The United States and Iran continued their exchange of military strikes for the twelfth consecutive day on Thursday, as hostilities expanded to Kuwait, Jordan, and the Red Sea, where a Saudi ship was targeted, raising concerns about maritime security and energy supplies in the region.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that US forces had launched a new wave of strikes against Iranian military targets, asserting that “the mission would continue to further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels” in the region.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Thursday that they had attacked and destroyed several American military assets in Jordan.

The targets included a radar for the US THAAD missile defense system, a Patriot system, a C-RAM radar and a helicopter hangar, according to a statement from the Guards aired by state TV.

The Iranian military and Guards said they also attacked several US bases in Kuwait. The Guards claimed attacks on Ali Al Salem base, Camp Udairi and a telecommunications tower, while the army said it targeted Camp Doha, Ali Al Salem base and Camp Arifjan, according to separate statements by the forces carried by state TV.

For its part, Kuwait’s army said early Thursday it was intercepting hostile drones, following several days of Iranian strikes on the country.

“Kuwaiti air defenses are currently responding to hostile drone threats,” the army said in an overnight message on X. “Any explosions that may be heard are the result of air defense systems intercepting hostile targets.”

In the Red Sea, Yemen’s Houthi rebels said they carried out missile and drone strikes Wednesday on two Saudi oil tankers after declaring a maritime embargo on the kingdom amid the US war with Iran.

The Houthis said in a statement posted on Telegram that they “carried out a qualitative military operation targeting two Saudi oil tankers that violated the blockade”, naming the vessels as the Encelia and the Layla.

Saudi state media Thursday reported, citing an official source, that a vessel belonging to a Saudi company was hit while transiting the Red Sea, after Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed it struck tankers in the waterway.

The source, quoted by state-run Saudi Press Agency, said “the vessel ENCELIA, belonging to a Saudi company, was targeted while sailing in the Red Sea, resulting in a fire at the bow of the ship” but that all crew members were safe.

British naval security monitor UKMTO also said a projectile struck a tanker in the Red Sea off Saudi Arabia after Yemen’s Houthi rebels declared a maritime blockade.

“The Master of a tanker reports being struck by an unknown projectile which has caused a fire onboard that the crew are currently fighting,” in an incident 70 nautical miles southwest of Al Shuqaiq, UKMTO said in a statement.

In another development, the US House of Representatives approved a $95 billion budget framework on Wednesday, with most of the funding earmarked for the Pentagon to fund the war against Iran.

The measure was narrowly approved in a 216-214 vote and now heads to the Senate, where its fate is uncertain.

The plan provides $73 billion for the armed forces and intelligence agencies, notably to fund operations linked to the war against Iran, as well as $12 billion in aid for farmers affected by President Donald Trump’s trade war.

An additional $10 billion would go toward election-related programs as part of Trump’s push to enact new nationwide voting restrictions while his broader “SAVE America Act” lacks enough support to proceed.

The budget package represents the party’s last major legislative push before November’s midterm elections, the outcome of which will determine whether the party retains its majority in Congress and thus continues to shape the remainder of Trump’s second term.

In a parallel move, the US House of Representatives narrowly passed an annual defense policy bill that would authorize a record $1.15 trillion in funding for the Pentagon, as the divisive Iran war drags on. (AFP/EIR)