Crisis deepens as Iran shuts Hormuz, US strikes continue

The situation in the Middle East remains tense after the United States and Iran exchanged airstrikes for another day, with Tehran announcing the complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a ceasefire on Thursday and demanded "no more excuses".

"The Middle East is being pulled deeper into crisis, and the consequences reach far beyond the region. This week has brought wider attacks and further deterioration where the ceasefire is more like a lesser fire," Guterres said.

"We should not minimize the risks of lesser fire becoming full fire. All parties must work toward a diplomatic settlement. No more attacks. No more excuses," he said.

The restrictions on navigational rights and freedoms in and around the Strait of Hormuz are causing hardship and instability across the world, he added.

"Even in the best-case scenario, these shocks will be felt for many months, with developing countries bearing the heaviest impacts," Guterres said. "The world needs a complete ceasefire, with navigational rights and freedoms restored, in line with international law."

The Iranian Army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps pounded several US bases and facilities across the region, Tasnim News Agency reported on Thursday.

The attacks destroyed 18 targets belonging to the US military in the Ali al-Salem and Ahmad al-Jaber air bases in Kuwait, as well as the Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain, the IRGC said.

In addition, the communications antennas and radar installations of the US Fifth Fleet's Patriot missile system were targeted during a drone attack in Bahrain, Mehr News Agency reported.

Bahrain and Kuwait's air defense forces intercepted missiles and drones, with Kuwait announcing a temporary closure of its airspace after Iranian attacks.

Bahrain's Interior Ministry said that as a result of the "Iranian aggression", an 11-year-old girl sustained minor injuries and was treated at the scene.

Vehicles caught fire and houses were damaged in Hamad Town and Manama "due to falling debris from drones interception", the ministry said.

Qatar's Foreign Ministry condemned Iran's strikes against Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait as a "blatant violation of the sovereignty of these countries".

Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, condemned on Thursday "the repeated treacherous Iranian attacks" on Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait, and affirmed support for all measures taken by the affected Arab countries "to enhance their security, preserve their sovereignty and territorial integrity".

Complete closure

Meanwhile, Iran has announced the complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz to all shipping, including oil tankers and commercial vessels, citing insecurity caused by US strikes on southern Iran, Mehr reported.

The US Central Command said its forces launched strikes on "Iranian military surveillance capabilities, communication systems, and air defense sites across Iran".

US Marine Corps, Air Force and Navy assets fired on Iranian targets that posed a threat to US forces and international commercial ships transiting regional waters, it said.

The strikes "are in response to Iran's unwarranted and continued aggression", and US forces "remain vigilant, lethal, and ready", it added.

US President Donald Trump said Iran "has taken too long to negotiate a deal that would have been great for them", and now "they will have to pay the price".

"Iran is all talk and no action," he said in a social media post.

Iran has insisted that any deal to end the war must include a truce in Lebanon, where Israeli airstrikes killed 12 people on Wednesday.

Lebanon's National News Agency reported Israeli strikes on more than 30 locations in southern and eastern Lebanon on Wednesday.

It also reported an Israeli drone strike on a vehicle in Sidon, a coastal city far from the border that has been relatively spared major Israeli attacks and which hosts many displaced people.

Lebanon's Health Ministry reported nine dead, including a woman, in the Israeli attack on Tayr Debba and three people killed in Sidon.

AFP contributed to this story.