Iran's army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) have said they struck multiple US bases in Kuwait in response to fresh American strikes on Iranian targets following a 12th consecutive night of US bombing.The IRGC claimed attacks on Ali Al Salem air base, Camp Udairi and a telecommunications tower, while Iran's army said it hit Camp Doha, Ali Al Salem and Camp Arifjan, state television reported on July 23. Kuwait's military said it intercepted "drone threats" after several days of Iranian strikes on the Gulf Arab state. Jordan's Army said it intercepted three missiles early on July 23, with a fourth falling harmlessly in an uninhabited area.
The escalation came alongside a new front as Saudi state media said a Saudi-flagged vessel was struck in the Red Sea after Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed missile and drone strikes on two Saudi tankers, the Encelia and the Layla.The Houthis earlier this week threatened to blockade Saudi Red Sea ports and disrupt transit through the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a move that could compound the fallout from the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.US President Donald Trump had already signaled how Washington might respond to a Saudi blockade. Speaking in the Oval Office on July 22, where he was hosting Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Trump was asked directly about the Houthi threat, saying, "If something like that happens, we take care of it."He pointed to Washington's earlier air campaign against the group as a template, noting the Houthis had remained quiet "since we did what we did originally" -- an apparent reference to the extensive US strikes between March and May 2025 that hit more than 1,000 Houthi targets, including missile sites and militant leadership.In Hormuz, the IRGC said it turned back three oil tankers, warning that any vessel transiting without coordination with Tehran "will suffer the same fate." The statement directly challenged President Donald Trump, who said on July 22 the US would bomb an Iranian bridge or power plant -- including near Tehran -- every time Iran fired on a ship in the strait.Responding to Trump’s threat, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi wrote on X that Iran's doctrine was "eye for an eye."12th Night Of StrikesThe Iranian attack on US bases came after US Central Command (CENTCOM) said its strikes overnight targeted Iranian maritime capabilities, missile and drone storage, coastal surveillance sites and air defenses, aiming to further degrade Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping.The command said it has redirected nine commercial vessels and disabled another since resuming its blockade of Iranian ports.
