The U.S. military launched a heavy wave of strikes against Iran early Thursday in retaliation for what the Pentagon described as an attempted Iranian missile attack on American forces in the Middle East, marking the first direct U.S. strikes on Iran in several days.
Explosions were reported in several locations across southern Iran, including Bandar Abbas, Kish Island and Qeshm Island, according to Iranian state media. Multiple explosions were also reported in Khuzestan province in southwestern Iran, near the Iraqi border.
The renewed strikes came after President Donald Trump vowed retaliation for Iran’s attempted attack Tuesday, which the U.S. military said involved missiles launched toward American positions. U.S. forces said they intercepted all of the missiles.
“It’s our turn to hit them,” Trump told reporters after the incident.
In an interview with Fox News on Wednesday, Trump used stronger language, saying the United States was going to “beat the f*cking shit out of them.” His comments came after days of relative calm in the wider Middle East.
The conflict also appeared to be widening beyond the direct U.S.-Iran confrontation.
Saudi Arabian forces joined strikes Wednesday against the Iran-allied Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq, after months of seeking to avoid being drawn directly into the conflict. The PMF said at least 20 people were killed, while an Iranian provincial official said four members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were killed.
Iraq’s Foreign Ministry directed officials to pursue legal action against the United States and Saudi Arabia over the strikes.
Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman met with Vice President JD Vance in Washington on Wednesday and conveyed a message from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Trump, according to a source familiar with the discussions.
Saudi Arabia believes Iran may seek to gain leverage through further escalation and could continue using allied militias in Iraq and the Houthi rebels in Yemen, the source said.
Meanwhile, tensions were spilling into commercial shipping. Vessel traffic through two major regional shipping chokepoints remained significantly reduced amid the conflict and threats to trade.
At Egypt’s Mediterranean port of Damietta, a fire broke out Wednesday aboard two vessels. Several industry sources identified one of the ships as the Energos Winter and said a suspected drone strike caused the fire before it spread to a second vessel. Egyptian authorities had not announced a cause for the blaze.
Oil prices rose after news of the renewed strikes, reflecting growing concerns over the potential impact of the conflict on energy supplies and global shipping.
Trump also warned China against providing weapons to Iran, saying he would be “quite disappointed” with Chinese President Xi Jinping if Beijing supplied arms to Tehran.
The latest strikes and the attempted Iranian attack have raised fresh fears that the conflict could expand further across the Middle East, drawing in additional countries, armed groups and commercial shipping routes.
