The United States carried out a new wave of overnight air strikes on Iran on Saturday, targeting coastal surveillance systems, air defence sites and facilities linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), according to US military officials.
US Central Command (Centcom) said the operation aimed to weaken Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and to respond to an attack in Jordan that killed two American service members and left another missing. The military described the strikes as a direct response against IRGC units it blamed for the assault.
Iranian state media reported that the strikes also hit an under-construction nuclear power plant in the south-western city of Darkhoveyn, as well as targets on Qeshm Island, which overlooks the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian authorities have not yet released details on casualties or the extent of the damage.
At the same time, Iran launched fresh attacks across the Gulf. Kuwaiti officials said an electricity generation and water desalination facility was struck for the second time in two days, causing a fire. Bahrain also reported intercepting incoming attacks with its air defence systems.
The exchange of attacks comes as tensions continue to rise after a preliminary ceasefire between Washington and Tehran collapsed less than a month after it was announced. The United States has since reinstated its blockade of Iranian ports, while Iran has declared the Strait of Hormuz closed to shipping.
On Sunday, the IRGC claimed that two vessels ignored Iranian warnings while passing through the Strait of Hormuz and were involved in what it described as “an accident.” The group warned that ships linked to the United States or using what it called unsafe routes could face similar incidents.
Meanwhile, confusion emerged in Jordan after the US Embassy in Amman said authorities had evacuated Aqaba’s international airport and seaport due to a credible security threat. Jordanian officials quickly denied the claim, stating that no recent threats had been detected and that both facilities remained operational.
The latest violence has further increased the human toll of the conflict. The US confirmed that its military death toll has risen to 16 after a missing Navy pilot was declared dead. Iran’s Health Ministry says more than 50 people have been killed and over 500 injured in US strikes during the past three weeks.
The Gulf Cooperation Council, which includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, has condemned attacks on civilian infrastructure after repeated strikes on facilities in Kuwait. Iran, however, maintains that some of the targeted sites were being used by US forces.
The United States insists its operations have focused exclusively on military objectives, while Iranian officials accuse Washington of violating the ceasefire agreement reached in June. In a statement released late Saturday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said repeated US actions had demonstrated that American commitments could no longer be trusted.
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