“This is in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “If it happens again, it will get much worse!”
By United with Israel Staff
The conflict between the United States and Iran escalated sharply on Thursday as Tehran launched missile and drone attacks across the Middle East while American forces carried out a second consecutive night of large-scale strikes on Iranian military targets.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced it had attacked U.S. military installations in Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan in retaliation for the latest American airstrikes.
Jordan’s military said it intercepted eight Iranian missiles after Tehran claimed it had targeted the U.S.-operated Muwaffaq Salti Air Base. The missile launches temporarily disrupted operations at Amman’s international airport.
Reuters also reported that a drone strike hit a camp belonging to the Iranian Kurdish opposition northeast of Erbil in Iraq, underscoring the widening scope of the conflict.
Meanwhile, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said American forces struck approximately 90 Iranian military targets overnight, following attacks on roughly 80 targets the previous evening.
The latest operation targeted air defense systems, coastal surveillance assets, missile and drone storage facilities, naval infrastructure, and military logistics sites aimed at degrading Iran’s ability to threaten shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian media reported explosions in several cities, including Bushehr, Bandar Abbas, Kerman, and Asaluyeh. Officials in Bushehr province also said areas surrounding Iran’s only nuclear power plant were struck.
According to Iranian reports, U.S. strikes also hit a strategic railway bridge in northern Iran that serves as a key overland trade route linking Iran with Russia and China, as well as the observation tower at Chabahar Port, which monitors vessel traffic entering and leaving the Strait of Hormuz.
President Donald Trump confirmed the latest U.S. strikes, describing them as retaliation for Iran’s attacks on commercial shipping.
“This is in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “If it happens again, it will get much worse!”
The latest exchange follows Iran’s attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, which prompted Washington to abandon a temporary ceasefire understanding and launch a major military campaign against Iranian targets.
With missile attacks now reaching multiple Gulf states and Jordan, concerns continue to grow that the conflict is expanding into a broader regional war.