U.S. launches new strikes and Trump threatens ‘massive attack’ as Iran widens war - NBC News

What the report says

NBC News reported that the United States carried out another overnight round of strikes on Iran, with U.S. Central Command saying it had completed a 13th consecutive night of attacks by 9 p.m. ET Thursday. CENTCOM said the targets included Iranian military command sites, drone storage, communications networks, coastal surveillance locations and maritime capabilities tied to threats against shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

President Donald Trump signaled the possibility of a sharper escalation, telling Axios he was considering a “massive attack” on Iran, while also telling reporters at the White House that negotiations were taking place. The strikes followed Iranian pressure on regional shipping and attacks involving U.S. bases and allies. Iran’s state-run IRNA said four people were killed and five injured near Ahvaz, while Iran’s Revolutionary Guard claimed strikes on U.S.-linked facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain; explosions were also reported near a base hosting U.S. forces in northern Iraq.

The conflict has expanded beyond the Strait of Hormuz to the Bab el Mandeb route after Houthi rebels in Yemen, backed by Tehran, attacked two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea. Trump said the U.S. would hold Iran responsible for further Houthi actions and threatened to use Iranian assets held by Washington to cover shipping-related losses, drawing criticism from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

NBC said the widening confrontation has disrupted maritime traffic and rattled energy markets, with Brent crude briefly rising above $100 a barrel Thursday before easing. Senior Arab officials told NBC they were frustrated by daily escalations and limited diplomatic progress, underscoring the risk that the conflict could further destabilize key global trade routes.