The United States military conducted a second straight day of strikes against Iranian targets on Thursday, with explosions reported across Tehran, Bandar Abbas, and coastal areas near the Strait of Hormuz just before sunrise local time. President Donald Trump signaled further escalation, warning on social media that the U.S. would hit Iran “VERY HARD TONIGHT” and threatening to assume control of Iran’s oil and gas sectors, including the critical Kharg Island export terminal, in the “not too distant future.”
The back-and-forth exchange of fire marked the third such episode this week and the latest chapter in a conflict that the U.S. and Israel formally entered on February 28 of this year.
What Happened
U.S. Central Command said Thursday’s strikes targeted Iranian military surveillance infrastructure, communication networks, and air defense installations. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard confirmed that sites struck included a manufacturing complex, military barracks, and a Guard base outside the capital. The attack extended into the early morning hours in Iran.
Iran responded by launching missiles toward Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan. Jordan’s military intercepted 20 of the incoming missiles aimed at an area housing U.S. forces; Jordanian officials reported no casualties. In Bahrain, authorities said an 11-year-old girl was injured and that debris from the barrage damaged vehicles and residential structures. Kuwait briefly closed its airspace for several hours in response to the regional threat.
Israel also issued shelter-in-place warnings to residents in its northern territory following indications of potential incoming fire from Lebanon, adding another front to the widening regional confrontation.
Strait of Hormuz Closure and Maritime Strikes
Iran announced Thursday that it was formally closing the Strait of Hormuz, through which a significant share of global oil exports pass. The closure declaration came after the U.S. military disabled another merchant vessel — the ninth since Washington imposed a naval blockade in mid-April — striking the Guinea-Bissau-flagged tanker M/T Jalveer late Wednesday with Hellfire missiles in an effort to prevent Iranian oil from reaching buyers.
Earlier in the week, U.S. forces struck the M/T Settebello, killing three Indian sailors aboard the vessel on Tuesday. That incident drew international attention and raised concerns about civilian maritime casualties. Two other merchant ships also came under U.S. fire in the days prior. The blockade and related naval operations are part of a sustained American effort to sever Iran’s oil revenues.
For more background on the events that preceded the current exchange, see Trump’s earlier vow of military action following an Iranian drone strike on a U.S. Apache helicopter over the Strait of Hormuz.
By the Numbers
- 9 — merchant vessels disabled by U.S. forces since the mid-April blockade began
- 20 — Iranian missiles intercepted by Jordan in a single overnight salvo
- 3 — Indian sailors killed in Tuesday’s strike on the M/T Settebello
- 100 million barrels — the volume of oil Trump claimed has moved through the Strait despite Iran’s attempted chokehold, equivalent to roughly five days of global supply
- Feb. 28 — the date the U.S. and Israel formally declared hostilities
Diplomatic Fallout
Iran’s Foreign Ministry stated that the ongoing American strikes had “effectively rendered the ceasefire … meaningless,” signaling that Tehran sees no viable path back to the prior truce under current conditions. The declaration of a Hormuz closure — if enforced — would pose significant risks to energy markets worldwide, given the strait’s role as the primary transit route for Persian Gulf oil exports.
Trump’s threat to assume “total control” of Iran’s oil infrastructure, including Kharg Island — which handles the bulk of Iranian crude exports — represents a major escalation in stated U.S. objectives, moving beyond military targeting toward potential economic annexation of a foreign nation’s energy sector.
What’s Next
Further U.S. strikes are expected Thursday night based on the president’s public statements. Regional governments are on high alert, with airspace management and civil defense postures shifting rapidly across the Gulf. The situation in the northern Levant also remains fluid following Israel’s shelter warnings. Congressional leaders have not yet issued formal statements on whether additional war powers authorizations are under consideration, and the international community has yet to mount a coordinated diplomatic response to the accelerating conflict.