The U.S. military announced early Thursday that it had completed a series of strikes targeting multiple facilities belonging to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, including military command centers, missile and drone facilities, and coastal defense sites. The operation occurred over a two-hour period and was framed as a response to an Iranian missile attack on a U.S. base in Jordan that hosts American troops. President Trump stated the U.S. would hit Iran “very hard” in response to the targeting of the base.
U.S. and Saudi Arabian forces also conducted joint operations against Iran-backed militias in Iraq, resulting in reported casualties including at least 20 Iraqi fighters, 32 wounded, and between four and six Iranian military advisers depending on different accounts. Saudi Arabia asserted that Iraqi militias had launched drone attacks against Saudi oil facilities over the preceding days, while Iraq’s government disputed aspects of the joint operation, saying it had been attempting to investigate the incidents through diplomatic channels. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi postponed a scheduled visit to Saudi Arabia.
The escalating military activity contributed to rising oil prices, with Brent crude jumping 7.3% to $88.093 per barrel. Iranian state media reported injuries from strikes on the island of Qeshm and explosions in Khuzestan province. Additionally, drone strikes ignited fires on two natural gas vessels at an Egyptian port, though responsibility for those attacks remained unclear. Egypt, described as a close U.S. ally and regional mediator, had previously been spared direct military action during the conflict.
Mediation efforts aimed at de-escalation faced setbacks as renewed hostilities erupted following days of relative calm. Regional officials indicated that mediators were continuing efforts to bring both sides back to negotiations, though an earlier interim agreement had collapsed over renewed fighting in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for global energy supplies. The Iranian deputy foreign minister rejected an Omani proposal to jointly manage ship traffic through the strait, instead offering a counterproposal that would maintain Iran’s control over the passage.
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