Bahrain destroys Iranian aerial attacks, official says

Bahrain’s air defenses have intercepted and destroyed Iranian aerial attacks, the media adviser to Bahrain’s king has said in a post on X.

Iran says it has struck US air base in Jordan

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has released a statement saying it has hit a U.S. air base in Jordan with missiles.

The IRGC said the strike was in response to U.S. attacks on its territory.

The Revolutionary Guards said the Al-Azraq air base was targeted with 12 ballistic missiles “in order to punish the aggressor”.

It said the attack “destroyed those installations and a large number of fighter jets. The operations of the warriors of Islam will continue as long as the evils of the enemy continue.”

The U.S. military had no immediate response to the Iranian statement.

The U.S. attacks earlier were in response to Iran shooting down an American helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz.

Oil prices jump as hostilities escalate

Oil prices jumped by more than $1 a barrel as Tehran said it had closed the Strait of Hormuz after the U.S. launched strikes on Iran and vowed further attacks if no peace deal is secured.

Brent futures rose $1.48, to $94.58 a barrel as of 0243 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude climbed $1.71 to $91.74. U.S. crude futures gained more than $3 earlier in the day.

Kuwait temporarily closes airspace

Kuwait’s airspace has been temporarily closed and flights diverted due to Iranian attacks, the civil aviation authority has said.

Israel issues alert after launches from Lebanon

The Israeli military has said on Thursday that its home front command issued a precautionary directive after identification of launches from Lebanon toward northern Israel.

It is urging the public to enter protected spaces upon alert activation.

Bahrain says warning siren has been sounded again

The new sirens reported by the country’s Interior Ministry come hours after earlier reports of sirens and Iran saying it was attacking the headquarters of the U.S. Fifth Fleet, located in Bahrain.

Kuwaiti army says it is engaging hostile aerial targets

We’ll bring you more updates as they come in.

The Iranian cities where explosions have been reported

Iranian news agencies reported explosions in several cities, including Sirik, Kargan, Bandar Abbas, Minab, Varamin and Karaj.

US military says strikes were response to Iranian threat

In a statement on X, the U.S. Central Command said its forces launched additional strikes on Iranian military surveillance capabilities, communication systems and air defense sites across Iran.

It added that the U.S. military fired at Iranian targets that posed a threat to U.S. forces and international commercial ships.

“The strikes are in response to Iran’s unwarranted and continued aggression. U.S. forces remain vigilant, lethal, and ready,” the statement said.

It called the attacks”self-defense strikes” as it did for previous strikes on Iran.

Sirens in Bahrain as Iran says it is attacking US Fifth Fleet

We are now getting word that sirens are sounding in Bahrain, according to the country’s interior ministry.

This comes shortly after Iranian state media said its military targeted the U.S. Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain in response to the earlier American military attacks on Iran.

US denies Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz

Earlier, we reported that Iran has announced the Strait of Hormuz is closed to all vessels.

Now, the U.S. military has contradicted that statement.

U.S. Central Command also said on its social media account that no U.S. warships have been hit by Iran’s military.

Iran had earlier said that two “violating ships” were hit by its military, but it did not identify them as American warships.

Iran’s media says Trump has not spoken to its officials

Iran’s state media has now issued a report denying Trump’s comment that he has spoken directly to Iranian officials who asked him to stop the new U.S. attacks.

It cited an unnamed senior Iranian official as saying: “Trump’s false claim that Iranian officials contacted him is a cover to evade war with Iran.”

Trump has now told Fox News that he has spoken directly with Iranian officials, and they asked him to stop the U.S. bombing.

He said U.S. fighter jets were operating over Iran.

Trump told Fox that the bombing would stop shortly, but he said he would leave open the option for more strikes.

Two ships attempting passage through Hormuz hit, Iranian media says

Two “violating ships” attempting passage through the Strait of Hormuz were hit, Iranian media reported, citing Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Navy.

The announcement came shortly after Iran announced the closure of the strategic strait through which 20% of the world’s oil passed before the war began in late February.

Reuters