Iran launched fresh retaliatory strikes against US Gulf allies on Saturday, 18 July, hours after the US Central Command (CENTCOM) completed its seventh consecutive night of strikes on Iranian territory. The exchange marks a sharp escalation in an already volatile confrontation, with both sides now targeting military infrastructure across the wider Middle East.

CENTCOM's Seventh Night of Strikes

In a post on social media platform X, CENTCOM confirmed that US forces had struck surveillance sites, military logistics infrastructure, underground weapons storage facilities, and maritime capabilities inside Iran overnight into Saturday. 'More than 50,000 American service members are operating across the Middle East and remain vigilant, lethal, and ready,' the statement read.

According to Iran's state media, three people were killed and eight others injured in the latest US strikes. Explosions were reported in Bushehr province, Sirik and Qeshm counties in Hormozgan province, and five blasts were heard in Iran's central Yazd province, according to the official IRNA news agency.

Iran Strikes US Positions in Kuwait and Bahrain

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it targeted the US naval fuel support pier at Al Ahmadi Port in Kuwait and the US combat aircraft site at Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain. The strikes drew swift defensive responses from regional states: Jordan's air defence systems downed Iranian missiles, Bahrain intercepted several Iranian aerial attacks, and Kuwait reported a fire at a power and water desalination plant following the Iranian strike, according to local media reports.

Iran's Warning to Countries Hosting US Forces

The IRGC warned that countries hosting US military forces should expect 'corresponding responses' if their territory is used for attacks on Iran, according to Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency. The statement effectively extends Tehran's threat perimeter beyond US assets to the sovereign territory of American allies across the region.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei wrote on X late on Friday that the Iranian people 'are now more determined and united than ever' and are fully resolved to make their enemies 'bitterly regret this criminal aggression.'

Senior Iranian Adviser Warns of Offensive Phase

Mohsen Rezaei, military adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, warned in an interview with state-run IRIB TV on Friday that if US strikes continue for another two to three days, Iran will enter an 'offensive and destructive' phase. He said the policy of 'both war and negotiation' has ended, and that Iran's armed forces will no longer limit themselves to retaliatory strikes — warning that US bases and forces will no longer be safe 'within any political borders.'

Rezaei said Iran had so far exercised restraint to prevent the conflict from expanding into a broader regional and international crisis, accusing the United States of miscalculating by turning the confrontation into a regional war. He warned that Iran could deploy additional military capabilities, including ground forces, and that the war's scope would expand if US attacks continue.

What Comes Next

With both sides now striking military infrastructure across multiple countries and senior Iranian officials explicitly threatening a shift to offensive operations, the conflict has moved well beyond bilateral strikes. The involvement of Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan — all US allies — signals that the regional containment strategy is under severe strain. Diplomatic channels appear effectively frozen, with Rezaei's remarks suggesting Tehran sees no near-term off-ramp.