The US continued its military operations against Iran on Monday. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that dozens of targets in Iran were struck with precision munitions. The statement said the strikes aimed to reduce Iran's ability to threaten international maritime traffic passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards announced they struck US military bases and targets in Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait in response to the US attacks. The Kuwaiti army reported intercepting hostile aerial targets, while the Jordanian army announced it destroyed four Iranian missiles. Air raid sirens sounded in Bahrain.
The escalating tensions in the Strait of Hormuz impacted global energy markets. After Iran announced it had closed the strait, US crude oil WTI rose 4.5% to above $74 per barrel as Asian futures opened.
Iranian state media reported at least two people were killed in the US strikes. Targets were hit on Qeshm Island, in Bandar Abbas, and in Khuzestan province near the Iraqi border. An attack on a water pumping station in the city of Mahshahr killed one person and wounded four. A telecommunications worker also died on Farur Island in the Persian Gulf, and two others were injured.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards also attacked Oman, a country rarely targeted. The Omani government summoned the Iranian ambassador and handed over an official protest note. The attack came hours after Oman hosted Iran's foreign minister to discuss the Strait of Hormuz issue.
On Sunday, a Cyprus-flagged container ship was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, catching fire and forcing the crew to abandon ship. India announced that one sailor was missing, while Oman said it rescued 23 crew members from the commercial vessel.
Diplomatic reactions also came in. Pakistan's Foreign Ministry expressed deep concern over the escalating tensions in the region. Iran's Foreign Ministry said the US strikes had "caused the return of insecurity to the Strait of Hormuz" and "undermined all efforts to establish peace in the region."
Iran's religious leader Mojtaba Khamenei said they would avenge his father, who was killed on the first day of the war, and that they had prepared a target list. US President Donald Trump, in a statement on Saturday, said any assassination attempt against him would lead to the US "totally obliterating" Iran.
