An early-morning airstrike in Tehran on Wednesday appears to have struck inside the sprawling compound that once housed the U.S. embassy and has been controlled by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for decades. Witnesses reported blown-out windows on Taleghani Street around the site, which contains an anti-American museum and Basij volunteer facilities. The embassy grounds have been under Revolutionary Guard control since the 1979–81 hostage crisis.
Iranian state media reported blasts across Tehran after the Israeli military said it conducted “wide-scale” strikes on infrastructure sites linked to Iran’s security apparatus. Tehran’s foreign minister accused Israel of hitting a pharmaceutical research facility; Israel said it struck missile-research and weapons-production targets. Both sides have traded allegations about the use of cluster munitions.
Israel said Iranian missile launches set off air-raid sirens across central Israel and caused damage at several locations, with emergency services reporting at least 13 wounded, including an 11-year-old girl in serious condition. Police released photos of missile debris. Yemen’s Houthi movement claimed a third missile attack on Israel and said the operation was coordinated with Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, though no damage from that claimed attack was reported.
The confrontation has broadened across the Gulf. Kuwait’s international airport suffered a drone strike that ignited fuel-tank blazes; Bahrain reported a fire at a business facility after what it described as Iranian aggression; Saudi forces reported intercepting and destroying multiple drones. A tanker was hit about 17 nautical miles north of Ras Laffan, Qatar, leaving one projectile unexploded in its engine room but with the crew reported safe. Earlier strikes also sparked fires on a Kuwaiti oil tanker at Dubai Port.
The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations office said a vessel off Qatar was struck by projectiles, triggering a fire that was extinguished and leaving an unexploded device aboard. Gulf states have taken the brunt of Iran’s retaliatory strikes for U.S. and Israeli operations, and Tehran has threatened additional attacks on regional infrastructure, including energy facilities.
President Donald Trump told reporters he expects U.S. operations against Iran to conclude in “two weeks, maybe three,” saying the U.S. and Iran were exchanging messages and that a formal deal would not be required to end the fighting. He suggested that, after U.S. involvement ends, regional states “will be able to fend for themselves” over the Strait of Hormuz and said reopening the strait is not Washington’s responsibility. In public statements he has also warned of further targeting of Iranian power and desalination plants and said the country has been “decimated.”
Disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has raised fuel costs worldwide. Average gasoline prices at U.S. pumps topped $4 a gallon for the first time since August 2022. Oil markets were mixed: Brent crude for May rose above $118 a barrel while some contracts for later delivery traded lower as shipping remained largely stalled.
Markets reacted to signs of possible de-escalation: Wall Street posted strong gains, with major indices logging some of their best days in months on investor hopes the conflict could be nearing an end.
Beyond oil, the conflict has interrupted other critical supplies. Attacks on Qatar’s liquefied natural gas facilities have halted helium production — Qatar provides roughly a third of the world’s helium — threatening supplies used in semiconductor manufacturing, medical equipment and other industries. Analysts warn that repairing damaged LNG infrastructure could take years, compounding broader supply pressures.
International responses have been uneven. Spain barred U.S. military aircraft from using its airspace for Iran-related operations, and reports said Italy limited access to a U.S. base in Sicily. France faced criticism for imposing constraints on U.S. aircraft operations. Several NATO members have signaled distance from the campaign, prompting U.S. lawmakers to call for a reappraisal of alliances and burden-sharing.
Gulf partners have privately urged the United States to continue pressuring Tehran. Britain announced additional troops and air-defenses deploying to the region, with more systems moving to Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain and extended air patrol rotations in Qatar. The United Arab Emirates barred Iranians from entering or transiting the country, with exceptions for long-term visa holders. Australia prepared a national address on the crisis and rolled out temporary fuel-tax relief and other measures to ease rising fuel costs.
U.S. officials say the coming days will be decisive. Pentagon and military spokespeople described an increase in American firepower and assessed that Iranian military capacity has been degraded, while lawmakers and defense committees prepare hearings and briefings.
Tehran announced arrests of 54 people it accused of working with U.S. and Israeli intelligence, alleging they provided sensitive information and mischaracterized civilian sites as military targets. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned it would target 18 U.S. tech and financial firms operating in the region and advised employees and nearby residents to leave, calling those companies part of a network that enables strikes on Iran.
Security incidents continue across the region. Authorities reported the kidnapping of an American journalist in Baghdad and said one suspect was arrested and a vehicle seized; other journalists have also been reported abducted in Iraq. The U.S. State Department warned Americans in Saudi Arabia to avoid venues where U.S. citizens gather after reports of threats.
Strikes and counterstrikes have taken key infrastructure offline. A desalination plant on Iran’s Qeshm island was knocked out, jeopardizing drinking water for the island’s residents and highlighting the vulnerability of Gulf states reliant on desalination. Isfahan — associated with nuclear facilities and enriched-uranium storage — was struck in an attack that produced a massive fireball; U.S. forces previously hit sites in Isfahan in mid-2025.
Fighting on Israel’s northern front with Lebanon continues. Israeli officials said forces would remain in southern Lebanon after the conflict and planned a security zone along the border, including demolition of some homes. Violence in southern Lebanon has killed Israeli soldiers and U.N. peacekeepers, with the U.N. reporting multiple peacekeeper fatalities after explosions destroyed vehicles.
Maritime attacks and threats persist, with several tankers and commercial vessels struck or damaged in recent weeks. Authorities say no large-scale environmental disaster has been confirmed from the most recent incidents, but investigations and response operations are ongoing.
Diplomatic messaging continues alongside the fighting. Iran’s foreign minister described exchanges with the U.S. as “messages” delivered directly or via regional intermediaries rather than formal negotiations. U.S. officials have signaled a willingness to end military operations without securing permanent control of the Strait of Hormuz if doing so helps shorten the conflict.
The human and economic toll is mounting: rising fuel and commodity prices, disruptions to critical-material supplies, damage to civilian infrastructure, expanded troop deployments and growing humanitarian needs across affected areas. As the war enters its second month, leaders in multiple countries are preparing public addresses and policy adjustments while governments and companies weigh the long-term implications for energy, trade and regional security.