US attacks Iran as IRGC claims strikes on US military sites in Gulf

What Happened

The United States launched a seven-hour wave of air and naval strikes on what US Central Command (CENTCOM) described as 'dozens of military targets near the Strait of Hormuz and Iranian coastal areas' late on Tuesday. The operation, which ended at 10pm EDT (02:00 GMT Wednesday), involved fighter aircraft, drones and naval vessels, and coincided with Washington's resumption of a naval blockade on Iranian ports. Iranian media reported explosions and air defence activations in Bandar Abbas, Qeshm, Hengam, Sirik, Bushehr, Dehloran and Bampur; a bottled water facility and a military accommodation block were reportedly hit, though no casualty figures were confirmed. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed it launched overnight retaliatory attacks on US military assets in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, asserting heavy damage to the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain, a logistics hub at Mina Abdullah in Kuwait, and the destruction of shelters housing F-15, F-16, F-35 jets and MQ-9 drones. Jordan's military stated it intercepted three Iranian ballistic missiles that entered its airspace. The exchange comes less than a month after Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding extending an April ceasefire and setting talks to end the war that began on 28 February, with both sides accusing the other of violations.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

This is the most direct and escalatory US-Iran military exchange in decades, centred on the Strait of Hormuz — a chokepoint for roughly one-fifth of daily global oil and gas shipments. The combination of overt strikes, a naval blockade, and Tehran's threats to shutter regional energy corridors risks a full-scale conflict that could draw in Gulf Arab states, disrupt global energy markets, and collapse the nascent ceasefire and nuclear negotiation process. Oil prices surged, with Brent crude reaching $86.19 a barrel, reflecting immediate market fears of prolonged supply disruption.

Watch For

Monitor whether Iran acts on its threat to close alternative export corridors beyond the Strait of Hormuz, and observe any shipping disruptions or tanker diversions. Watch for confirmed casualty figures and damage assessments from Bampur and other strike sites. Track diplomatic interventions, particularly Oman-mediated talks or emergency UN Security Council sessions. Note any further US strikes on energy or transportation infrastructure as President Trump suggested. Assess the status of the June memorandum of understanding and whether the April ceasefire framework fully collapses.