The Iranian regime launched a new wave of missile attacks against countries in the Persian Gulf that host U.S. military facilities. Jordan, Kuwait and Iraq reported intercepting several projectiles and condemned the Iranian strikes during the early hours of Thursday.
Late on Wednesday, the United States completed another round of strikes against Iranian territory, aiming to reduce Tehran’s ability to “threaten innocent mariners operating commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.”
The new offensive occurred after Washington confirmed the reinstatement of a naval blockade on Iranian ports and coasts, and the diversion of two commercial ships that, according to the Pentagon, attempted to evade the restrictions imposed by the United States.
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.
Below is minute-by-minute coverage:
Oil prices fall
Oil prices fell on Thursday as traders took profits and assessed the risks associated with the new wave of strikes and counterattacks in the sector. After four consecutive sessions of gains, Brent crude futures slipped $0.24 (0.28%) to $84.95 a barrel at 04:35 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures retreated $0.15 (0.19%), to $79.45 a barrel.
Brent had risen nearly $1 at the start of the session, and both contracts remained near their one-month highs.
Jordan intercepted eight Iranian missiles overnight
Jordan’s air defense systems intercepted and destroyed eight Iranian missiles headed toward 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 on high alert for possible further threats.
Meanwhile, the Iranian military said its drones struck communications systems, fuel depots and a fixed radar station at Al Azraq air base in Jordan, identified as a U.S. military base. The statement, released by Iranian state media, said the offensive corresponds to the ninth phase of “Operation Saeqeh” (Lightning) and was launched in response to recent U.S. attacks against Iran, including a strike on a military barracks in Sistan and Baluchestan province that, according to Tehran, 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 unmanned aircraft were shot down, his office reported.
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 safety of Iraqi society.
Iranian media reported explosions in Tehran, the 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.
The state agency IRNA reported that, so far, no casualties have been recorded in Tehran. Additional explosions were heard in the western province of Lorestan and in Semnan in the north of the country, IRNA and the Mehr agency said.