The United States continued its strikes against Iran for the fourth consecutive day, while resuming its naval blockade of Iranian ports. Meanwhile, Tehran announced attacks targeting US military bases and facilities in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan, in a tit-for-tat escalation that widens the scope of the confrontation between the two sides.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) stated that it had completed additional round of strikes against Iran, targeting dozens of military sites near the Strait of Hormuz and Iranian coastal areas.
In a post on its X platform, CENTCOM said, “U.S. fighter aircraft, drones, and naval vessels launched precision munitions against Iranian missile and drone sites, naval capabilities, and coastal defense systems during the seven-hour wave to further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping and civilian crews.”
According to a CENTCOM statement, these strikes occurred on the same day that US forces resumed their naval blockade of ships bound for or originating from Iranian ports and coastal areas. “The blockade went into effect today at 4:00 PM Eastern Time.”
The statement added, “U.S. forces remain vigilant, lethal, and prepared to execute operations directed by the Commander in Chief.”
While US President Donald Trump backed down on his planned 20 percent levy on ships using the Strait of Hormuz, he warned he would widen the strikes next week to hit power plants and bridges if Tehran does not return to the negotiating table. “Next week it gets really bad for them,” he told Fox News.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a fierce opponent of Iran’s alleged nuclear ambitions, warned Iranian leaders that Israel would deal a heavy blow if they launched an attack on his country.
Meanwhile, the Kuwaiti army said on Wednesday that it is intercepting attacks by “hostile” drones, a day after the US resumed its blockade of Iranian ports, coinciding with the ongoing strikes. In a X post, it said, “Kuwaiti air defenses are currently intercepting attacks by hostile drones following the heinous Iranian aggression.”
For its part, Iranian state television reported Wednesday that Iran’s army and the Revolutionary Guards carried out separate attacks on US targets in Jordan and Kuwait after US forces struck the Islamic republic.
The army said it targeted the Al-Azraq base in Jordan with drones, state TV IRIB reported. Separately, the Guards said they fired cruise missiles at a US military logistics center at Mina Abdullah in Kuwait, stressing that the Hormuz strait would remain closed “until the United States ends its acts of aggression”.
In contrast, Jordan’s army said Wednesday it had shot down three missiles from Iran, as Tehran pressed attacks on US allies in response to American strikes.
“Air defense systems intercepted and shot down three ballistic missiles at dawn on Wednesday after they entered Jordanian airspace from Iranian territory,” the army said in a statement, adding that there were no casualties or material damage.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards also said they struck facilities used by the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, state television reported Wednesday, after US strikes on Iranian territory.
“The NSI Management Center, Command and Control Center, Major Military Parts and Equipment Warehouses, and Fuel Storage Facilities of the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain Were Crushed,” the Guards said in a statement carried by state television.
Meanwhile, in another statement, the IRGC declared that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until the US “hostile actions” cease, threatening to close other strategic export routes.
The statement added, “The enemy should also expect the closure of other oil and gas export routes that serve the interests of the United States and its allies.”
The IRGC declared, “Either oil and gas exports in the region will be open to everyone, or they will be open to no one.” (AFP/EIR)
