US Strikes Iran for 13th Night as Bahrain Sounds Sirens Over Incoming Fire

What's happening

The US and Iran are now 13 nights into an escalating exchange of strikes centered on control of the Strait of Hormuz — the narrow waterway that carries about a fifth of the world's oil and gas in peacetime. Early Friday, Bahrain activated emergency sirens, warning residents to shelter after detecting incoming fire, just hours after US Central Command confirmed it had wrapped up another night of strikes against Iranian targets.

According to Iranian state media, the latest US bombardment killed four people and injured nine more. Strikes reportedly hit a Revolutionary Guard naval base in northern Iran, along with sites on Qeshm Island — where Iran stores naval assets including drone boats used to threaten shipping — and in Isfahan province.

Why the Strait of Hormuz matters so much

This whole conflict keeps circling back to one chokepoint: the Strait of Hormuz. US Central Command says its strikes are aimed at degrading Iran's ability to threaten commercial vessels and civilian mariners moving through the strait, as Washington tries to reassert control over the waterway. Whoever controls that passage effectively controls a massive share of global energy flow — which is exactly why oil prices have surged past $100 a barrel.

Adding to the pressure, Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels said they targeted two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea the day before the latest US strikes. That move threatens to pull yet another waterway — and yet another set of countries — into the widening conflict.

The diplomacy happening in the background

Not everyone is picking a side militarily. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, whose country maintains close ties with both Washington and Tehran, traveled to Tehran on Thursday specifically to push for peace and dialogue. His office said he promised Iraqi territory would not be used as a launchpad for attacks on Iran — a notable pledge given al-Zaidi met with President Trump in Washington earlier this month. It's a reminder that even as the strikes continue, regional leaders are actively trying to keep the conflict from spreading further.

What to watch next

With Bahrain sounding sirens, Gulf states bracing for spillover, and oil prices climbing, the next few days will likely hinge on whether shipping through Hormuz and the Red Sea stays disrupted — and whether diplomatic efforts like Iraq's can slow the pace of strikes before more countries get pulled in.