Late Wednesday and early Thursday, U.S. armed forces launched new attacks against Iran, as announced by the command responsible for the Middle East region (U.S. Central Command, or CENTCOM).
A CENTCOM statement via X noted that “at 3:00 p.m. (Eastern Time in the U.S., 10:00 p.m. in Greece), U.S. forces launched a second round of strikes today against Iran. The strikes are targeting the capabilities used by the Iranian military to threaten ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital international shipping lane for global trade.”
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According to the Iranian news agency Mehr, explosions have been reported in Bandar Abbas. As reported by the Iranian network, U.S. missiles struck an area near the city. It also reported that three explosions occurred in Chabahar and in the city of Ahvaz, near the border with Iraq.
Air Raid Sirens in Bahrain and Kuwait
Air raid sirens sounded in Bahrain on Wednesday night.
“Citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe location,” the Ministry of the Interior said in a statement posted on the social media platform X.
It was later reported that the headquarters of the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Manama, Bahrain, had been struck again. Reports indicate that about 10 explosions were heard from the area, with the country’s air defense system shooting down targets.
After midnight, Kuwait’s air defenses were activated to counter a drone from Iran.
Kuwaiti air defenses are intercepting hostile drone attacks launched by Iran’s terrorist regime.
AdvertisementThe explosions heard across the country are the result of air defense interceptions. pic.twitter.com/GC2JQuk5v6
— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) July 15, 2026
Attack on an Oil Tanker
In a related development, an oil tanker attempting to sail toward an Iranian port—thereby breaking the naval blockade imposed by the U.S. on Tuesday— was neutralized on Wednesday by the U.S. armed forces.
The vessel Belma, flying the Curaçao flag, was sailing empty toward the island of Kharg, according to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). U.S. forces, they further explained, issued multiple warnings, but the ship ignored them.
Subsequently, a U.S. aircraft fired missiles and disabled the ship. It is not known whether there were any casualties from the attack.
Drones were shot down near the U.S. consulate in Iraqi
Kurdistan. The U.S. military shot down several drones yesterday, Wednesday, over Erbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq, local security forces announced.
Agence France-Presse reporters reported seeing drones flying over Erbil, in the northern part of the country, near the border with Iran, before they were struck by air defense systems, causing explosions. The smoke was visible from a distance around the U.S. consulate, which had already been targeted during the war in the Middle East, which broke out following the U.S.-Israeli bombings against the Islamic Republic on February 28.
The French Press Agency reports that this was the first drone strike targeting the consulate in Erbil since the fragile ceasefire between Washington and Tehran in early April.
Kurdish counterterrorism forces reported that forces of the U.S.-led international anti-jihadist coalition “shot down eight drones loaded with explosives between 8:53 p.m. and 9:53 p.m.” (Greek time), though they made no mention of casualties.
No one has claimed responsibility for yesterday’s attack.
Wall Street Journal: Trump Considers Expanding Operations
U.S. President Donald Trump appears to be leaning toward expanding U.S. military operations against Iran, following a series of briefings he has received in recent days from top aides, according to U.S. officials speaking to the Wall Street Journal.
A range of military options is on the table, including intensifying airstrikes, deploying ground forces to seize Iranian islands near the Strait of Hormuz, as well as bombing the fortified Pickaxe Mountain facility, which is believed to be capable of being used for covert nuclear activities.
Earlier today, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that he does not like to set deadlines, when asked by reporters how much time Iran has before the U.S. military begins bombing bridges.
“I don’t like to set deadlines, but they know very well—they know how things go… They’d better behave,” Trump said.
Yesterday, Tuesday, the U.S. president had stated in an interview with Fox News that he would order the bombing of power plants and bridges in Iran starting next week ifif Tehran does not reach an “agreement.”
“Things are going to get really bad for them,” as “next week it will be the power plants’ turn” and the week after that, “the bridges will be next” if the Iranians “don’t sit down at the table to negotiate,” Trump told the television network.
