Iran launched missile and drone attacks on five Gulf nations Sunday and closed the Strait of Hormuz “until further notice,” escalating the war with the United States to a new and more dangerous level.
Tehran claimed responsibility for strikes on Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Qatar, and Oman, all countries hosting US military assets. The attacks were Iran’s response to a third wave of US bombing this week, which hit 140 Iranian military targets across five port cities and the Bushehr province.
Qatar’s military said it intercepted nine Iranian ballistic missiles. Three Iranian missiles fell inside Jordan, causing minor material damage but no casualties. Kuwait reported interceptions of two ballistic missiles and 13 drones. The UAE activated air defense systems. One person was injured by falling shrapnel in Qatar.
“This constitutes a highly dangerous escalation that will exacerbate tension and instability in the region,” Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The attacks came as the IRGC declared the Strait of Hormuz closed, shutting the waterway through which about 20% of the world’s oil and gas flows. Iran’s demand: ships must use a route through Iranian waters, not the US-recommended route through Omani waters.
The trigger for the latest round was the IRGC’s attack on the Cyprus-flagged MV GFS Galaxy, which suffered severe engine room damage. One crew member is missing. The crew abandoned ship. US Central Command said it struck 140 Iranian sites “with precision munitions launched by land- and sea-based fighter aircraft, drones, and naval vessels.”
The strikes hit five cities in Bushehr province, Asaluyeh, Dir, Bushehr, Dashti, and Tangestan, as well as a military facility in Yasuj. The port cities of Bandar Abbas, Sirik, Chabahar, and Bandar-e Deyr were also bombed.
Iran’s response was coordinated and multi-pronged: direct strikes on Gulf states hosting US bases, closure of the world’s most important energy chokepoint, and a public declaration of vengeance from the new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who said revenge for his father’s assassination “will most certainly be carried out.”
India condemned the Iranian attack on the GFS Galaxy, saying the ship carried 11 Indian seafarers. Ten have been rescued. One is missing.
Oman, which often plays mediator between Iran and the West, condemned the attack on its territory. The Gulf states, caught between the US and Iran, hosting American bases but wanting no part of the war, find themselves on the front line of a conflict they cannot control.