Explosions Reported Near US Base In Northern Iraq As Iran Conflict Escalates

Explosions were reported near a military base hosting United States forces in northern Iraq on Friday, hours after the U.S. military announced it had concluded its 13th consecutive night of strikes against Iran, adding another flashpoint to a conflict that continues to spread across the region.

The latest developments came as Washington and Tehran pressed ahead with military operations linked to control of the Strait of Hormuz, while Gulf states remained on alert, attacks expanded to other strategic waterways and oil prices climbed amid growing concerns over global shipping and energy supplies.

According to AP, a series of explosions occurred near the military base in Irbil, the capital of Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region. An Associated Press journalist heard at least seven blasts at around 9:30 a.m. local time and saw at least four plumes of black smoke rising from areas near or inside the base shortly afterwards.

The United States and Iran have exchanged escalating strikes since fighting began over control of the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Iranian state media reported that four people were killed and nine others were injured in the latest U.S. bombardment.

U.S. Central Command said the latest barrage was intended to “further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting regional waters” as the Americans pushed to regain control of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil and gas transited in peacetime. It added that the strikes ended shortly before 5 a.m. local time on Friday.

Later that morning, Bahrain activated its sirens twice, warning residents to take shelter after incoming fire was detected. AP reported that Gulf states have also come under frequent fire over the past week.

The previous day, Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels said they had targeted two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, potentially widening the Iran war as international oil prices rose above $100 a barrel.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, whose government maintains close ties with both the United States and Iran, travelled to Tehran on Thursday to call for peace and dialogue. His office said he pledged not to allow Iraqi territory to be used for attacks on Iran. Al-Zaidi had met U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington earlier this month.

AP reported that U.S. strikes also hit a Revolutionary Guard naval base in northern Iran, according to the Iranian semi-official news agencies Fars and ISNA. Explosions were also reported overnight on Iran's Qeshm Island, where the country stores naval assets, including drone boats capable of attacking vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

Further strikes were reported in Isfahan province, home to a major Iranian air base and one of the country's nuclear sites. Additional attacks reportedly struck Khuzestan province in the southwest and Fars province in southern Iran.

Iranian state media said a U.S. missile strike on the outskirts of Ahvaz, on the Karun River, killed four people and wounded five others. Two people were injured in Lorestan province in western Iran, while two more were injured by explosions in the port city of Bandar Abbas, a critical hub for military supplies as well as commercial trade cargo.

Meanwhile, the Houthis threatened to shut down another key trade route with the world economy already reeling from Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

The Bab el-Mandeb Strait, at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, is a vital shipping chokepoint linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. Around 12% of global trade, including a quarter of global container traffic, passes through the route connecting Europe and Asia via Egypt's Suez Canal.

Maritime data and analysis firm Lloyd's List Intelligence said the Houthi attacks put at risk oil shipments from Saudi Arabia's Yanbu port on the Red Sea and presented a “double whammy” on top of the disruption in the Strait of Hormuz. Saudi Arabia has diverted millions of barrels a day of oil exports to Yanbu via an overland pipeline as the war has bottled up the Persian Gulf.

Trump threatened “major military punishment” against the Houthis if their attacks on ships continue.

As the rhetoric escalated, so did the economic impact. Brent crude, the international benchmark, climbed by more than 6% to about $100 a barrel, its highest level since May, before the two sides reached a preliminary peace agreement last month that has since collapsed.

Iran says it has the right to manage traffic and potentially charge fees in the Strait of Hormuz, which was open to all toll-free before the war. It has also attacked ships using a route through the strait overseen by U.S. forces and intended to remain outside Tehran's control.

On Thursday, Trump said on social media that sanctioned Iranian funds held by the United States would be used to cover the cost of repairing vessels damaged during the conflict.

“Please let this statement serve to represent, until further notice, that from this point forth, any and all damages done to Ships, Cargo, or anything related thereto, will be paid for by Iranian Money that the United States has in its possession, and controls,” Trump said.

It remained unclear what legal mechanism Trump would use to access and spend those funds, but he said doing so would be “the fair and equitable thing to do.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the proposal, writing on X that “once governments normalize confiscation, no one’s assets are safe. Ensuing chaos will not be pretty or peaceful.”