Gulf states under fire as US escalates strikes on Iranian infrastructure
Diplomatic pressure mounts from China and Pakistan to preserve tentative ceasefire, even as casualties mount in Iran and security alerts spread across the Gulf.
Tehran launched coordinated missile and drone attacks against Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Jordan, and Syria overnight, prompting immediate defensive responses from these nations. The strikes occurred during a sixth consecutive night of United States air campaigns targeting Iranian civilian infrastructure, including telecommunications networks, railway systems, and the Bandar-e Khamir bridge in Hormozgan province. Local media reports indicate that at least seven people were killed in the Iranian province following the US strikes.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) asserted that its operations targeted US military assets across the region, claiming control over the Strait of Hormuz. In Bahrain, Iran’s army stated it hit US helicopters and reconnaissance aircraft at the Sakhir airbase. Simultaneously, the IRGC reported destroying US air control and maritime surveillance radars in Oman’s Ghanim region and the Strait of Hormuz. In Kuwait, the group claimed to have struck a US military base, targeting missile defence radars, weapons depots, and HIMARS launchers.
Security alerts were raised in Qatar, which hosts significant US military facilities, after loud explosions were heard in the capital, Doha. The Qatari Ministry of Interior confirmed that a child was injured by falling shrapnel and is receiving medical care. While the security threat level was elevated, it later returned to normal after threats were cleared. Qatar’s defence minister had previously rejected reports that the country was planning to join military action against Iran.
Defensive actions were also recorded in Iraq and Jordan. Kurdish counterterrorism forces in northern Iraq reported that US coalition forces shot down eight explosive drones over Erbil, with no casualties reported. The Jordanian army announced that its air defence systems intercepted three Iranian missiles transiting its airspace, with engineering teams clearing debris without incident. The IRGC also claimed an attack on a US special operations command centre at the al-Tanf military base in Syria.
Amidst the escalating hostilities, diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the situation have intensified. China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar called for an immediate ceasefire and the resumption of dialogue to preserve a tentative agreement reached in June. Iran reported that 38 people have been killed and over 400 injured in US attacks since negotiations began in Switzerland on 22 June.
