Iran launched two waves of attacks against U.S. bases in three countries across the Middle East early Thursday in response to the latest round of U.S. strikes, with the escalating exchange raising fears of a return to all-out war in the region.
Iran’s armed forces launched strikes against U.S. military bases for the second day in a row, targeting five sites in Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan, according to Iranian state media. The military said it would continue responding to “U.S. aggression.”
Iran’s Foreign Ministry said that the U.S. attacks have rendered the April ceasefire effectively “meaningless” and that it remains determined to target the source of U.S. attacks.
The Ali Al Salem and Ahmed Al-Jaber air bases in Kuwait were targeted, along with the U.S. Fifth Fleet headquarters and Sheikh Isa air base in Bahrain, and the Mowafq Al-Salti base in Jordan, Iranian media reported.
The U.S. military did not immediately confirm the attacks on its assets in the region, but the U.S. Embassy in Jordan issued a security alert based on reports of missiles, rockets and drones in Jordanian airspace.
Jordan’s armed forces intercepted 20 missiles launched from Iran, the country’s news agency reported Thursday. Authorities in Kuwait temporarily closed its airspace and said air defense systems were working to intercept hostile targets. Bahrain’s Defense Ministry said it intercepted missile and drone attacks, and its Interior Ministry urged citizens to take shelter, saying an 11-year-old girl was injured by falling debris from drone interceptions.
Tehran’s attack came after U.S. Central Command said it struck communication systems and air defense sites across Iran on Wednesday, echoing attacks launched a day earlier. “The strikes are in response to Iran’s unwarranted and continued aggression. U.S. forces remain vigilant, lethal, and ready,” it said.
The fresh wave of fighting this week has raised fears of a return to widespread regional war, with world leaders calling for the increasingly strained ceasefire — technically still in effect — to be heeded.
U.N. Secretary General António Guterres said the consequences of further deterioration go far beyond the Middle East and called for a diplomatic settlement. “The ceasefire is more like a lesser-fire. We should not minimize the risks of lesser fire becoming full fire,” he said. “No more attacks. No more excuses,” he said.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry condemned the “resurgence” of Iranian strikes in a statement Thursday, calling for the region to be spared the “consequences of these unjustified attacks” and for stability to be restored.
The return to fighting was sparked by the downing of a U.S. Apache helicopter that was patrolling off the coast of Oman on Monday, which President Donald Trump said necessitated a U.S. response. It followed direct attacks between Israel and Iran for the first time since the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran began in April and continued Israeli assaults on Iranian-backed Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
The hostilities threaten to upend lengthy negotiations between the U.S. and Iran to secure a lasting peace deal. Trump said this week that talks were in the “final throes,” however he later appeared increasingly frustrated with Iranian leaders and directed further military action.
“They’ve taken too long to negotiate a deal that would have been great for them, now they will have to pay the price!!!” he wrote on social media on Wednesday before the latest round of U.S. strikes.
“We’re going to be attacking them and attacking them very hard,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, speaking at U.S. Central Command headquarters on Wednesday afternoon, said U.S. strikes would “enhance our military interests and also enhance our diplomatic position” against Tehran. “If we need to negotiate with bombs, we’ll negotiate with bombs. And we’re very good at it,” he said.
The impact of Iran’s strikes on U.S. military targets Thursday remained unclear. A U.S. official said Iran’s assault a day earlier caused no significant damage or harm to U.S. personnel. Nearly all missiles and drones were intercepted or failed to reach their intended targets, the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to press.
Iranian state media reported Wednesday that two desalination plants and a water tank serving the southern city of Sirik were destroyed during the U.S. attack, leaving 20,000 people without access to water during extreme heat. The strike has not been confirmed by U.S. authorities, but a legal expert said it raises questions about whether targeting civilian facilities is a military objective.
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