Iran’s regime launched a new wave of missile attacks against Persian Gulf countries hosting 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 a new round of strikes on Iranian territory aimed at reducing Tehran’s ability to “threaten innocent sailors operating commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.”
The new offensive followed Washington’s confirmation of the reinstatement of the naval blockade of 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 the negotiating table. “Next week the situation will be very bad for them,” he said.
Below is the minute-by-minute coverage:
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Pakistan urged Iran and the U.S. to resume peace talks to halt the war in the Middle East
Pakistan announced Thursday that it will encourage the United States and Iran to stop the violence and resume dialogue under the memorandum of understanding (MoU) it helped mediate last month.
“While 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,” Tahir Andrabi, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said to the press in Islamabad.
“We express our hope that the situation in the Strait of Hormuz will normalize soon and emphasize 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, although they remain elevated amid intensifying U.S. strikes against Iran and Iranian missile and drone offensives targeting Kuwait and Bahrain.
Brent crude, the international benchmark, fell 0.5% to $84.57 per barrel. At the end of February, before the conflict began, it traded near $72 per barrel. The U.S. benchmark dropped 0.2% to $79.43 per barrel.
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Tehran threatened regional infrastructure if the United States attacks Iran
Tehran threatened on Thursday to strike the regional infrastructure of U.S.-allied countries if Washington follows through on warnings 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 informed the Pentagon that it will maintain 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 within 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 the 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 directed 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 air base in Jordan, identified as a U.S. military base. The statement, released by Iranian state media, specified that the offensive corresponds to the ninth phase of “Operation Saeqeh” (Lightning) and was launched in response to recent U.S. attacks on Iran, including a bombing of a military barracks in Sistan and Baluchestan province that, according to Tehran, killed seven soldiers.
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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 said.
Al-Zaidi said that security agencies, in coordination with regional forces, have been instructed to take all necessary measures to prevent a recurrence of such attacks and to protect the security of Iraqi society.
Iranian media reported explosions in Tehran, the capital of Iran
Iranian state media reported that air defense alerts were activated in several areas of Tehran on Thursday morning and that explosions were recorded 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, according to IRNA and the Mehr news agency.