Fresh US strikes have been reported on Iran’s Qeshm Island, with Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency confirming that at least two explosions were heard during the latest round of military action. 

Emergency, security, and operational teams were immediately deployed to identify the locations hit and assess casualties or damage.

The bombardment formed part of a broader American campaign launched on Saturday, following the deaths of two US service members in Jordan. The fatalities have sharply escalated regional hostilities, with Tehran expanding its offensive across the Gulf and vowing further retaliation.

The US Central Command stated that the two personnel were killed while defending against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks. Another service member remains missing in action. With these losses, the verified American military death toll has risen to 16 since the outbreak of the conflict on 28 February.

CENTCOM confirmed that the latest strikes marked the eighth consecutive night of military operations. In a statement on X, it said the attacks were designed to degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and to punish Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces responsible for the Jordan assault.

Iranian outlets Fars and Tasnim reported that US forces also targeted Sirik, a southern Iranian port city on the Strait of Hormuz. The waterway remains a critical chokepoint for global energy exports, and both sides have sought to leverage control of it in their confrontation.

President Donald Trump defended the campaign in a telephonic interview with The New York Post. He described the deaths of the service members as “a shame” but insisted the mission was vital to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons. He added that the troops had made the ultimate sacrifice to stop Iran’s ambitions, warning that unchecked escalation could engulf the wider region.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei responded by declaring that the persistent assaults had once again demonstrated the worthlessness of the American president’s signature. He accused Washington of inciting war and warned that the Iranian nation and its allies had unforgettable lessons in store for the United States.

Major General Mohsen Rezaei, a senior adviser to Khamenei, cautioned that Tehran would initiate full-scale offensive operations if American bombardments continued. He stressed that Iran would no longer restrict itself to retaliatory, like-for-like responses.

Iran has already carried out retaliatory strikes against Gulf infrastructure, claiming to have targeted an airport, a railway station, and bridges. In Kuwait, authorities confirmed that an oil facility, a power station, and a desalination plant were struck, prompting condemnation for attacks on civilian sites. Anxiety among residents has grown as the conflict drags on.

In Bahrain, the military announced that its air defence systems repelled a wave of Iranian strikes. However, Iranian state media claimed success in hitting a US-utilised air base.

Meanwhile, Iranian television reported that fuel storage tanks at the Al-Azraq US base in Jordan had been hit. The Revolutionary Guards earlier claimed to have struck American aircraft stationed there with missiles and drones. The Jordanian military said it intercepted ten missiles on Saturday, following the downing of three the previous day.

The escalation follows Iranian operations against maritime vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran shut down the strait at the start of hostilities, using its control as leverage in talks with Washington. The US has since reinstated its blockade of Iranian ports, intensifying the confrontation.

Iran’s health ministry reported that fifty people have been killed and more than five hundred injured since the resumption of hostilities. The figures underscore the mounting human cost of the conflict as both sides continue to trade strikes across the Gulf region.

ANI