The United States has confirmed it is carrying out its twelfth consecutive night of strikes on Iran, escalating a conflict centred on the Strait of Hormuz.

The strikes have targeted Iranian military infrastructure and civilian facilities, while Iran has retaliated with missile and drone attacks on neighbouring states. Oil prices have surged above $93 a barrel, fuelling global economic anxiety.

The US military announced on Wednesday that it was conducting its twelfth night of strikes against Iran. The operations were described as part of a campaign to degrade Iran’s ability to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting regional waters.

US Central Command emphasised that the attacks were designed to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, which remains largely closed due to Iranian actions.

President Donald Trump issued a stark warning earlier in the day, declaring that the US would destroy one bridge or power plant for every Iranian attack on ships in the strait. He wrote on social media that any aggression by missile, rocket, drone, or other weapon would trigger such retaliation. This new doctrine underscores Washington’s intent to impose costs on Iran’s infrastructure.

Iran’s foreign minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, responded by pledging an “eye for an eye” defence doctrine. He warned that any attack on Iranian infrastructure would compel a decisive response. Iran has already targeted energy facilities and desalination plants in Gulf countries, raising humanitarian concerns. International law generally prohibits attacks on civilian infrastructure unless it is used for military purposes, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned such strikes as unacceptable.

The twelfth night of strikes followed an eleventh round that hit aircraft hangars and drone storage sites. Iran’s state-run IRNA reported explosions across several provinces, with the Health Ministry stating that 53 people had been killed and nearly 600 wounded over the past eleven days. Among the dead were six women and three children. The Revolutionary Guard vowed that retaliatory attacks would continue.

Iran launched missiles at Jordan’s Aqaba, close to Israel’s Eilat, raising fears of a widening conflict. Jordan’s military intercepted four missiles and four drones, while two missiles landed in uninhabited areas.

Alerts also sounded in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, with residents in Dammam urged to seek shelter. Saudi authorities later said the danger had passed.

Trump travelled to Dover Air Force Base for the arrival of the remains of four US service members killed in recent fighting. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told Congress that the war had already cost $37.5 billion.

The Pentagon confirmed that US forces had defended against Iranian drones and missiles in multiple locations, while partner nations such as Jordan and Kuwait intercepted incoming threats.

Benchmark Brent crude rose to more than $93 a barrel, up sharply from less than $72 before the war. Gasoline prices are also climbing, adding pressure ahead of US midterm elections. Iran insists it has the right to manage traffic in the strait and potentially charge fees, though Washington rejects this as a violation of international law.

Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, dismissed Trump’s threats, saying no infrastructure would be safe if Iran’s security was not ensured. He reiterated that the strait would not return to pre-war conditions while US forces remained present. Diplomacy remains stalled, though Iran’s interior minister visited Pakistan to seek mediation. Gulf states, Turkey, and Pakistan continue to push for de-escalation, but regional diplomats admit prospects are bleak.

At a summit in the Philippines, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that allowing Iran to control an international waterway and impose tolls would set a dangerous precedent. He said the US remained open to negotiations but doubted Iran’s seriousness.

Meanwhile, Trump signalled that US forces could soon target Pickaxe Mountain, a nuclear site near Natanz, which has been under construction since the 2025 war with Israel. Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful, though it has resumed enrichment to near weapons-grade levels.

The twelfth night of strikes marks a dangerous escalation in a war that has already destabilised global energy markets and threatens to widen across the Middle East.

AP