Iran Attacks Five Gulf Nations, Shuts Strait of Hormuz as US Strikes 140+ Targets in Massive Escalation

Iran Strikes Five Nations in Unprecedented Regional Barrage

Iran launched a coordinated wave of missile and drone attacks against five Gulf nations on Sunday — Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Qatar, and Oman — while simultaneously declaring the Strait of Hormuz closed until further notice, marking the most dramatic escalation in the Middle East conflict since hostilities erupted in late February.

The attacks came in direct response to a third round of US strikes this week, which hit approximately 140 military targets across southern and western Iran, including missile and drone sites, naval capabilities, ammunition storage facilities, communication networks, and coastal surveillance locations.

Strait of Hormuz: The Flashpoint

The narrow waterway — through which 20% of global energy supplies transit — has become the central battleground. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) declared the strait closed “until the end of American interventions in this region” after attacking a Cyprus-flagged container ship on Saturday. A second vessel was disabled on Sunday.

One Indian sailor remains missing after the crew of the Cyprus-flagged ship was forced to abandon the vessel when it caught fire. Oman rescued 23 crew members from a lifeboat approximately 17 kilometers east of its coast, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).

The US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) pushed back forcefully, stating the strait was “open to all vessels seeking to lawfully transit the international waterway” and that US forces were “positioned and prepared to ensure freedom of navigation.” CENTCOM added bluntly: “Iran does not control the strait. Traffic is flowing.”

Where Iran Struck

The IRGC claimed responsibility for a sweeping set of attacks across the Gulf region:

• Oman: A “heavy and surprise” attack on logistics support centers and refueling platforms used by US aircraft carriers at the port of Duqm. The IRGC claimed the sites were “destroyed.” The attack came just hours after Oman hosted Iran’s foreign minister to discuss Strait of Hormuz security — prompting Muscat to summon the Iranian ambassador in a rare formal protest.
• Qatar: Ballistic missiles targeted Al Udeid airbase, with Iran claiming to have destroyed a fighter plane maintenance center and a command-and-control facility. Qatar’s Ministry of Defence said it intercepted incoming fire, but three people — including a child — were wounded by falling shrapnel.
• Kuwait: Explosive drones struck a Patriot air defense system, an ammunition depot, and a radar site belonging to the US military. Kuwait later reported that three land border posts were damaged and an offshore drilling platform was targeted by a hostile drone, injuring one person.
• Bahrain: Drone attacks targeted a US communications system and radar site. Air raid sirens were activated across the country.
• Jordan: Several ballistic missiles struck US military facilities at Prince Hassan airbase, with Iran claiming to have destroyed a command-and-control center and hangars housing MQ-9 drones. Jordan confirmed three Iranian missiles fell inside the kingdom.

The United Arab Emirates issued a warning for incoming missiles but later said they did not enter its territory.

US Strikes: ‘We Hit Them Very Hard’

President Donald Trump told CNN that “we hit them very hard last night,” maintaining that the two sides had been close to a deal on Saturday before Iran attacked a ship with a drone. “They were giving up everything, and then all of a sudden two hours after that they hit a ship with a drone,” Trump said.

CENTCOM confirmed that more than 300 targets had been struck over three nights throughout the week “to degrade Iran’s ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial vessels freely transiting the strait.” Iranian media reported explosions in Bandar Abbas, Sirik, Jask, and on Qeshm Island, as well as in Khuzestan province. One soldier was killed in the southern city of Jask.

Fresh strikes on Saturday evening hit Iran’s Qeshm Island — which sits directly on the Strait of Hormuz — with at least 10 “enemy projectiles” reported. The island of Farur was also struck, killing a telecommunications worker and wounding two others.

Diplomatic Fallout and Regional Response

Gulf nations responded with a mix of condemnation and defensive measures. Qatar called the attacks a “flagrant violation of sovereignty and territorial integrity” and a “blatant breach of international law,” raising its security threat level to high. Oman affirmed its “condemnation and denunciation” of the attack. Kuwait’s army said its forces were responding to “hostile aerial targets” in the country’s airspace.

Iran’s parliament speaker and key peace negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, posted on X: “The era of one-sided deals is over. We told you: keep your word or pay the price. Reality is knocking.”

Pakistan, which has been mediating between the parties, called for “de-escalation” with Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar stating that “dialogue and diplomacy remain the only viable path to resolving disputes and achieving lasting peace.” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also called for peace, with his spokesman saying “these attacks must stop.”

The fragile Memorandum of Understanding signed between the US and Iran last month had several glaring gaps that kept the door to escalation ajar. With the ceasefire now declared over by Trump, and Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei vowing revenge for his father’s killing on the first day of the war, the path back to diplomacy appears increasingly narrow.