Iran says it has launched attacks targeting what it described as U.S. military bases and strategic sites in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar, escalating tensions across the Gulf after the United States carried out a second consecutive night of airstrikes on Iranian territory.
According to Iranian officials, the U.S. strikes hit several cities along the Strait of Hormuz, including Bushehr, Chabahar, Bandar Abbas and Sirik, killing at least 14 people and injuring 78 others over the past two days.
U.S. President Donald Trump said the latest military action was carried out in retaliation for what Washington alleges were Iranian attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s busiest maritime trade routes.
The escalating exchange has raised fears of a broader regional conflict, with Gulf countries now facing direct security threats as hostilities spread beyond Iran and the United States.
Meanwhile, Iran’s slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is set to be buried in his hometown of Mashhad after millions of mourners participated in funeral processions in the Iraqi holy cities of Najaf and Karbala.
