Iran attacks Gulf neighbours as fighting with US expands

Iran launched missile and drone attacks on four U.S. allies in the Gulf overnight after American forces struck around 100 targets in the Islamic republic. U.S. Central Command reported its strikes hit Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps air defenses, radar systems, maritime assets, mine-laying equipment, and communications sites. Attempts by IRGC to attack shipping in the Strait of Hormuz led to U.S. drones firing missiles at two Iranian government ships under a new "tanker for tanker" policy.

Iran claimed U.S. strikes killed civilians, with the Red Crescent reporting five deaths and 50 wounded from a wedding near Sirik, a coastal town near the Strait of Hormuz. Four-year-old killed in attack; official figures place dead at seven and wounded at 68. Seven killed in U.S. strikes on three sites in Khuzestan province, including four IRGC members and three Basij militia members.

Iran vowed retaliation, with the IRGC warning "severe punishment awaits the aggressors" and the joint military command threatening "heavier, more widespread and devastating responses" to countries supporting the U.S. campaign. Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait reported intercepting Iranian drones and facing attacks on their own territory.

Hormuz shipping attacks, attacks on US bases in northern Iraq, and attacks on Jordan were also reported. Saudi company Bahri reported two Filipino crew members killed in an attack on a VLCC in the Strait of Hormuz. The crisis, the most intense in months, sent oil prices to a five-week high, pushed U.S. 10-year Treasury yields to their highest level in nearly three years, and caused global bond markets to sell off.