Explosions break out near US base in northern Iraq
A series of explosions struck near a military base hosting US forces in northern Iraq on Friday, hours after the US military said it had concluded its 13th consecutive night of strikes against Iran.
An Associated Press journalist in Irbil, the capital of Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, heard at least seven explosions at around 9:30am local time and saw at least four plumes of black smoke rising from areas near or inside the military base.
The latest developments came as the United States and Iran continued exchanging strikes in a conflict that began over control of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian state media reported that four people were killed and nine others injured in the latest US attacks.
US Central Command said the overnight operation was intended to "further degrade Iran's ability to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting regional waters" as Washington seeks to restore freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, a route that carries around one-fifth of the world's oil and gas shipments during peacetime.
The military said the operation concluded shortly before 5am local time on Friday.
Later in the morning, Bahrain activated air raid sirens twice, warning residents to seek shelter after detecting incoming projectiles. Gulf states have come under repeated attacks over the past week as the conflict has intensified.
On Thursday, Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels said they had targeted two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, raising concerns that the conflict could spread further. International oil prices climbed above $100 a barrel following the attacks.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, whose country maintains close ties with both Washington and Tehran, visited the Iranian capital on Thursday to urge restraint and dialogue. According to his office, he pledged that Iraqi territory would not be used to launch attacks against Iran. Al-Zaidi also met US President Donald Trump in Washington earlier this month.
US strikes multiple locations across Iran
US strikes targeted a Revolutionary Guard naval base in northern Iran, according to the semi-official Iranian news agencies Fars and ISNA.
Overnight explosions were also reported on Qeshm Island, which hosts Iranian naval assets, including drone boats capable of attacking vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
Additional strikes were reported in Isfahan province, home to a major Iranian air base and one of the country's nuclear facilities, as well as in the south-western province of Khuzestan and the southern province of Fars.
Iranian state media said four people were killed and five others injured in a missile strike on the outskirts of Ahvaz, on the Karun River.
Two people were reportedly injured in Lorestan province, while two more were hurt in explosions in the strategic port city of Bandar Abbas, a key hub for military logistics and commercial trade.
Houthis threaten another vital shipping route
Meanwhile, the Houthis threatened to disrupt another crucial global trade route as markets continued to react to Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait, located at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and is one of the world's most important maritime chokepoints.
Around 12% of global trade, including roughly a quarter of the world's container traffic, passes through the waterway on routes connecting Europe and Asia via Egypt's Suez Canal.
According to maritime data and analytics firm Lloyd's List Intelligence, Houthi attacks could disrupt oil exports from Saudi Arabia's Yanbu port on the Red Sea, creating a "double whammy" alongside the disruption in the Strait of Hormuz.
Saudi Arabia has already diverted millions of barrels of daily oil exports to Yanbu through an overland pipeline as the conflict has restricted shipping through the Persian Gulf.
President Donald Trump warned the Houthis of "major military punishment" if attacks on commercial shipping continue.
As tensions escalated, so did market volatility.
Brent crude, the international oil benchmark, rose more than 6% to around $100 a barrel — its highest level since May, before a preliminary peace agreement between the two sides collapsed.
Dispute over Strait of Hormuz deepens
Iran maintains that it has the sovereign right to regulate traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and, if necessary, levy transit fees. Before the conflict, commercial vessels used the waterway free of charge.
Iran has also targeted ships using a US-supervised transit corridor designed to operate outside Tehran's control.
On Thursday, Trump said on social media that frozen Iranian assets under US control would be used to compensate for damage to ships affected by the conflict.
"Please let this statement serve to represent, until further notice, that from this point forth, any and all damages done to Ships, Cargo, or anything related thereto, will be paid for by Iranian Money that the United States has in its possession, and controls," he wrote.
Trump did not explain the legal basis for using the funds but described the proposal as "the fair and equitable thing to do".
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi rejected the suggestion, writing on X that, "Once governments normalise confiscation, no one's assets are safe. Ensuing chaos will not be pretty or peaceful."