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US strikes on Iran enter eighth night as Kuwait hit

Editorial Team

CENTCOM targets IRGC as Iran cites Hormuz shipping threats and retaliatory strikes in Kuwait

The United States launched a fresh round of air strikes on Iran early Sunday, marking the eighth consecutive night of attacks, as Iran said it retaliated by targeting US military assets at two bases in Kuwait. US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the new strikes were intended to further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and to punish the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) following an attack that killed two American service members.

The escalating exchanges are sharpening concerns about security around the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global energy shipments, and expanding the conflict beyond maritime pressure points to strikes affecting civilian services. Iran has accused Washington of breaching an interim deal, while both sides cite retaliation and deterrence as the rationale for new attacks, adding uncertainty for regional states hosting US forces.

Key Events in the Latest Round of Attacks

Iranian media reported US strikes hit an area near Sirik in Hormozgan province at 1:30am local time (22:00 GMT Saturday), Qeshm Island at about 3:38am (00:08 GMT Sunday) and again at 6:10am local time (02:40 GMT), and a location near Shadegan in Khuzestan province at 5:55am (02:25 GMT).
Mehr and Tasnim said there were no casualties and that residential and commercial infrastructure was not damaged in the reported strikes.
CENTCOM said the operation targeted Iranian military coastal surveillance and air defense facilities, maritime capabilities, and missile and drone storage sites.
Tasnim reported that Iran’s army struck what it described as a US ammunition depot at Al-Adiri camp and Patriot radar and air radar at the Ali Al Salem base in Kuwait.

Background to the Escalation

The latest strikes come after the US military said it was responding to Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks on a US base in Jordan on Friday that killed two American service members, left one service member missing, and sent four to hospital. Since the conflict began in February, 16 US service members have been killed and more than 430 wounded, according to US figures cited in reporting.

Fighting initially centered on pressure and counterpressure around the Strait of Hormuz, but Iranian officials and state media say the campaign has broadened. Iran’s supreme leader previously warned of “unforgettable lessons” if US attacks continued, while Tehran has increasingly highlighted damage to civilian-linked facilities as part of its criticism of the US approach.

Earlier Gulf crises show how shipping security can pull Kuwait into broader US-Iran confrontations. During the 1980s “Tanker War,” the United States reflagged and escorted Kuwaiti tankers in Operation Earnest Will, a mission that later escalated after the USS Samuel B. Roberts struck an Iranian mine and the US launched Operation Praying Mantis against Iranian forces and platforms.

Official Claims, Damage Reports and Denials

In its public messaging, CENTCOM said the strikes were “designed to further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.” Iran’s military, announcing retaliatory action, said it acted “in response to the repeated aggressions of the enemy.”

Iran’s state-run IRNA reported the Bonji desalination plant was destroyed, cutting off water supplies to about 10,000 people, and said a desalination plant on Qeshm Island was damaged. Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi told state television the United States was violating the terms of an interim deal and was “no longer implementing them.”

Tasnim also reported that claims of explosions in Qom, Arak and Behbahan were later denied by local authorities, with the governor of Arak saying the situation was “completely normal” and that there had been no reports of an attack or explosion.

In an earlier public release on the Kuwait front, CENTCOM said Iran fired a ballistic missile toward Kuwait that was intercepted, and described it as a ceasefire violation. Separate reporting citing Kuwaiti authorities and Kuwait Petroleum Corporation said strikes in Kuwait hit infrastructure including a water desalination plant and an oil facility.

Current Situation and What to Watch

Iranian authorities say at least 50 people have been killed and more than 500 wounded in US strikes over the past three weeks. Late Saturday, Iran’s embassy in India identified two girls, Sogand Dardmand and Fatemeh Zahra Akbari, as among seven people killed in a Thursday strike on Bandar Khamir in southern Iran.

Further updates are expected as both sides issue additional operational details and as regional governments assess the security impact. Independent confirmation of battlefield claims and a fuller accounting of damage and casualties in the latest overnight attacks were not available in the information provided.