US bombs Iranian ports and cities; Tehran retaliates with attacks on US sites in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan

The United States launched fresh airstrikes on southern and western Iran after President Donald Trump said Tehran would "pay dearly" for the deaths of American soldiers, while Iran responded with attacks targeting US military sites in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan on Tuesday.

The latest escalation also saw a tanker struck in the Strait of Hormuz, raising concerns over global energy supplies and regional shipping.

The US Central Command said it targeted Iranian military command centres, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and air defence systems in its latest round of strikes.


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Explosions were reported around Shiraz in southern Iran, according to state media. Media reports also said Konarak and Chabahar on Iran's southern coast, the western city of Khorramabad and a civilian site outside Abdanan came under attack. However, Iran's IRNA news agency later quoted an official in Khorramabad as saying no enemy attack had taken place there.

An Iranian health ministry official said 50 civilians were killed and 500 others were injured in the recent US strikes.

As fighting intensified across the region, the US State Department issued a new "worldwide caution" for Americans, citing "heightened tensions in the Middle East".

Iran expands attacks across Gulf

Iran widened its military response with attacks across the Gulf region, where recent strikes on desalination facilities have heightened concerns over water and power supplies.

Authorities in Kuwait said attacks on power generation and water desalination plants on Monday forced several generation units to be taken out of service as a precaution. Repair work is underway.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they targeted infrastructure in Bahrain belonging to US technology company Amazon, saying the attack was in response to what they described as a US strike on the construction site of Iran's planned Darkhovin nuclear power plant.

Also Read: Iran's Guards say two tankers hit in Hormuz, US defence systems targeted in Bahrain

Iranian state media also reported that Iranian forces targeted accommodation facilities used by US military personnel at Bahrain's Sheikh Isa Air Base. There was no immediate comment from the US military, Bahrain or Amazon. Reuters could not independently verify the reports.

The Iranian army said it launched drone attacks on three US military bases in Kuwait on Tuesday. The Revolutionary Guards also claimed responsibility for an attack on a US military site in Jordan. Jordan said its forces intercepted and destroyed five Iranian drones.

Tanker hit in Strait of Hormuz

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said a tanker transiting the Strait of Hormuz was struck by a projectile on Tuesday, forcing the crew to abandon the vessel and move into a lifeboat.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards later said two oil tankers caught fire after explosions while attempting to pass through the southern shipping route of the strait.

Shipping traffic through the waterway also declined. Data from Kpler showed only four commodity vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, down from seven the previous day, with most using the northern shipping lane close to Iran's coast.

Houthis announce Saudi naval blockade

In another development, Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis announced a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia on Monday, opening a new front in the conflict and increasing risks to global energy supplies and trade.

According to an email seen by Reuters, the Houthis warned shipping companies that vessels loading or unloading cargo at Saudi ports could be targeted "in any location".

Iran has also been pressing the Houthis to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait if US attacks on Iranian infrastructure continue. A full closure of the strategic waterway could cut global oil supply by about 7%, adding to the estimated 10% reduction in oil flows already caused by the conflict in the Gulf.

Oil prices rose nearly 2% as attacks escalated, although gains were limited by signs that Tehran and Washington remain open to resuming diplomatic talks.

Ceasefire efforts continue

A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Tehran had received a proposal from mediators for a 10-day ceasefire aimed at preserving the interim peace agreement signed last month and creating space for negotiations toward a permanent settlement.

Israel has not joined the latest US strikes.

"We have no desire to insert ourselves into this but we are prepared for any scenario," Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Tuesday.

Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni also asked Pakistan to resume its mediation role in the conflict before travelling to Islamabad for further discussions.

The latest phase of fighting has been among the deadliest for US forces. US troop deaths rose to 17 over the weekend.

Trump linked the latest military action to those deaths, writing on Truth Social: "Every time Iran kills an American Soldier they will pay for that killing many times over!"

The conflict, which began on February 28 with US-Israeli attacks on Iran, has killed thousands of people, most of them in Iran and Lebanon.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is expected to meet Trump at the White House on Tuesday to present a proposal for disarming Iran-aligned Hezbollah and securing an Israeli military withdrawal from parts of Lebanon.