The United States and Iran escalated their military confrontation into a 12th consecutive night on Thursday, with Iran's Revolutionary Guard claiming attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and on US assets in Kuwait and Jordan. Meanwhile, Yemen's Houthi movement struck two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, expanding the conflict's reach to critical maritime chokepoints. Main Developments US Central Command said it concluded its latest round of strikes against Iran at 02:30 GMT on Thursday, targeting maritime capabilities, missile and drone storage facilities, coastal surveillance sites and air defence assets. The command did not specify which areas in Iran were struck. A local official told Iran's Mehr news agency that US missiles hit the area around a passenger terminal in Shalamcheh, a western city near the Iraqi border. The deputy governor of Khuzestan province told state broadcaster IRIB that two people were killed in the attack, while local media reported 11 injured. Read also: Why 3,200 Israeli Settlers Storming Al-Aqsa Could Reshape Jerusalem Al Jazeera's Tohid Assidi reported from Tehran that overnight strikes targeted at least three cities in southwestern Khuzestan province. In Ramshir, an asphalt facility was hit, while explosions were heard in Sirik, Hormozgan province, which overlooks the Strait of Hormuz. The governor of Bushehr confirmed an attack on a power substation near the city's nuclear power plant, causing a few hours of power outage. Explosions were also reported in Jask, and a US missile struck a location on the outskirts of Andimeshk, according to the Tasnim news agency. Two naval search and rescue vessels were hit and seriously damaged in the US attack on Hormozgan province, the ISNA news agency reported, citing the local Ports and Maritime Administration. The IRGC claimed it had attacked and destroyed a large warehouse of military equipment, a Patriot missile defence system, and a hangar of American MQ9 drones at Kuwait's Ali Al Salem airbase. Addressing the Kuwaiti people, the IRGC insisted that the United States, not Iran, had violated Kuwait's territorial integrity and sovereignty. It described US bases as territory beyond the control of Kuwait's own border guards. Later on Thursday, the IRGC claimed attacks on US assets in Jordan, saying it destroyed a radar of the THAAD missile defence system, a Patriot system, a C-RAM radar, and set fuel tanks and helicopter facilities on fire. Background The current escalation follows 12 consecutive nights of US bombing against Iran, which began after earlier exchanges of fire between the two countries. The IRGC's latest actions signal a deliberate strategy to disrupt international shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow passage through which about 20% of the world's oil passes. The IRGC said an explosion set a tanker ablaze in the Strait of Hormuz after it attempted to navigate the southern route off the coast of Oman. It claimed two other vessels quickly turned back following the explosion, stating that all three ships were acting under US orders and had intended to pass through a mine-laid route south of the strait. Meanwhile, the Houthis claimed a major operation against two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, the Encelia and the Layla. Saudi Arabia's SPA news agency confirmed the Encelia was hit. The Houthis said they targeted the tankers with cruise and ballistic missiles as well as drones, causing huge balls of fire and devastation. The UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre reported a ship was targeted 70 nautical miles off the Saudi coast, causing a fire on board with no mention of casualties among the crew. Why It Matters The simultaneous strikes on tankers in both the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea threaten to disrupt global oil shipping through two of the world's most critical maritime chokepoints. The IRGC has explicitly warned that the Strait of Hormuz is under its control and that no oil tanker will enter or exit as long as US actions in the region continue. The Houthis framed their attack as a "siege-for-siege" campaign against Saudi Arabia, claiming that after 12 years of Saudi-imposed siege on Yemen, it is now time for Yemen to respond in kind. Riyadh has rejected Houthi claims that it had besieged Yemen. The attacks on US assets in Kuwait and Jordan risk drawing additional nations into the conflict, as the IRGC's statements explicitly distinguish between targeting US forces and violating host country sovereignty. This legal framing could complicate diplomatic responses from Kuwait and Jordan, who may face pressure to either expel US forces or risk being seen as complicit in the conflict. What's Next The United States has not indicated whether it plans additional strikes after concluding its 12th consecutive night of bombing. The IRGC's declaration that the Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed to oil tankers without Iranian coordination sets the stage for potential confrontations with commercial shipping and nava