The U.S. completed its eighth night of airstrikes against Iran. The move came in response to an Iranian attack in Jordan that killed two U.S. soldiers and left one missing.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that the operations, which began at 10:00 p.m. local time on Saturday, were carried out on the orders of President Donald Trump. The statement said the strikes were designed to reduce Iran's ability to threaten commercial maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and to punish the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces that attacked American soldiers in Jordan.
On the Iranian side, the Mehr news agency reported a U.S. strike near Sirik in the south of the country, but said no casualties or infrastructure damage were reported. The Tasnim news agency also announced that a site in the Shadegan region near the Iraqi border was targeted. Iranian state television reported that the Iranian army carried out a drone attack on U.S. assets at the Al-Adiri camp and Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a statement on X that the losses in Jordan had strengthened their resolve. With these losses announced on Friday, the number of U.S. soldiers killed since the start of the clashes has risen to 16, and the number of wounded has exceeded 420.
Other Attacks and Escalation in the Region
Kuwait came under heavy attack on Saturday. The Kuwaiti armed forces announced they intercepted Iranian ballistic missiles and drones, but there were injuries among firefighters and oil workers responding to the attacks. The Kuwait Petroleum Corporation reported that an oil facility was hit and sustained significant damage.
Iranian media reported that the Revolutionary Guards targeted an area where U.S. warplanes were gathered at the Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain and an intelligence center. Iranian state television also claimed that at least two U.S. warplanes were destroyed in an attack on the U.S. base in the Al Azraq area of Jordan.
Saudi Arabia's early warning system alerted residents of Al-Kharj and Yanbu to take shelter early Saturday. Two sources close to the matter said the first Iranian missile attack on Saudi Arabia in more than three months triggered the warnings. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, however, did not mention any attack on Saudi Arabia.
Tension in the Strait of Hormuz and Travel Warning
Iran's Health Ministry announced that 50 people have been killed and more than 500 wounded in U.S. strikes over the past three weeks. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei accused the U.S. of trying to seize control of the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of the world's oil supply passes.
The U.S. State Department issued a global travel warning for Americans abroad on Saturday due to high tensions in the Middle East and the "potential for unpredictable escalation." The warning noted that flight cancellations and periodic airspace closures could disrupt travel.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said in a statement on his official social media accounts that the U.S. actions showed Trump's signature was "completely worthless and devoid of credibility," and warned of "heavier costs and greater humiliation" for the U.S.
