Middle East crisis Iran war

US Attacks Oil Tankers: “Ignored Multiple Warnings”

On Wednesday, the US attacked an empty oil tanker that was heading towards the Iranian island of Kharg in the Persian Gulf. This was stated by the US military command for the Middle East in a post on X.

“The commercial vessel ignored multiple warnings as it attempted to breach the US blockade,” the post says, adding that the ship was then disabled by firing missiles at its smokestacks.

According to CNN, the oil tanker is the first ship to be attacked by the US since the blockade against Iranian ports was re-established on Tuesday. It is unclear how seriously the ship was damaged and whether any people were injured or killed in the attack.

Bombing and Ground Troops – How Trump Could Expand the War

Using ground troops to occupy islands in the Persian Gulf – or bombing the tunnels under the Kuh-e Kolang mountain. These are two options that US President Donald Trump is considering to expand the war against Iran, according to sources in several US media.

Both proposals are said to have come up during a meeting that Trump held on Tuesday, with, among others, Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. According to the Wall Street Journal, Trump has asked for suggestions on what the US can do to force Iran to either surrender or return to the negotiating table.

Regarding Kuh-e Kolang – a tunnel system near Iran's previously damaged nuclear facility – Trump already said on Monday that the US would bomb the mountain "relatively soon", according to Reuters. However, this has not happened yet.

Continued attacks between the US and Iran – hospitals had to evacuate

During the night, explosions were heard in several places in Iran, including in the capital Tehran, according to state media, CNN reports. A hospital in Ahvaz in southwestern Iran was forced to temporarily evacuate after explosions were heard nearby.

The US command for the Middle East, Centcom, writes on X that it has struck command centers, air defense and drone resources. The wave of attacks is said to have ended on Thursday morning. The US believes that the latest attacks were carried out to prevent Iran from “threatening ships that freely pass through the Strait of Hormuz”.

At the same time, Iran states that it has carried out further attacks on American targets in Kuwait and Jordan. According to Kuwait's military, it has shot down several missiles from Iran. Air raid sirens are also said to have been heard in Bahrain during the night, Reuters reports