Iran intensified its attacks on US Gulf allies on Saturday after a seventh consecutive night of American strikes targeting Iranian military installations, escalating the conflict just a week after a fragile ceasefire collapsed. The rising tensions have severely disrupted shipping traffic in the strategically vital region.
The United States declared enforcement of a naval blockade in the area, while Tehran asserted it had targeted vessels violating its navigation regulations in the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial maritime chokepoint through which one-fifth of the global oil supply passes. This ongoing friction pushed oil prices up by more than 4 percent on Friday, reaching their highest level in over a month and increasing political pressure on US President Donald Trump ahead of the November congressional elections.
In a significant development, the US Central Command reported that the latest American strikes targeted Iranian surveillance sites, military logistics hubs, underground weapons storage, and maritime assets. These operations involved fighter jets, aerial drones, and warships, with over 50,000 US service members currently deployed across the Middle East. Meanwhile, the US military said it had redirected four commercial vessels, disabled one, and boarded another to enforce the blockade.
Iranian officials reported that missiles struck power facilities and desalination plants in the southern city of Jask, cutting off drinking water to nearby villages. Additional strikes across Hormozgan Province caused three fatalities and eight injuries, damaging two bridges and a road tunnel. Iranian state media added that earlier attacks destroyed five bridges in the south, killing seven people in the port city of Bandar Khamir, and also damaged an airport in Iranshahr near the Pakistani border.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres voiced deep concern over the escalation, especially the targeting of civilian infrastructure across the region. President Trump has threatened broader air strikes on Iranian infrastructure and has not ruled out a ground assault on Iran’s coast or islands, a strategy US officials say is intended to maintain multiple military options.
In retaliation, Tehran has struck Gulf countries hosting US airbases, including Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Jordan. In Kuwait, an Iranian attack damaged a power generation and water desalination station, causing a fire and disabling several electricity units, which prompted a military response against incoming Iranian drones. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) also claimed to have destroyed Bahrain’s main artificial intelligence center and a US drone depot using ballistic missiles and drones.
The maritime standoff remains acute as the IRGC reported stopping four vessels from transiting the Strait of Hormuz through combined missile and drone operations. Iranian media further claimed two oil tankers exploded after passing through a mined route south of the strait, although the US military dismissed these reports as false. Security concerns have also extended to the Red Sea near Yemen, where armed men seized another vessel, threatening the region’s secondary oil chokepoint.
Iran’s state television quoted the IRGC warning that no chemical fertilizers or oil and gas exports would leave the region until US “aggression” ends. Additionally, Mohsen Rezaei, an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, warned the US against further escalation or any attempts to seize Iranian territory.
In the northern Indian Ocean, the Iranian navy reportedly fired a shore-to-sea cruise missile at a US vessel, which Tehran claimed forced the ship to move out of range. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s civil defense issued early warnings in two locations for the first time in several months, though no immediate damage was reported.
