U.S. Strikes Iranian Military Sites for Second Day After Drone Attacks on Tankers

U.S. military aircraft struck ten Iranian military targets near the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday night in response to an Iranian drone attack on the Panama-flagged tanker M/T Kiku earlier that morning. The strikes targeted surveillance infrastructure, communication systems, air defense sites, drone storage facilities, and minelayer capabilities, according to a U.S. Central Command statement.

Iran had struck a second commercial vessel in the strait within 48 hours after attacking the Singapore-flagged cargo ship M/V Ever Lovely on Thursday. U.S. forces responded on Friday with strikes on Iranian missile and drone storage sites and coastal radar installations on Sirik Island.

Iran then launched drones toward Bahrain on Saturday, prompting air raid sirens in the capital and a statement from Kuwait's military that its air defenses were responding to hostile threats. Bahrain's foreign ministry condemned the attacks as a threat to citizens and residents.

Iranian state media confirmed the attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait as retaliation for the U.S. bombing campaign. Commercial vessel transits through the Strait of Hormuz have continued despite the exchanges.