Tehran: Iran launched fresh attacks on Gulf states and Jordan on Saturday, following a seventh consecutive night of US airstrikes targeting Iranian military sites, including logistical infrastructure, escalating the war a week after a fragile ceasefire agreement collapsed.
Both sides also targeted maritime traffic, with the United States announcing a naval blockade, while Iran said it targeted ships that violated its rules regarding navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, the vital waterway for a fifth of the world's oil supply.
Oil prices rose more than 4 percent on Friday to their highest level in more than a month, putting political pressure on U.S. President Donald Trump as his Republican Party tries to hold on to power in the November midterm congressional elections.
Oil prices rose more than 4 percent on Friday to their highest level in more than a month, putting political pressure on US President Donald Trump.
On Friday evening, the US military announced the end of the seventh consecutive night of strikes against Iran, noting that it had bombed several targets as part of efforts to weaken Iranian military capabilities.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed in a statement on the X platform that it targeted “monitoring sites, military logistics infrastructure, underground weapons storage facilities, and maritime capabilities.”
Iranian media reported on Saturday, citing a local official, that several missiles struck power plants and desalination pumping stations in the southern Iranian city of Jask. The official said drinking water was cut off to villages in Jask as a result of the attack. The United States said its forces redirected four commercial vessels, disabled one, and boarded another to enforce its naval blockade of Iran.
Iran’s official news agency IRNA, quoting Hormozgan province, reported that the ongoing US attacks targeted two bridges and a tunnel in the region.
She explained that the Rudkhaneh Shor Bridge on the Bandar Abbas-Sirjan road was closed due to the American attacks, and the Minab intersection bridge leading to Rudan was also targeted, in addition to the “Shahid Mirzaei” tunnel on the road linking Bandar Abbas and Hajiabad.
She urged residents to avoid using these roads, stressing that work is underway to provide alternative routes.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said four ships violated its rules regarding maritime navigation and were prevented from crossing the strait in a joint operation involving missiles and drones.
In response, the Iranian military announced on Saturday that it had targeted military sites in the Gulf and Jordan in retaliation for attacks launched by the United States on its territory, according to Iranian state television.
Iranian television explained that Iranian forces targeted an ammunition depot in Al-Adiri, buildings and ammunition depots in Ali Al-Salem, in addition to a number of communication bridges and bridges in Kuwait with drones.
Tasnim news agency, quoting the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, reported that a US Navy fuel support pier in Kuwait’s Al-Ahmadi port was targeted.
Tasnim, quoting the Revolutionary Guard, announced that a site housing American fighter jets at Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain was targeted in retaliation for an American bombing of its territory, according to state television.
The same source stated that Iranian attack drones targeted American aircraft hangars and parking areas at Sheikh Isa Air Base, which is described as “one of the most important operational and logistical centers for the US Air Force and Navy in the region.”
In contrast, the Kuwaiti army announced that it was repelling an Iranian drone attack, while the Bahraini Ministry of Interior reported that sirens were sounding in the country.
Kuwait also announced on Saturday that a second power generation and water desalination plant was attacked by Iran, causing a fire and forcing the shutdown of several generating units, a day after another Iranian attack on a different plant caused a fire and damage to the station.
The Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy said in a statement, “In light of the heinous Iranian attack on the State of Kuwait, another power and water desalination plant was subjected to a hostile attack that resulted in a fire breaking out in one of the plant’s components, which necessitated taking precautionary operational measures that included disconnecting a number of generating units, in order to preserve the safety of the plant and its workers, and to ensure the stability of the electrical system.”
In a post on X, Kuwait Airways said it had rescheduled most of its flights due to the closure of Kuwaiti airspace on Saturday.
The Saudi Civil Defense also announced, through posts on the “X” platform, the launch of alerts from the National Early Warning Platform in emergency situations in the
