Iran on Wednesday launched attacks on US military bases in Jordan and Bahrain, warning Gulf states that they have a “responsibility” to prevent the United States and Israel from using their territories to strike the Islamic Republic.
The strikes followed US military operations against Iran in response to the downing of an American helicopter, further straining a fragile ceasefire that took effect in April.
The renewed escalation prompted international calls for restraint on the eve of the World Cup, which the United States is co-hosting while Iran is among the participating teams.
It also cast fresh doubt on US President Donald Trump’s assertion that negotiations for a long-term settlement to end the Middle East conflict were in their “final throes”.
In Bahrain, an AFP correspondent in the capital Manama reported hearing several loud explosions after Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had targeted a US base in the country.
The Guards also said they fired long-range missiles at US military positions in Jordan.
Jordan’s military said it intercepted five missiles, with no casualties or damage reported, while Bahrain said its air defences had destroyed “a number of Iranian aerial attacks”. Kuwait’s military also said its air defences engaged “hostile aerial targets”, amid reports of regional spillover.
Iran’s foreign ministry reiterated what it described as the “legal and moral responsibility” of regional countries, particularly those along the southern shores of the Persian Gulf, to prevent the US military and Israel from using their territories or facilities for hostile operations against Iran.
The developments followed US military claims that it had “completed” a retaliatory operation ordered by Trump over the downing of an Apache attack helicopter.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on X that it had struck Iranian air defence systems, ground control stations, and radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned earlier that Tehran’s military would “leave no attack or threat unanswered”.
The latest flare-up has triggered renewed calls for restraint from Iran’s allies, including Russia and China.
A Russian foreign ministry spokesperson said Moscow was “extremely concerned” about the renewed US-Iran confrontation and urged both sides to exercise restraint.
China’s foreign ministry also called on all parties to “stop intensifying the conflict and escalating the situation” and to take steps to de-escalate tensions.
Hours before the escalation, Trump said negotiations to end the three-month war were in their final stages, claiming progress could be achieved within “two or three days”.
However, after the downing of the helicopter on Monday, he told ABC News that the United States was responding “in a strong manner”.
The ceasefire had already come under strain over the weekend when Iran and Israel briefly resumed hostilities before announcing a halt.
Iran has maintained that any agreement to end the war must include a truce in Lebanon, where Hezbollah fighters have been engaged in cross-border attacks with Israel since March.
Israel has responded with airstrikes and a ground offensive that has killed more than 3,600 people, while exchanges of fire with Hezbollah have continued despite a nominal truce.
Lebanese authorities said 11 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes on the southern city of Tyre on Tuesday, prompting evacuation warnings from the Israeli military.
Residents were seen fleeing parts of the city, including the Christian quarter, as heavy traffic moved north following the warnings, according to AFP correspondents.
The renewed violence has also complicated efforts to secure maritime stability in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global energy route that has been disrupted since the start of the conflict.
Oil prices rose by about one percent on Wednesday amid growing uncertainty, after earlier falling on hopes of a diplomatic breakthrough.
Araghchi warned foreign forces to stay away from the region, saying they risked being caught in the crossfire.
“Foreign forces in proximity to our territory are at constant risk… the best solution is for them to leave,” he said.
The Apache helicopter incident marks the second confirmed downing of a crewed US aircraft during the conflict, following the loss of an F-15 fighter jet in April.
CENTCOM said both crew members of the helicopter were rescued after it went down near the coast of Oman.
