Iran’s regime launched a new wave of missile attacks against Persian 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 completed another round of strikes on Iranian territory intended to reduce Tehran’s ability to “threaten the innocent mariners who crew commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.”
The new offensive occurred after Washington confirmed the reinstatement of a naval blockade of Iranian ports and coasts, and after two commercial vessels were diverted for allegedly attempting to evade the restrictions imposed by the United States, according to the Pentagon.
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 the negotiating table. “Next week the situation will be very bad for them,” he said.
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Pakistan urged Iran and the U.S. to resume peace talks to curb the war in the Middle East
Pakistan announced Thursday that it will encourage the United States and Iran to halt the violence and resume dialogue under the memorandum of understanding (MoU) it helped mediate last month.
“Although the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding faces challenges, Pakistan will continue to encourage all parties to end the violence and resume technical-level talks in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding,” said Tahir Andrabi, spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, to reporters in Islamabad.
“We expressed our hope that the situation in the Strait of Hormuz will normalize soon and stressed the importance of ensuring the security and freedom of maritime navigation,” he added.
Oil prices fall
Oil prices fell in the early hours of Thursday, although they remain elevated amid intensified U.S. attacks on Iran and Iranian missile and drone offensives against Kuwait and Bahrain.
Brent crude, the international benchmark, dropped 0.5% to $84.57 per barrel. At the end of February, before the conflict began, it was trading near $72 per barrel. The U.S. benchmark slipped 0.2% to $79.43 per barrel.
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Tehran threatened regional infrastructure if the United States attacks Iran
Tehran warned Thursday that it would strike the regional infrastructure of countries allied with the United States if Washington follows through on its threats to attack Iranian facilities.
The spokesperson for Iran’s military headquarters said that if those warnings are carried out, “all the region’s infrastructure would be crushed under the steel blows of the Iranian armed forces.”
Israel informed the Pentagon it will keep troops in “security zones” in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza
Israel’s Defense Minister, Israel Katz, told 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 military said. 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 stated that its drones struck communications systems, fuel depots and a fixed radar station at Al Azraq airbase in Jordan, which it identified as a U.S. military base. The statement, carried by Iranian state media, said the offensive 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 the “drone attack” on Erbil Thursday
Iraq’s Prime Minister, Ali al-Zaidi, condemned a “drone attack” that violated Erbil’s airspace in the Kurdistan region after several drones were shot down, his office said.
Al-Zaidi said security agencies, in coordination with regional forces, have been ordered to take all necessary measures to prevent the recurrence of such attacks and to protect the safety of Iraqi society.
Iranian media reported explosions in Tehran, the capital
Iranian state media reported that air defense sirens were activated in several areas of Tehran on Thursday morning and that explosions were heard in the north and west of the country.
State news agency IRNA reported that, so far, no casualties have been recorded in Tehran. Additional explosions were reported in Lorestan province in the west and in Semnan in the north, according to IRNA and Mehr news agency.