A
new US-Iran escalation widened across the region after Washington struck
Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz, with Tehran claiming attacks on US
military sites in Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait.
Jordan
said it intercepted five missiles, Kuwait reported air defence activity, and
Bahrain sounded warning sirens. US officials said there were no immediate
reports of casualties or damage to American sites. The US military said it
struck Iranian air defence, ground control, and surveillance radar sites near
the Strait of Hormuz after President Donald Trump said an American Apache
helicopter was downed earlier this week. An American official said the
operation lasted around four hours and hit nearly 20 Iranian targets. Iranian
state media said Qeshm Island and the port city of Sirik were attacked, with
explosions also heard near Bandar Abbas and Jask.
Iran's
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps later said it carried out retaliatory attacks
on US military positions in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan, claiming drone attacks
on the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain and Ali Al Salem airbase in Kuwait, as well as
a long-range missile strike on an airbase in Azraq, Jordan. In Jordan, the
armed forces said they intercepted and shot down five missiles launched from
Iran towards Azraq, with falling shrapnel causing no injuries or material
damage. In Kuwait, the army said its air defence systems were engaging
"hostile aerial targets" and urged the public to follow official
safety instructions. In Bahrain, warning sirens were sounded after Iran claimed
it had targeted the US Fifth Fleet with drones, with Bahrain's Interior
Ministry urging the public to move to safety.
A US official in talks with Reuters said initial assessments indicate that nearly all Iranian missiles and drones were intercepted, with no immediate reports of harm to US personnel or damage to American sites or assets. Meanwhile, a Qatari delegation arrived in Tehran for talks aimed at addressing remaining differences between the US and Iran, with a diplomat telling AFP that negotiators travelled to the Iranian capital to "bridge the remaining gaps."
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