The United States and Iran exchanged renewed missile strikes on Thursday, widening a five-month conflict whose effects now reach several Middle Eastern states. Associated Press reported that Jordan intercepted five Iranian missiles, while Kuwait's military said an Iranian strike severely damaged a building belonging to a Chinese company and killed one worker. U.S. Central Command said American forces had completed a heavy wave of attacks on Iranian targets after an earlier strike on a U.S. base in Jordan.
Central Command said it hit dozens of sites linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard, including command centers, missile and drone facilities, coastal surveillance systems and air defenses. Iran's official IRNA agency said a strike on Qeshm island in the Strait of Hormuz killed three people and wounded two. Jordan's state-run Petra agency reported no injuries after its defenses intercepted the missiles for a second consecutive day.
The escalation followed U.S. and Saudi strikes on Iran-backed militias in Iraq on Wednesday. AP reported that those attacks killed at least 20 fighters and six Iranian advisers. Iraq condemned the action, saying it occurred while Baghdad was investigating Saudi allegations that armed groups operating from Iraqi territory had attacked oil facilities. The militias denied responsibility, while Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis separately claimed attacks on Saudi energy infrastructure.
Egypt also faced a potentially significant spillover. The Egyptian prime minister's office said initial findings showed that a drone caused fires on two natural gas vessels at the Mediterranean port of Damietta, including a U.S.-owned floating storage facility and a Greek-owned tanker. No injuries were reported, no group claimed the attack, and the Houthis denied involvement. AP noted that Egypt, a U.S. ally and regional mediator, had previously avoided direct military involvement.
The fighting is placing additional pressure on global energy routes. Lloyd's List Intelligence said ship traffic through Hormuz fell from 82 vessels in the week of July 13 to 19 to 39 in the week of July 20 to 26. The strait carried about 20 percent of traded oil and natural gas in peacetime. Ambrey said traffic through Bab el-Mandeb was down 30 percent since July 21 compared with June after the Houthis announced a blockade of Saudi shipping.
Pakistan, which has served as a mediator, said talks were continuing to normalize the situation, particularly around Hormuz, but described security conditions as precarious. Saudi officials have simultaneously sought de-escalation and signaled that attacks on their energy infrastructure would not be tolerated, according to AP. The renewed barrages, shipping disruption and unclaimed attack in Egypt leave diplomacy facing a broader and more complicated regional battlefield.
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