US-Iran News: Iran claimed to have unleashed a series of retaliatory military operations targeting US naval and military assets across the Gulf region after America targeted its civilian infrastructure.
Iran targeted US bases in Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, Oman and Syria. Additionally, the country's armed forces and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) separately announced strikes under Tehran's ongoing military campaigns, ANI reported.
In a statement, the Iranian Army's Public Relations said its Navy fired coast-to-sea cruise missiles at what it described as an "aggressor" US vessel in the northern Indian Ocean as part of the thirteenth phase of the Army's "Operation Lightning".
The Army claimed the cruise missile strike forced the vessel to move out of range, adding that the operation had caused "fear and panic" among US forces.
16th wave of ‘Operation Nasr 2’
In a separate statement, the IRGC's Public Relations said its Aerospace Force carried out the 16th wave of "Operation Nasr 2", targeting the US Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
The IRGC claimed the attack destroyed a long-range radar system and several US strategic aerial refuelling aircraft while seriously damaging others.
It described the operation as retaliation for what it called recent US attacks and warned that further responses would follow if American military operations continued.
Key surveillance tower of Chabahar Port destroyed
The US Central Command (CENTCOM)has confirmed that it has "successfully destroyed" the surveillance tower at Iran's Shahid Kalantari Port in Chabahar, saying the facility formed part of a maritime surveillance network used by Iran's IRGC to monitor commercial shipping in the Gulf of Oman, particularly through the Strait of Hormuz.
7 key developments around US-Iran war
Hormuz heats up as Iran blocks 4 tankers passing with US support
IRGC said in a statement that its Navy command at the Strait of Hormuz has blocked four ships trying to pass through the region with US Navy's support. A combined drone operation enabled the IRGC to stop the ships "in place."
In the statement, IRGC warned vessel owners to abide by the warnings issued by them, despite the US assurances. The statement asked vessel owners to "not be fooled by the baseless support of the US terrorist army, like the leaders of some countries in the southern Persian Gulf”.
Air defense sirens ring out in Bahrain as conflict escalates
Bahrain's Ministry of Interior issued an advisory to people as air raid sirens were activated amid escalations between the US and Iran early Friday morning. The advisory asked residents to “remain calm and head to the nearest safe place.”
2 tankers passing through mine-laden area in Hormuz catch fire
Iran's Tasnim news agency reported on Friday that two oil tankers passing through a mine-laden area in the southern part of the Strait of Hormuz have caught fire. The report also noted that the Iranian Navy has issued a warning to ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz that it is “extremely unsafe and completely closed” amid the ongoing conflict.
IRGC top brass says MoU with US ‘dead’
IRGC commander Mohsen Rezaei told state media Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) that the MoU with Iran is now "dead" after the recent violations by the US and Israel.
“The failure of the Israeli regime to withdraw from southern Lebanon, the creation of an illegal alternative route in the Strait of Hormuz despite the existence of a legal Iranian route, the lack of respect for Iran’s sovereignty with attacks on Iranian territory, and the failure to release Iran’s assets, are all US violations of the MoU,” he told IRIB.
Iran targets Thailand-flagged vessel in Strait of Hormuz, state media reports
Iran's semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported citing an unnamed official that Iranian Navy attacked a Thailand-flagged vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. The official said that the ship was targeted for passing the Strait without permission, despite being warned not to do so.
Oil heads for weekly gain on renewed US-Iran hostilities and threat of Red Sea closure
Oil prices rose by 3 per cent on Friday after the US and Iran stepped up attacks across the Gulf, with shipping threatened by a potential Red Sea closure on top of the restricted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
Brent crude futures rose by USD 2.49, or 2.96 per cent, to USD 86.72 a barrel by 11:50 AM ET (1550 GMT). US West Texas Intermediate futures were up USD 2.48, or 3.14 per cent, at USD 81.43.
UN Sec Gen condemns US attacks on Iranian civilian infrastructure
A spokesperson for United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the attacks on civilian infrastructure in Iran and other Gulf States "unacceptable."
Air defence sirens ring out in Bahrain as conflict escalates
Bahrain's Ministry of Interior issued an advisory to people as air raid sirens were activated amid escalations between the US and Iran early Friday morning. The advisory asked residents to “remain calm and head to the nearest safe place.”
(With agency inputs)
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