The United States and Iran traded strikes for a second consecutive night on Thursday, as observers reported a dramatic decline in the number of ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The US military confirmed it struck 90 Iranian targets, some near the strategic waterway, while Iran retaliated by targeting US assets in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar.
US Strikes Kill 14 in Iran, Hit Bushehr Nuclear Plant Area
US attacks over two days have killed 14 people and wounded 78, with blasts reported in Iranian cities along the Strait of Hormuz, including Bushehr, Chabahar, Bandar Abbas, and Sirik. State media reported that targets near the Bushehr nuclear power plant were hit, citing the deputy governor of the province. Civilian infrastructure such as railway tracks in northern Iran were also damaged, according to Iran's foreign ministry.
Mehr news reported three explosions in southern Iran’s Konarak in Sistan-Baluchistan province, home to a strategic port across the Gulf of Oman. These attacks followed earlier strikes in Ahvaz in Khuzestan province. The US Central Command (Centcom) said the strikes aimed to “further degrade Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping and innocent civilian mariners” in the vital waterway. Centcom added that it had struck air defense systems and military logistics infrastructure along Iran’s coastline.
Iran Retaliates Against US Assets in Gulf States
Iran said it targeted US assets in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar in response to the US strikes. Later on Thursday, Tehran launched more strikes on sites in Kuwait, Jordan, and Iraq, according to state-linked media. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) confirmed it launched retaliatory strikes on US military bases in Kuwait and Bahrain overnight, calling them the “first phase of the punitive response against the American treaty-breakers.”
Gulf nations reported Iranian attacks following the US strikes, with explosions in Bahrain’s capital Manama, Kuwait intercepting missiles and drones, and Qatar issuing a security alert. A US defense official said dozens of missiles and drones fired by Iran caused no significant damage or injuries to American personnel, adding that the weapons “were intercepted or failed to cause major damage.”
Strait of Hormuz Traffic Plummets to Single Figures
Phil Belcher, marine director at Intertanko, an international organization for independent tanker owners, said the number of ships traveling through the Strait via the southern route was now in “single figures” following the escalation in hostilities. Belcher noted that the daily figure of about 30 ships was down from approximately 70 a week ago and well below the normal number of 130 ships seen before the Iran war began earlier this year.
Iranian Officials Vow No Surrender Amid Funeral of Late Supreme Leader
The attacks coincided with the funeral and burial proceedings for the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed by the US and Israel in February. Huge crowds gathered in Mashhad, waving Iranian flags and holding signs with death threats directed at US President Donald Trump. Iran’s foreign ministry denounced the latest US strikes as a “grave war crime,” describing the US administration as “evil and psychopathic.”
Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, also the country’s chief negotiator with the US, said on X that America “still hasn’t learned that bullying and breaking promises are no longer cost-free.” He added, “Let me put it plainly: if you strike, you’ll get hit,” and stated that the Strait of Hormuz will only open under Iranian arrangements, not “American threats.”
Israeli Army Chief Says Iran Campaign Not Over
Speaking at a pilots’ graduation ceremony, Israeli Army Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said the campaign in Iran is “not over.” He stated, “On the drawing board are new plans. Major operations are still expected to lie ahead of us. Be prepared.” In his prepared remarks, Zamir was to say that hundreds of Israeli Air Force planes were on standby for “immediate takeoff” in recent weeks, as the military remains on high alert for developments across the Middle East. “Even at this moment, we are closely monitoring developments in Iran and Lebanon and remain on high alert for immediate action,” the prepared text read.
