US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that attacks on dozens of targets in Iran continued for a second day. The statement said that many points were struck with precision munitions to reduce Iran's ability to attack international maritime traffic passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards announced that, in response to these attacks, they retaliated against US military bases and targets in Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait. The Kuwaiti army reported intercepting hostile air targets, while the Jordanian army destroyed four Iranian missiles. In Bahrain, air raid sirens sounded.
Shock in energy markets
The clashes in the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's announcement that it had closed the strait led to a sharp rise in oil prices. With the opening of futures trading in Asia, US crude oil WTI rose above $74 per barrel, increasing by 4.5 percent.
Diplomatic reactions and casualties
Pakistan's Foreign Ministry expressed deep concern over the escalating tension in the region. Iran's Foreign Ministry stated that the US attacks brought back insecurity to the Strait of Hormuz and undermined regional peace efforts.
Iranian state media reported that at least two people were killed in the US attacks in southern and western Iran. One person died and four were injured in an attack on a water pumping station in the city of Mahshahr. A telecommunications worker also lost his life on Farur Island in the Persian Gulf, and two others were injured.
Surprise attack on Oman
Iran's Revolutionary Guards also attacked Oman, a country rarely targeted. The attack occurred hours after Oman hosted the Iranian foreign minister for Strait of Hormuz talks. The Omani government summoned the Iranian ambassador and handed a formal protest note.
On Sunday, a Cyprus-flagged container ship caught fire after being attacked in the Strait of Hormuz. Oman announced that it rescued 23 crew members from the vessel, while India reported that one sailor went missing.
Tough statements from leaders
Iran's religious leader Mojtaba Khamenei said they would avenge his father, killed on the first day of the war, and that they had prepared a list of targets. US President Donald Trump, in a statement on Saturday, said that any assassination attempt against him would lead to the US 'totally destroying' Iran.
