The U.S. military completed its 13th consecutive night of strikes on Iran, targeting military command centers, drone storage facilities, and maritime capabilities. These actions aim to diminish the persistent threat Iran poses to civilian mariners and commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. The strikes come as Iran's proxy forces escalate attacks across the region, directly challenging global stability.
President Donald Trump vowed "major military punishment" for Iran and its Houthi allies following the Yemeni fighters' strikes on two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea. This aggression extended the conflict into a second critical shipping chokepoint. Trump stated on social media that if such attacks recur, the U.S. would hold Iran responsible, given the Houthis' role as a "Surrogate and/or Proxy of Iran." He also told Axios he was considering re-launching major combat operations in Iran, asserting, "They haven't received enough pain yet."
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Arachi responded with a warning on X, declaring, "Seizing another nation's assets to pay for unrelated future claims is an incendiary precedent." He added on Friday that "Ensuing chaos will not be pretty or peaceful." Araghchi further articulated Iran's "eye for an eye" defense doctrine, stating, "Any aggression against Iran, including our infrastructure, will compel a powerful and decisive response." He explicitly threatened that "Those who contribute to such aggression, whatever the kind of support, will also be considered as legitimate targets."
Iran's Expanding Proxy War
Iranian state media reported that a U.S. attack killed two people at Shalamcheh, on Iran's border with Iraq, and wounded at least 11 others. Two U.S. missiles reportedly struck Bushehr, site of Iran's only civilian nuclear plant, resulting in four deaths and five injuries. Four people were killed and five injured in a U.S. missile attack on the Iranian city of Ahvaz, according to state broadcaster IRIB. Tehran activated air defenses amidst these strikes. Explosions and smoke were reported near Erbil airport in Iraq, which houses U.S. troops, where air defenses were also activated.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility for targeting U.S. assets in Jordan and Kuwait. Jordan's army reported engaging four Iranian missiles and six drones, intercepting all but one missile, which landed in an uninhabited area. The IRGC stated it struck a U.S. electronic warfare unit at Al-Adiri base in Kuwait, causing unspecified casualties, in retaliation for an overnight strike on Iran's Shalamcheh border crossing. Iranian military spokesperson Brigadier General Mohammad Akraminia affirmed that these retaliatory attacks would persist as long as the U.S. continued to target Iran's infrastructure and coastal areas.
Threat to Global Commerce
The IRGC also asserted control over the Strait of Hormuz, stopping three oil tankers from transiting the vital waterway. They warned that "any ship that is deceived by the U.S. and intends to pass without coordination with the Islamic Republic of Iran will suffer the same fate." Simultaneously, the Iran-backed Houthis claimed missile and drone strikes on two Saudi tankers, the Encelia and the Layla, in the Red Sea. The Encelia issued a distress call after being struck by a missile near the Saudi port of Jizan, causing a fire at its bow.
Fears of wider disruption to critical sea routes sent global oil prices soaring, with Brent crude rising over 6% to surpass $100 a barrel for the first time since May. Shipping insurance costs through the southern Red Sea doubled for some companies. Tankers have begun rerouting around Africa to avoid the Bab el-Mandeb, a longer and more expensive journey. The number of tankers crossing the Strait of Hormuz plummeted to just one on Thursday, its lowest since May 7, according to shiptracking data.
Western Resolve Under Scrutiny
The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran commenced on February 28, same year, with Tehran responding by striking Israel and Gulf states hosting U.S. bases. This conflict, now in its fifth month, has seen thousands killed and millions displaced by U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran and Israeli attacks on Lebanon. Despite the clear and present danger posed by Iran's regional aggression, the U.S. House of Representatives backed legislation directing President Trump to halt U.S. military action against Iran. The Senate, however, hours later voted to block a separate, similar measure, and also blocked a resolution curbing Trump's Iran war powers. This internal Western debate unfolds as Iran openly threatens global shipping and regional stability.