Iran launched attacks on US military installations in the Gulf on Tuesday and warned Washington of “more decisive and powerful” strikes, as the United States carried out a fresh wave of attacks on Iran for the 10th consecutive day.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they intercepted and stopped two “non-compliant oil tankers” attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, as Tehran tightened its control over the strategic waterway amid the renewed conflict.
The escalation followed the deaths of at least three US troops in recent days. In response, the US military conducted strikes late Monday, saying they were “designed to further degrade Iranian military capabilities used to attack commercial shipping” in the Strait of Hormuz.
The US military later announced it had completed the operation, saying its forces “struck Iranian military command centres, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and air defence systems to degrade Iran’s ability to continue attacking commercial vessels flowing through the Strait of Hormuz”.
“Commercial vessel transits through the vital international maritime corridor continue,” the statement said.
“American forces remain postured and prepared to hold Iran accountable for unwarranted aggression toward civilian mariners seeking to freely and openly transit the strait,” it added.
Hours later, the Iranian army said it had targeted US military assets in Kuwait and Bahrain, including radar facilities, air defence systems and administrative buildings.
“With this radar sweep, the enemy should prepare for even more decisive and powerful waves of drone and missile attacks,” the Revolutionary Guards said in a statement carried by state news agency IRNA.
The Guards also claimed to have targeted infrastructure belonging to US company Amazon in Bahrain.
US President Donald Trump warned on Monday that Iran would pay “many times over” for every American soldier killed, while Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian described the confrontation as “a full-scale war”.
The Pentagon said on Monday that nearly 100 US service members had been wounded since July 7, with most suffering minor concussions.
Diplomatic exchanges
Meanwhile, tensions remained high in the Strait of Hormuz. The Revolutionary Guards said two tankers attempting to pass through the waterway “were hit by explosions, resulting in massive fires that brought them to a standstill”.
Earlier, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported that an “unknown projectile” struck a tanker off the coast of Oman. On Tuesday, the agency said another tanker in the same area had also been hit by a projectile.
Despite the ongoing fighting, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said diplomatic contacts with Washington were continuing through mediators.
Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni arrived in Islamabad on a two-day visit, during which he is expected to meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, according to Pakistan’s interior ministry.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is also due to meet Trump in Washington on Tuesday, as pressure mounts on Beirut to disarm Hezbollah, a key Israeli demand before withdrawing from southern Lebanon.
Red Sea threat
Yemen’s Houthi movement entered the conflict on Monday by announcing an immediate maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia, opening another front in the regional crisis.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the embargo would take effect immediately, describing it as retaliation on an “eye-for-an-eye” basis against Saudi Arabia.
If enforced, the blockade could disrupt Saudi oil exports through its Red Sea ports, which have become increasingly important as fighting has restricted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
The move could also impact global energy markets that depend on Saudi Arabia — the world’s largest crude exporter, producing more than 10 million barrels of oil per day.
The announcement came after Saudi and Houthi forces exchanged fire last week in their first direct confrontation in years.
The Houthis have previously sought to disrupt shipping in the Red Sea by targeting vessels passing through the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a key maritime chokepoint linking the Red Sea with the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean.
Beginning in November 2023 during the Gaza war, the group launched drone and missile attacks on commercial ships in the area, forcing many vessels to reroute around Africa instead of using the shorter route through the Red Sea.
Yemen shares both a land border and coastline with Saudi Arabia, whose Red Sea port of Yanbu has served as a critical alternative for oil exports while conflict has limited movement through the Strait of Hormuz.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry condemned the Houthi maritime blockade and reaffirmed Riyadh’s support for Yemen’s internationally recognised government based in Aden.
