The United States launched a 13th consecutive night of air strikes across Iran on Friday, prompting Tehran to retaliate with drone attacks targeting American military bases in Bahrain and Jordan, as the conflict expanded across multiple fronts in the Middle East.
Iranian state media reported explosions in Khorramabad, Jask, Ahvaz and Bandar Abbas, while air defence systems were activated in parts of Tehran following the latest wave of U.S. attacks. The strikes marked a further expansion of Washington's military campaign, with operations extending beyond southern Iran into central and western provinces.
The Iranian military said it launched drones against the Sheikh Isa Airbase in Bahrain and the Al-Azraq Airbase in Jordan, targeting fuel storage facilities, aircraft shelters, maintenance hangars, equipment warehouses and accommodation areas used by U.S. forces. The operation, it said, was carried out in response to the overnight American strikes.
Sirens were activated in Bahrain shortly after Iran announced the drone operation.
Iranian media reported that a U.S. missile strike near Ahvaz killed four people and injured five others, while separate attacks on Khorramabad and the strategic port city of Bandar Abbas left two people injured at each location.
The latest U.S. operations also broadened geographically, with strikes reported across Sistan-Baluchestan, Khuzestan, Markazi, Yazd, Isfahan, Lorestan and Fars provinces, signalling a shift from earlier operations concentrated largely in southern Iran.
Explosions were also reported on Qeshm Island and around Jask, a strategically important city overlooking the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's busiest oil shipping routes.
Despite the continuing military exchanges, Iran said diplomatic channels had not been completely closed.
A senior Iranian diplomatic official said indirect messages were still being exchanged through mediators, although he argued that prospects for negotiations had been weakened by continued U.S. military operations. The official accused Washington of targeting critical infrastructure and maintained that Tehran continued to keep all options open.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also condemned the latest attacks, describing them as "mindless aggression" and warning that continued military action would impose a "heavier price" on U.S. President Donald Trump rather than move the conflict closer to a negotiated settlement.
Elsewhere in the region, violence continued in the occupied West Bank, where four Palestinians and one Israeli settler were reported killed in a shootout near the illegal settlement of Havat Gilad, highlighting the broader regional instability accompanying the conflict.
The latest military exchanges underscore the continued escalation between Washington and Tehran, with both sides widening the scope of operations even as diplomatic contacts remain active through intermediaries.