Iran War LIVE: Explosions in Qeshm Island as Tehran, US escalate conflict; Gulf cities on alert

Tensions in the Middle East have escalated sharply after Iran and the United States exchanged fresh military strikes across the region. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed it launched drone attacks targeting the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain and a military airbase in Jordan that hosts American troops, describing the operation as retaliation for earlier US strikes on southern Iran. The developments have triggered security alerts across the Gulf. Jordan said its air defence systems intercepted five missiles launched from Iran, while Kuwait reported that it was intercepting “hostile aerial targets”. Air raid sirens were also activated in Bahrain amid growing fears of a wider regional conflict.