The United States launched another round of strikes on Iranian military targets late Sunday, while Tehran responded by expanding missile and drone attacks against US military facilities across the Gulf, marking the sharpest escalation since Washington and Iran agreed to a fragile interim ceasefire.
US Central Command said American forces struck dozens of targets across Iran using fighter aircraft, naval vessels, one-way attack drones and sea drones. The strikes targeted air defence systems, coastal radar installations, missile and drone infrastructure, and fast attack boats.
The latest operation followed approximately 140 US strikes carried out the previous day after Iran attacked a commercial ship in the Strait of Hormuz, setting it ablaze and forcing its crew to abandon the vessel.
Iranian state media reported US strikes on the southern Gulf islands and said one person was killed and four others wounded in Khuzestan province.
Tehran quickly retaliated, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps saying it launched missiles at US military bases in Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait. Bahrain activated air raid sirens for a second time within hours, urging residents to seek shelter, while Gulf states remained on high alert.
Iran also reported drone strikes on sites in Oman, while Kuwait said border posts and an offshore oil platform had come under attack.
The renewed exchange further undermines the interim US-Iran agreement announced only days earlier after months of war, which had briefly eased concerns over regional stability and energy supplies.
Oil markets reacted immediately, with crude prices rising more than 3.5 percent when trading opened in Asia amid renewed fears over disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints.
The latest escalation comes after Iran attacked a Cyprus-flagged commercial vessel transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, prompting a swift US military response. Washington said freedom of navigation through the strategic waterway would be maintained despite Iran’s repeated claims that it had effectively closed the strait.
US President Donald Trump had earlier said the United States had hit Iran “hard” in response to attacks on international shipping, while Iranian officials continued to insist the Strait of Hormuz remained a key pressure point in its confrontation with Washington.
The conflict has steadily widened beyond direct US-Iran exchanges, with Gulf states increasingly drawn into the fighting as Tehran targets US military infrastructure across the region. The latest attacks raise fresh concerns that the confrontation could expand further despite ongoing diplomatic efforts by regional mediators to salvage the interim agreement.
