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The United States and Iran exchanged fresh military strikes on Friday, raising fears of a wider regional conflict and further disruption to global energy supplies as shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz was severely affected.
The latest escalation came after the collapse of a ceasefire agreement last week, with both sides stepping up military operations across the Middle East.
The U.S. military said it carried out another round of strikes aimed at degrading Iran’s military capabilities, targeting facilities on Qeshm Island, Bandar Abbas and other naval and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) sites.
In a statement, U.S. Central Command said its forces struck Iranian warplanes, drones, naval assets, air defence systems, coastal surveillance facilities and military logistics infrastructure. It was the first time in more than a week that Washington publicly confirmed attacks on Iran’s military logistics network.
Iranian state media reported that at least five bridges in southern Iran were hit, along with the train station in Bandar Khamir and Iranshahr Airport. Seven people were reportedly killed in attacks on bridges in Bandar Khamir, while Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency said a civilian was killed near Chabahar in southeastern Iran. Reuters said it could not independently verify the casualty reports.
In retaliation, Iran claimed it launched missile and drone attacks on U.S. military bases across the Middle East, including facilities in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan. Iranian media also reported explosions in Qatar’s capital, Doha, and said the IRGC had targeted a U.S. special operations command centre at Al-Tanf in Syria for the first time.
The renewed hostilities have sharply disrupted maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important oil shipping routes, where vessel movements have nearly come to a standstill. U.S. Marines reportedly boarded an oil tanker in the waterway, while another vessel was said to have been struck by a projectile.
The disruption has pushed oil prices higher and renewed concerns over inflation and the global economy.
U.S. President Donald Trump has warned that Washington could expand its air campaign to include broader Iranian infrastructure and has not ruled out ground operations along Iran’s southern coast or islands.
Iran has warned that any further escalation could prompt its regional allies, including Yemen’s Houthi movement, to target shipping through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, another key global trade route linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
The latest exchange of attacks has heightened concerns that the conflict could spread across the region, threatening energy security and international shipping lanes.
