DUBAI, U.A.E.: After President Donald Trump promised strong military action against Iran and its Houthi allies in Yemen, U.S. missiles hit targets across Iran, reaching as far as the Caspian Sea coast on Friday.
He blamed them for expanding the Middle East conflict to another key shipping route at the entrance of the Red Sea.
Two weeks after a temporary ceasefire failed, Iran’s military responded by firing at U.S. bases in nearby Arab countries. It also warned that it might target non-military buildings used by U.S. personnel.
The Houthis, who control northern and western Yemen, announced a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia. This disrupted Saudi oil shipments that were being redirected to the Red Sea to avoid Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
The entrance to the Gulf has been a main focus of the conflict, which has lasted nearly five months, killed thousands of people, increased global inflation, and raised fears of an economic slowdown.
Shipping insurance costs for routes through the southern Red Sea doubled for some companies on July 23, according to sources.
Despite the danger, half of the 18 ships that passed through Bab el-Mandeb that day were carrying crude oil, including two large Chinese tankers. Meanwhile, only one tanker passed through the Strait of Hormuz on July 23, the lowest number since May 7.
Trump said on social media that he would hold Iran responsible for any further attacks by Yemeni fighters and stated that strong military punishment would be carried out against both Iran and the Houthis. He also told Axios that he was thinking about starting major military operations against Iran again, saying that Iran had not yet suffered enough consequences.
Iranian state media reported that missiles hit Qeshm Island near the Strait of Hormuz.
The conflict is also affecting other countries. For example, Coca-Cola raised the price of Diet Coke in India by more than 10 percent because supply chains were disrupted. Diet Coke in India is mostly sold in aluminum cans.
Iran’s army said it attacked U.S. military equipment storage sites at Al-Adiri (Camp Buehring) in northern Kuwait, as well as U.S. troop positions at Camp Arifjan and Camp Doha near Kuwait City.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they damaged a surveillance tower used by the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain. They also claimed to have attacked U.S. military barracks and aircraft in Jordan. They targeted a U.S. barracks, a surveillance balloon, and Patriot air defense systems in Erbil, in the Kurdish region of Iraq.
Jordan’s military said it shot down seven Iranian missiles and six drones, and reported that there was no damage or casualties.
There was no immediate response from U.S. Central Command.
U.S. missiles also struck a Revolutionary Guards naval headquarters in the Ziba Kenar area in Iran’s Gilan province near the Caspian Sea. Authorities said projectiles also hit the port city of Bandar Anzali.
Iranian state television reported that four people were killed and five others were injured in a U.S. strike on the city of Ahvaz.
