranian regime launched a new wave of missile attacks against Gulf countries that host U.S. military facilities. Jordan, Kuwait and Iraq reported intercepting several projectiles and condemned the Iranian strikes in the early hours of Thursday.
Late Wednesday, the United States carried out another round of strikes on Iranian territory aimed at reducing Tehran’s ability to “threaten innocent mariners aboard commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.”
The new offensive took place after Washington confirmed the reinstatement of a naval blockade on Iranian ports and coasts, as well as the diversion of two commercial ships that, according to the Pentagon, attempted to evade U.S.-imposed restrictions.
President Donald Trump hardened his stance toward Tehran and warned that the military campaign in the Middle East could expand in the coming days if the Iranian regime does not agree to return to negotiations. “Next week the situation will be very bad for them,” he said.
Below is minute-by-minute coverage:
Oil prices fall
Oil prices fell in the early hours of Thursday, though they remain elevated amid an escalation of U.S. attacks on Iran and Iranian missile and drone strikes against Kuwait and Bahrain.
Brent crude, the international benchmark, fell 0.5% to $84.57 per barrel. In late February, before the conflict began, it traded near $72 per barrel. The U.S. benchmark crude price fell 0.2% to $79.43 per barrel.
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Tehran threatened regional infrastructure if the United States attacks Iran
Tehran warned on Thursday that it will strike the regional infrastructure of U.S.-allied countries if Washington follows through on its threats to attack Iranian sites.
The spokesman for Iran’s military headquarters said that if those warnings are carried out, “the entire infrastructure of the region would be crushed under the steel blows of the Iranian armed forces.”
Israel told the Pentagon it will keep troops in “security zones” in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza
Israel’s Defense Minister, Israel Katz, informed his U.S. counterpart, Pete Hegseth, that the Israeli military will keep its forces in the “security zones” established in Lebanon, Syria and the Gaza Strip.
According to a statement released Thursday, the two officials spoke overnight and Katz “emphasized Israel’s determination to remain in the security zones in Syria, Gaza and Lebanon to protect its borders and nearby communities from threats posed by jihadist forces.”
Fire and smoke seen in Chabahar, Iran, after reports of an explosion
Jordan intercepted eight Iranian missiles overnight
Jordan’s air defense systems intercepted and destroyed eight Iranian missiles aimed at the country in the early hours of Thursday, the Jordanian army reported. No casualties or material damage were reported. Engineering teams secured the areas where debris fell, and the armed forces remain at high alert for possible further threats.
Meanwhile, the Iranian military said its drones attacked communications systems, fuel depots and a fixed radar station at Al Azraq airbase in Jordan, identified as a U.S. military base. The statement, released by Iranian state media, said the operation was the ninth phase of “Operation Saeqeh” (Lightning) and was launched in response to recent U.S. attacks on Iran, including a strike on a military barracks in Sistan and Baluchestan province that Tehran says killed seven service members.
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Iraq’s prime minister condemned Thursday’s “drone attack” over Erbil
Iraq’s Prime Minister, Ali al-Zaidi, condemned a “drone attack” that violated Erbil’s airspace in the Kurdistan region after several aircraft were shot down, his office said.
Al-Zaidi said security agencies, in coordination with regional forces, have been instructed to take all necessary measures to prevent a recurrence of these attacks and to protect the security of Iraqi society.
Iranian media reported explosions in Tehran, Iran’s capital
Iranian state media reported that air defense alerts were activated in several areas of Tehran on Thursday morning and that explosions were heard in the north and west of the country.
State agency IRNA reported that, so far, no casualties have been recorded in Tehran. Additional explosions were heard in Lorestan province in the west and in Semnan in the north, according to IRNA and Mehr agency.