The Iranian 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 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 occurred after Washington confirmed the reinstatement of a naval blockade on Iranian ports and coasts, and after two commercial ships were diverted, which the Pentagon said had attempted to evade U.S.-imposed restrictions.
President Donald Trump toughened 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.
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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 on 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.
“While 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 MoU,” Tahir Andrabi, spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, told reporters in Islamabad.
“We expressed our hope that conditions 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 declined in the early hours of Thursday, though they remain elevated amid intensified U.S. strikes against Iran and Iranian missile and drone attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain.
Brent crude, the international benchmark, fell 0.5% to $84.57 a barrel. In late February, before the conflict began, it was trading near $72 per barrel. The U.S. benchmark slipped 0.2% to $79.43 a barrel.
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Tehran threatened regional infrastructure if the United States attacks Iran
Tehran warned on Thursday that it would strike regional infrastructure in countries allied with the United States if Washington follows through on its threats to attack Iranian facilities.
A spokesperson 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 maintain forces in the designated “security zones” within Lebanon, Syria and the Gaza Strip.
According to a statement released Thursday, the two officials spoke overnight and Katz “stressed 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 observed 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. There were no casualties or material damage reported. Engineering teams secured areas where debris fell, and the armed forces remain on high alert for possible further threats.
The Iranian military, meanwhile, said its drones struck communications systems, fuel depots and a fixed radar station at Al Azraq airbase in Jordan, which Iran identified as a U.S. military facility. State media quoted a military statement saying the attack was part of the ninth phase of “Operation Saeqeh” (Lightning) and was launched in response to recent U.S. strikes on Iran, including a bombing of 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 on 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 reported.
Al-Zaidi said security agencies, in coordination with regional forces, have been instructed 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
State media in Iran reported that air defense alerts were activated on Thursday morning in several areas of Tehran and that explosions were heard in the north and west of the city.
The state news agency IRNA reported that, so far, no casualties have been recorded in Tehran. Additional explosions were reported in the western province of Lorestan and in Semnan in the north, according to IRNA and the Mehr agency.