Iran strikes Gulf states after U.S. hits 140 targets overnight

The United States struck approximately 140 Iranian military targets overnight Saturday as the fragile ceasefire between Washington and Tehran unraveled following Iran's attack on a commercial container ship and declaration that the Strait of Hormuz was closed "until further notice." Iran responded by widening attacks across the Persian Gulf, targeting military sites in Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman in one of the sharpest escalations since the war began in February.

Third Round of Strikes

U.S. Central Command said it launched strikes at 7:15 p.m. Eastern Time Saturday in direct response to an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps missile strike on the M/V GFS Galaxy, a Cyprus-flagged container ship transiting the strait near Oman. The attack sparked a fire aboard the vessel, left one crew member missing, and disabled the ship. India said 10 of its nationals were rescued from the vessel.cbsnews+4

The strikes brought the week's total to more than 300 Iranian military targets across three rounds of bombing, according to CENTCOM, which said the operations aimed "to degrade Iran's ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial vessels". Minutes after the latest operation began, War Secretary Pete Hegseth posted on X: "Iran made a poor choice. Now they pay".straitstimes+2

Gulf States Under Fire

Iran's Revolutionary Guards claimed they struck a command and control center and drone hangars at a U.S. base in Jordan, a radar site in Kuwait, carrier support infrastructure in Oman, and a fighter jet maintenance center in Qatar. The Guards also said they disabled a second vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. The United Arab Emirates reported its air defense systems were intercepting missiles and drones, while air raid sirens sounded in Bahrain and explosions were heard over Doha.euronews+2

The attack on Qatar marked a notable escalation — Tehran had avoided targeting the Gulf state since early April, and Doha has served as a key mediator in the conflict. Qatar has previously said it would not continue mediating while under fire.straitstimes

Diplomacy in Doubt

The week's violence has effectively destroyed the memorandum of understanding signed in mid-June in Islamabad, which established a 60-day ceasefire and framework for negotiations over Iran's nuclear program and management of the strait. President Trump declared the ceasefire "OVER" on Friday, though he said the U.S. would continue talks at Iran's request.aljazeera+1

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi traveled to Oman on Saturday for discussions with Omani counterpart Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi, but the talks produced no breakthrough. U.S. negotiators were not physically present, a U.S. official told ABC News. The core dispute centers on Article 5 of the memorandum: the U.S. insists on free passage through the strait's southern shipping lane near Oman, while Iran demands all traffic use a northern route under its control — a disagreement that prompted Iran's strikes on commercial vessels earlier in the week.cbsnews+2