Iran strikes US bases in Middle East, closes Hormuz Strait

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said Thursday it had launched missile attacks on US military bases in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain in retaliation to US strikes.

According to a statement published by the IRGC's official outlet, Sepah News, Iran's aerospace force targeted facilities at the US al-Azraq Air Base in Jordan, including hangars housing fighter aircraft and command-and-control centers. The IRGC claimed the strike inflicted significant damage on the targeted sites.

The force also said it struck US military facilities at Ali Al Salem and Ahmad al-Jaber air bases in Kuwait, as well as Sheikh Isa airbase in Bahrain, in two waves of attacks. Iranian officials said a total of 18 targets were hit.

The IRGC described the operation as a response to US strikes on military and security-related sites in several Iranian provinces, including Tehran, Alborz and Hormozgan. It warned that military operations would continue unless Washington halted its "malicious acts" against Iran.

Separately, the Iranian army said it launched drone attacks against the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain on Thursday morning, adding that communications and radar facilities linked to the fleet's Patriot air-defense system were among the targets.

The US Central Command said its forces conducted additional strikes against multiple Iranian targets earlier Thursday, describing the action as a response to Iran's "unwarranted and continued aggression."

Amid the escalating confrontation, Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz to all vessels, including oil tankers and commercial ships. Iranian authorities said the measure was necessary due to security risks posed by ongoing military tensions in the region.

Iranian military officials warned that vessels attempting to transit the strategic waterway could be targeted. The latest exchange of attacks came despite reports that Tehran and Washington had recently explored possible peace proposals through Pakistani mediation in an effort to end the conflict.

The US has repeatedly rejected Iran's claims of control over the Strait of Hormuz and imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports and shipping since April. In a statement on X on Thursday, the US Mission to China said the narrow waterway "is controlled by the United States of America, not Iran."

Iran also rejected US President Donald Trump's claim of having held a phone conversation with Iranian officials, calling it a "cover" to escape war.

(With input from Xinhua)