Iran launches new strikes as Trump claims the war could end soon
Tensions across the Middle East intensified overnight as Iran launched new missile and drone attacks across the region while US President Donald Trump suggested the ongoing war could end “very soon”.
The latest developments come amid a widening conflict involving Iran, Israel and US forces, with strikes and counterstrikes continuing across multiple countries.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards announced early Tuesday that they had launched missiles targeting a US military installation in Iraq’s Kurdistan region.
According to a statement posted on Telegram and cited by the AFP news agency, the Guards said they had fired five missiles at the Al-Harir Air Base, which they described as a headquarters for the US military presence in the area.
The attack marked another escalation in the rapidly expanding conflict that has already triggered missile strikes, drone attacks and mounting international concern.
At the same time, Iran launched additional attacks across the Gulf region.
Missile sirens sounded early Tuesday morning in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and in Bahrain, raising alarm across the region.
Several countries reported intercepting aerial threats.
Saudi Arabia announced it had destroyed two drones over its oil-rich eastern region. Kuwait’s National Guard also reported shooting down six drones.
Iran has been firing missiles and drones at Israel and at US bases in the Middle East while also targeting energy infrastructure in the region.
Those actions have contributed to sharp fluctuations in global energy markets.
Oil prices surged to a four-year high earlier in the week as fears grew that the conflict could disrupt global energy supplies, particularly if shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz were affected.
The strait is one of the world’s most critical oil transit chokepoints.
However, prices later fell back below $90 per barrel after President Trump attempted to reassure markets by suggesting the conflict could end quickly.
Speaking about the situation, Trump said the war was “very complete, pretty much”, and warned that further strikes could occur if Iran attempted to block oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.Iran, however, indicated that it would decide when the conflict ends.
Iranian officials said missile attacks would continue for as long as necessary, signalling that the confrontation may persist despite the US president’s optimism.
The conflict has also already resulted in casualties.
An Iran-aligned armed faction in Iraq announced that four of its fighters were killed in airstrikes it blamed on the United States.
The group, Kataeb Imam Ali, said the strikes targeted its position in the Debs district in Iraq’s Kirkuk province.
The organisation described the incident as “American aggression” against its forces. Beyond the battlefield, the crisis has also triggered significant economic consequences.
Financial markets around the world have reacted sharply to the escalating tensions. Investor hopes that the conflict might end quickly helped lift Australian shares on Tuesday, with the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 rising by 1.1 percent.
The rebound recovered roughly $35 billion in market value after the index suffered a dramatic $90 billion drop the previous day. Even with the recovery, uncertainty remains high. Global stock markets continue to swing in response to developments in the Middle East, where energy disruptions and rising oil prices threaten to drive up inflation by increasing costs across goods and services worldwide.
As missile attacks, military strikes and political warnings continue, the region remains on edge while the wider world watches closely for signs that the conflict may either escalate further or move toward resolution.