Iran vows continued military action amid renewed hostilities with US

Iran vowed Wednesday to continue its military operations against US forces in response to a new wave of US attacks overnight, prompting a fresh series of Iranian strikes against Arab and Gulf countries.

In a statement cited by Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency, Khatam al-Anbiya central headquarters, Iran's top joint military command, said Iranian forces had responded to the US attacks against Iran and its people by “powerfully attacking and destroying” US military bases in the region.

“This operation will continue as a lesson to the Americans until they regret their crime,” Khatam al-Anbiya’s spokesperson Ebrahim Zolfaghari continued, warning that any country in the region that cooperates with the United States would face the consequences.

Where did Iran strike?

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed early Wednesday that it had carried out a series of drone and missile attacks against US military assets and bases housing US personnel in Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait. All three countries said their air defenses intercepted a number of drones and missiles launched from Iran toward their territory.

Meanwhile, Kuwait’s firefighting department said Wednesday that an Iranian drone caused a fire in a residential complex in Kuwait City. There were no casualties, and the fire was brought under control.

The IRGC also announced early Wednesday that it had destroyed a US surveillance balloon control system at a US base in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region.

The IRCG also claimed to have struck Al Dhafra and Al Minhad air bases in the United Arab Emirates. The UAE has not yet commented on the allegations. On Monday, the Emirati Defense Ministry denied another Iranian army claim that Al Minhad air base had been targeted.

Meanwhile, in the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has imposed a de facto closure since the start of its war with the United States in late February, two oil tankers exploded after hitting mines in the key waterway on Wednesday.

The IRGC said the vessels were under US control and were attempting to cross the waterway via an “illegal route” when they hit mines and exploded, forcing them to stop. The IRGC provided no further details about the vessels’ flags or exact location.

The overnight Iranian attacks came shortly after the US military said it had bombed IRGC sites in southern Iran on Tuesday in response to renewed attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz and a ballistic missile attack targeting at least one US base in Jordan earlier this week.

Explosions were reported late Tuesday in the southern Iranian port area of Bandar Abbas, as well as in Chabahar and on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz.

At least 18 people were killed in the attacks, according to Iranian officials, including seven people in Kuzekhstan province, four IRGC Aerospace Force personnel in Kermanshah, three fighters belonging to the Basij paramilitary group on Lavan island and four people — including a child — when a US missile struck a home hosting a wedding in Sirik county in southern Iran.

At least 50 others were wounded in the attacks, according to the Iranian Red Crescent.

In a post on his X account on Wednesday, Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, denounced the United States for targeting civilians and children, calling it the “Great Satan.”

Stalled diplomatic efforts

The renewed exchanges came after the US military resumed its strikes against Iran on Sunday, ending a monthlong lull in fighting.

The United States struck two Iranian rocket-launch sites on an island in the Strait of Hormuz that were attempting to lay sea mines, US Central Command said Sunday, prompting Iranian retaliation. Tehran said Monday that it had fired a number of rockets at US military bases and aircraft in Jordan in response.

Maritime shipping tracking firms reported Monday that two supertankers carrying Saudi ​oil were struck by unknown projectiles in the waterway. Saudi Arabia’s national shipping company, Bahri, confirmed Wednesday that two Filipino seafarers were killed in what it called a “security incident” involving its vessel SIDR while it was transiting the Strait of Hormuz late Monday.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry condemned what it described as an Iranian attack against the Saudi ship, calling for an end of escalation, and respect for the safety of international navigation and global energy supplies.

Tensions between Tehran and Washington have remained high since a war began with strikes on Iran on Feb. 28. A memorandum of understanding was signed between the United States and Iran on June 17 following Pakistani and Qatari mediation to end hostilities on all fronts. But despite the memorandum, attacks on commercial vessels have continued in the Strait of Hormuz, amid sporadic exchanges between the two countries.

In a post on Truth Social early Wednesday, US President Donald Trump said his country was not trying to force Iran back to the negotiation table through its attacks.

“I like our position now much better, with almost total control of the Hormuz Strait, and their economy totally collapsing. They are just playing out the inevitable,” he wrote.

Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi told reporters Wednesday that Islamabad remained engaged with both the United States and Iran in efforts to resume negotiations for a permanent ceasefire.

Pakistan’s powerful army chief, Asim Munir, traveled to Iran last week as part of Islamabad’s ongoing diplomatic efforts to end the conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Andrabi said the visit created “considerable momentum” toward resolving the issue of the Strait of Hormuz.

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry condemned the Iranian attacks on Arab and Gulf countries, saying they threatened to derail diplomatic efforts aimed at restoring security and stability in the region.

In a statement on Wednesday, the ministry urged all parties to refrain from further escalation and return to negotiations.