Two Filipino sailors were killed aboard the Saudi crude tanker SIDR during a security incident in the Strait of Hormuz, Saudi shipping company Bahri confirmed [5][13][39]. Philippine Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac confirmed the deaths and said 14 surviving crew members were safe, with repatriation underway [35]. The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency confirmed the two casualties as fatalities [40]. Separately, the IRGC stated that two other tankers had caught fire after striking mines while being guided by US forces through an unauthorized route in the Strait [5][42].
US Central Command stated it had completed strikes against IRGC air-defense sites, radar systems, maritime assets, mine-laying capabilities, and communications sites along Iran's southern coast, describing the action as a response to attempted IRGC attacks on commercial shipping and American service members [1][6][27]. President Donald Trump described the strikes as "large and powerful" and warned that any Iranian retaliation would be met with "a much harder and higher level" of attack [7][14]. Trump said he preferred the current situation — with what he called "almost total control" of the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's economy "totally collapsing" — over a negotiated deal, and proposed renaming the waterway the "Trump Strait" [2][13][19].
Iran's military and the IRGC announced retaliatory missile and drone strikes on US facilities across the region, including Camp Titin in Jordan, Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain, Al-Dhafra and Al-Minhad in the UAE, Ali Al Salem in Kuwait, and bases in Erbil [2][5][17][21]. The IRGC claimed its attacks destroyed US drones, killed pilots, and set fire to technical infrastructure at Prince Hassan airbase in Jordan [33]. Iranian military spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaghari warned that "any country that cooperates with the aggressive American army will face more severe, more widespread and destructive responses" [8][17]. Two US officials told Reuters that initial information indicated no American casualties in the Jordan attack [20].
Jordan's armed forces reported intercepting 10 of 13 Iranian ballistic missiles that entered its airspace, with the remaining three falling in remote areas without casualties [1][2][27]. Kuwait's fire brigade extinguished a blaze in a residential complex struck by a drone in Kuwait City, reporting no casualties [1][5]. Bahrain's Interior Ministry issued two security alerts within an hour, urging citizens to seek shelter [17][49]. The UAE Ministry of Defence denied that Al Minhad Air Base had been targeted [37]. Qatar's foreign ministry said it considered Iran "fully responsible, from a legal point of view, for these attacks and their repercussions" [1].
Iranian officials, the Red Crescent, and provincial authorities reported that a US strike hit a wedding celebration in Kuhestak, near Sirik, killing at least four people including a child and wounding dozens; casualty figures varied across sources, with some reporting five killed and up to 68 wounded [5][6][29]. Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei called the strike a "war crime" and said Iran would "respond to these savage crimes with firmness" [2][13]. The Iranian Red Crescent wrote to the International Criminal Court requesting an independent investigation [11][38]. BBC Verify established that the wedding house lay approximately 112 metres from a telecommunications tower destroyed in the attack [5][41]. CENTCOM spokesman Captain Tim Hawkins said the US military "never targets civilians, unlike the IRGC" and that CENTCOM was aware of reports originating from Iranian state media [5][29][32]. An independent weapons analyst identified shrapnel at the site as portions of a Boeing Slam-Er GPS-guided missile [29].
Peru's foreign ministry announced the severance of diplomatic relations with Iran, citing decades of democratic deterioration and the disruption of international trade through the Strait of Hormuz [45]. Asian labor-exporting and shipping nations reported vessels stranded in the conflict zone: Vietnam's maritime administration said eight Vietnamese ships and 160 sailors remained stuck in the Middle East [46], and Thailand's Royal Navy spokesman advised Thai vessels to avoid the Strait or exercise maximum caution [47]. Maritime data services and Iranian officials pointed to oil spills near Qeshm and the Omani coast resulting from tanker attacks [48].
UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned all attacks against civilians and reminded parties of their obligations under international humanitarian law, including the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precautions [23]. Qatar's foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari said diplomatic efforts with Oman and Pakistan were ongoing but had not yet produced a tangible result [6]. Pakistan's foreign ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi said Islamabad remained engaged with both sides and was optimistic they would "return to the table for dialogue" [13][27]. Chinese President Xi Jinping said China was ready to work with Middle Eastern countries to safeguard international maritime routes [21]. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran would "immediately reciprocate" if the US returned to its commitments under the collapsed June ceasefire memorandum [4][14][18].
Israeli officials stated they had no plans to enter the conflict but would respond with force if attacked directly by Iran. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said "if we are attacked by Iran, we will certainly respond with force, but I am not sure that Iran will commit this error" [21]. Defence Minister Israel Katz said Israel's combat jets were ready to take off [13][21].
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced new bank sanctions on Iran, stating the US intended to "economically asphyxiate this regime" [7][27]. Oil prices rose, with Brent crude at $95.52 per barrel and WTI at $91.20 [34]. Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz fell by half [43], and South Korean shipping industry reports noted increases in VLCC daily freight rates [44]. Iraq offered heavy crude discounts to keep exports flowing after receiving Iranian permission for its tankers to transit the Strait [13]. An investigative report alleged that Russia had secretly helped Iran develop supersonic ramjet cruise missiles under a program code-named C-430L, with former CIA analyst Jim Lamson saying the technology could threaten US naval ships [20][30]. Russian President Vladimir Putin told Pezeshkian that Moscow was trying to provide Iran with the aid it needed during the conflict [7][30].
Ordinary Iranians described the impact of the bombing campaign. Mahmoud, a 38-year-old municipal worker in Sirik County, said "Last night was like the end of the world" [32]. Mahpari, a 28-year-old Bandar Abbas resident, said "It's very difficult to live like this. We don't know when America will strike" [32]. Hossein Moazami, a 50-year-old worker, said he hoped "everyone returns to the negotiating table, because the only ones who suffer the consequences are the Iranians" [31]. Maritime security analyst Alexandru Hudisteanu said the exchange was unlikely to be a one-off because "the US is trying to show that Iran does not have monolithic control over the Strait of Hormuz" [2].