A major escalation of conflict has erupted across the Middle East after Iran launched coordinated missile and drone attacks against multiple United States military facilities in the region, a retaliatory move following deadly US airstrikes that killed 18 people on Iranian soil earlier this week.
Among the casualties of the US strikes was a family gathering in the village of Kuhestak, located near the southern coastal city of Sirik, where at least four civilians—including two children attending a wedding—were killed. The strike has sparked widespread outrage across Iran, with top political and military leaders condemning the attack as an unprovoked act of aggression against innocent civilians.
Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) confirmed it carried out the multi-site retaliatory operation, targeting US positions in three regional countries. First, in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan Region, Iranian missiles and drones destroyed a US maintenance facility, weapons storage warehouses, and the guidance system of an American surveillance aerostat, according to state-run Iranian news agency IRNA.
The strikes extended further into the Arabian Peninsula, hitting two key US military bases in the United Arab Emirates: Al Dhafra Air Base and Al Minhad Air Base. The IRGC stated that dozens of Iranian army kamikaze drones targeted radar systems and core US personnel positions at both installations, noting that Al Dhafra serves as a primary operational hub for US military air operations, reconnaissance, and surveillance missions across the region.
A third strike targeted Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, hitting the headquarters and official residence of the US commander stationed at the facility. The IRGC reported that the attack ignited a blaze in a drone hangar and launch infrastructure that the US has used to carry out strikes on Iran, destroying multiple American drones in the process.
Colonel Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, announced in a report broadcast by state broadcaster IRIB that the retaliatory strikes inflicted heavy damage on US military infrastructure, weapons, and equipment. He added that a “significant number” of American commanders and service members were killed or wounded in the attacks, though this claim has not yet been independently verified. Zolfaghari stressed that offensive operations against US forces will continue until Washington faces consequences for its actions, warning that any future US strikes will trigger “heavier, broader and more destructive” Iranian responses. He also cautioned that regional countries that host and assist US military operations will be held responsible for any resulting fallout.
Top Iranian political and military figures have sharpened their rhetoric in the wake of the civilian deaths. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf issued a scathing rebuke of Washington, labeling US forces “Satan” in a post on the social platform X. “If a power acts like Satan, picks targets like Satan, and kills like Satan, it’s Satan,” he wrote. IRGC political deputy General Yadollah Javani called on regional governments to expel US forces from their national territories, specifically warning Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan that any facility used to launch attacks against Iran will become a legitimate target for Iranian strikes.
In response to the attacks, Bahrain confirmed its air defense systems intercepted incoming Iranian drones after authorities ordered residents to seek shelter across the country. Separately, the IRGC announced that two commercial oil tankers hit sea mines and became disabled while attempting to traverse the Strait of Hormuz, after US operatives directed the vessels onto what Tehran calls an “illegal route.” The IRGC noted it had previously warned shipping companies of the dangers of using the unapproved passage, adding that additional penalties will soon be imposed on companies that ignore official guidance and cooperate with the US.
The sharp escalation of hostilities has sent shockwaves through global energy markets, as investors fear new disruptions to oil supplies and a slide into open direct conflict between the two countries. Brent crude prices climbed above $95 per barrel in immediate trading following the attacks.
US President Donald Trump rejected widespread speculation that Washington is seeking to push Iran back into nuclear negotiations, writing on his social platform Truth Social that he prefers the current US strategic position, which he claims gives the US “almost total control of the Hormuz Strait” and has left Iran’s economy “totally collapsing.” He added that Iran was “playing out the inevitable” before asking, “When are the Iranian people going to rise up and fight?”
In a separate, unrelated development, the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier arrived in Thailand for a five-day port call after more than 200 consecutive days deployed at sea. The extended deployment has been marked by reports of worsening onboard conditions and growing concerns over the mental health of the carrier’s sailors. Thousands of US personnel will stay near the coastal resort city of Pattaya, a destination widely known for its nightlife industry, for the duration of the port visit.