US intensifies attacks on Iran as Tehran hits back at Gulf states

• 01The US conducted airstrikes on targets near Tehran, Bandar Abbas, and Qeshm island, marking the first strikes near the capital in the current conflict.
• 02US Central Command fired a Hellfire missile at a tanker sailing toward Kharg Island, stating the vessel ignored multiple warnings.
• 03Iranian authorities reported that US attacks killed more than 35 people and wounded more than 300 others in recent days.
• 04Iran evacuated 211 patients undergoing chemotherapy from a cancer hospital in south-west Iran due to nearby strikes.
• 05Iran fired missiles and drones at Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait, which host US military bases.
• 06An overnight drone attack targeted Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan, which Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said was intercepted.
• 07Iraqi authorities briefly suspended crude oil loading at all terminals after a drone crashed into a tanker in Basra, though loading resumed later.
• 08Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei described the hospital evacuation as a "barbaric attack" and compared it to Israel’s actions.
• 09Iranian military spokesperson Col Ebrahim Zolfaghari stated that all regional infrastructure would be crushed if the US interfered in the Strait of Hormuz.
• 10Shipping data showed nine vessels navigated the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, compared to 13 on Tuesday, following the reimposition of a US blockade.
• 11India advised shipowners and recruitment companies not to deploy Indian seafarers on vessels heading for the Strait of Hormuz.

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The US and Iran escalated fighting following an interim peace deal, with the US striking targets near Tehran and Iranian oil infrastructure while Iran retaliated by targeting US allies in Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait. The conflict has disrupted the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global energy route, leading to a sharp decline in vessel traffic and prompting India to restrict the deployment of its sailors to the region. Iranian officials warned of widespread retaliation against regional infrastructure if the US continues to interfere, while the US accused Iran of closing the strait despite previous agreements to keep it open.