America and Iran exchange new blows amid rising tensions in the Strait of Hormuz

The United States launched a strike against Iran, prompting Tehran to retaliate against US allies in the Gulf on Thursday, as tensions escalated over control of the strategic Strait of Hormuz in the renewed Middle East conflict.

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The Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil and gas artery that Iran claims to control, has become a focal point in the renewed fighting, which has entered its sixth day despite a preliminary deal between the foes in June aimed at ending the war.

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US forces targeted Iranian military sites in multiple locations, including the coastal city of Bandar Abbas, in an effort to "degrade Iran's ability to threaten innocent mariners" in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Central Command (CENTCOM).

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Earlier strikes had targeted coastal defence and cruise missile sites on Greater Tunb Island in the Gulf, CENTCOM added, as part of the ongoing military campaign.

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Iran's official IRNA news agency reported explosions in several areas of the country on Thursday, including Lorestan in the west and Semnan in the north, while air defences were triggered in parts of Tehran.

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Following the explosions, US allies in the Gulf began reporting attacks, with Kuwait intercepting Iranian drones and Bahrain sounding air raid sirens in response to the heightened tensions.

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The Strait of Hormuz, a waterway crucial to global oil and gas flows, has been at the heart of the renewed fighting, with Iran blockading the strait after the war erupted with US-Israeli strikes on February 28.

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Iran had used the waterway as leverage against its foes for months, before briefly reopening it after the US-Iran deal last month, and then vowing to close it again "until the US ends its aggression".

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Iran's military claimed to have targeted US military facilities in Jordan with drones, "in response to the enemy aggression", according to state television IRIB.

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Earlier, the US military said one of its aircraft had fired on and disabled an empty oil tanker attempting to break the naval blockade of Iran's ports.

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In Iraq, Kurdish forces reported that the US-led coalition had downed eight explosive-laden drones over Erbil, the capital of the northern Kurdistan region, where AFP journalists heard explosions and saw smoke near the US consulate.

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Hours later, Iraqi Prime Minister condemned the "drone attack" without identifying the origin of the drones, as tensions continued to escalate in the region.

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Despite the renewed hostilities, mediated talks between the two sides have not formally ended, with US President Donald Trump warning that "next week it gets really bad for them" unless Tehran returns to the negotiating table.

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Iran's top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf cautioned that "a memorandum of understanding only has meaning when its clauses are valid and being implemented", and that Iran would not adhere to the agreement if it did not benefit from it.

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Maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has remained low, with only 21 transits reported on Tuesday, according to maritime tracker Kpler, and oil prices have ticked higher following the latest escalation.

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The United States has reimposed a blockade of Iran's ports, exacerbating tensions in the region and causing anxieties to run high in Iran.

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Khadijeh, a 31-year-old artisan from Qasr-e Shirin in the southeast, expressed concern about the impact of the war on her community, saying "the little children are so frightened by the sound of explosions that they don’t sleep until morning".

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Fears of further escalation were also evident in Gulf countries hit repeatedly by Iranian strikes, with Mustafa Mohamed, a 39-year-old Sudanese accountant living in Kuwait, saying "every day, I wake up wondering whether the situation will de-escalate or worsen".

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US President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that an American citizen, identified by her lawyer as Dena Karari, had left Iran in "good condition" after being detained since December 2024, and expressed appreciation for Iran's "gesture of goodwill".

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Renewed US attacks have killed at least 30 people in Iran since last week, according to government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani, while the military reported that nine personnel were killed in Wednesday's strikes on the southeast.

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A hospital in Ahvaz, in the southwest, was evacuated following US airstrikes on the area, with patients transferred to other medical centres, according to state media.