According to the US Central Command (CENTCOM), the latest strikes were ordered by President Donald Trump and were intended to further degrade Iran's ability to threaten civilian shipping and commercial vessels. CENTCOM said US forces targeted military objectives, including naval capabilities, missile and drone storage sites, coastal surveillance facilities and air defense systems. It also claimed that dozens of Iranian military targets had been struck during the past month and that the maritime blockade of Iranian ports had resumed. The command further said more than 50,000 US troops remain on alert across the Middle East and claimed it had diverted nine commercial vessels and prevented one ship from entering or leaving Iranian ports.

Iranian authorities said the attacks targeted multiple locations in Khuzestan, Bushehr, Kermanshah and Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari provinces, including areas near Shalamcheh border crossing, Ahvaz, Ramshir, Andimeshk, Kiar County and the outskirts of Eslamabad-e Gharb. Iranian officials also reported attacks on maritime search-and-rescue vessels in Hormozgan waters.

The Ports and Maritime Administration of Hormozgan Province said two rescue vessels, Naji 15 and Naji 16, sustained heavy damage after being struck in what it described as a hostile US-Israeli attack, stressing that both vessels were engaged solely in humanitarian rescue missions.

Iranian officials reported limited casualties in several locations. In Khuzestan, officials said two people were killed and 11 wounded in a missile strike near the Shalamcheh border crossing. Authorities said Arbaeen pilgrim traffic through the crossing continues uninterrupted and emergency services remain fully operational. Bushehr officials said missile strikes hit locations in the provincial capital without reported fatalities, while a second attack later targeted a military site. Khuzestan officials also confirmed missile strikes near Ahvaz, Ramshir and Andimeshk, while officials in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari said an overnight strike in Kiar County caused no casualties. Authorities in Kermanshah reported explosions near Eslamabad-e Gharb without casualties.

In response, Iran announced multiple retaliatory operations against US military facilities in the region.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it struck Kuwait's Ali Al Salem Air Base, inflicting what it described as major damage. The Iranian Army separately announced the 23rd phase of Operation Saegheh, saying it launched large-scale drone strikes against ammunition depots at Camp Doha, fuel storage facilities at Ali Al Salem Air Base and an ammunition depot at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait.

The IRGC also announced strikes against US military installations in Jordan, claiming to have destroyed a THAAD missile-defense radar, a Patriot air-defense system, a C-RAM radar, fuel storage facilities, a helicopter equipment warehouse and a helicopter maintenance hangar.

The IRGC issued separate statements addressed to the people of Jordan and Kuwait, asserting that Iran respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of both countries but considers US military bases on their territory to be the source of attacks against Iran. The statements argued that targeting those facilities constitutes Iran's legal and legitimate right of self-defense against aggression.

Iranian authorities also reported explosions heard in Qatar and Jordan, citing Arab media reports.

Separately, the IRGC said three oil tankers attempted to pass through what it described as a mined route in the southern Strait of Hormuz after being encouraged by the US military. It said one vessel caught fire following an explosion while the other two turned back. The IRGC declared that the Strait of Hormuz remains under Iran's full control and warned that no oil tanker would be allowed to pass while what it described as US aggression continues. It also warned that any vessel attempting to transit without coordination with the Islamic Republic of Iran would face the same consequences.

The IRGC urged the United States to stop what it called actions endangering commercial shipping and global energy security, warning that punitive operations would continue.

Meanwhile, Saudi state media reported that a Saudi-owned oil tanker was struck while sailing in the Red Sea. The attack reportedly ignited a fire in the vessel's bow but caused no casualties. Regional media said the tanker, carrying roughly 500,000 barrels of oil and sailing from Yanbu, was struck by a missile about 70 kilometers north of the Yemeni border and remained ablaze.

The US Air Force also experienced an apparent airborne emergency after an E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft operating over eastern Saudi Arabia near Qatar and Bahrain transmitted the international emergency transponder code 7700 before diverting to Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. Code 7700 indicates a general airborne emergency requiring priority handling and landing.

Kuwait's armed forces later announced that its air-defense systems had been activated to intercept what it described as hostile Iranian drone attacks. Kuwaiti authorities did not release further details on the number of drones intercepted or any resulting damage. Iranian officials have repeatedly stated that their operations target US military bases rather than neighboring countries.