Tehran: The conflict in West Asia intensified as both the United States and Iran claimed control over the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. Central Command said Monday's airstrikes targeted multiple Iranian military sites, including air defence systems, radar installations, missile and drone facilities, and small naval vessels, asserting that the strait is not under Iranian control.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps rejected the claim, insisting the Strait of Hormuz lies within Iranian territory and warning against foreign military intervention.
Missile warning sirens sounded in Bahrain and Kuwait on Monday, with both countries reporting that attacks had been successfully intercepted. No official information on damage or casualties has been released.
Tensions escalated further after Iran attacked a container ship near the Omani coast in the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global crude oil and natural gas trade. Continued attacks on commercial vessels have heightened fears of severe disruption to shipping and international commerce. UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that a return to full-scale war would have grave consequences.
Iranian state media confirmed explosions at multiple locations in the country, with at least one reported death. Reports also indicated that Iran expanded its attacks to Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Jordan and Oman. Oman, a key intermediary in diplomatic contacts with Iran, summoned the Iranian envoy to lodge a protest.
A drone strike also targeted a base of the armed wing of the Kurdistan Freedom Party, an Iranian Kurdish opposition group in Iraq's Kurdistan region, though no group claimed responsibility. The U.S. had earlier announced strikes on around 140 Iranian military targets on Sunday, including missile and drone launch sites, weapons depots and communication facilities. Meanwhile, mediation efforts by Qatar, Pakistan and Egypt continued as regional uncertainty deepened following a retaliatory pledge by Iran's new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.