Iran warned Wednesday that any US strike targeting the 'Mount Axe' nuclear facility near Natanz would expand the war, as US forces continued their raids inside the country for the 11th consecutive night, amid an exchange of attacks that extended to Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain.

The warning came after US President Donald Trump said US forces may target 'very soon' an underground nuclear complex known as 'Mount Axe,' located near the Natanz uranium enrichment facility.

Iran's state television quoted the Central Operations Room of the Armed Forces as saying that targeting the site would constitute an expansion of the war, vowing to strike the interests of the United States, its allies, and its supporters.

Trump had said from the Oval Office that Washington had not ended its operations in Iran, and that withdrawal at the current stage would give Tehran an opportunity to rebuild its capabilities. He added that Iran might need between 20 and 25 years to recover from the damage inflicted on it, emphasizing that the United States 'will not leave now.'

The US Central Command announced the end of a new night of strikes, saying the operations targeted aircraft hangars, drone storage sites, and military logistical infrastructure as part of its efforts to degrade Iranian capabilities used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

The official IRNA news agency reported hearing explosions in the provinces of Ahvaz, Bushehr, Hormozgan, and Balochistan on the southern coast, in addition to East Azerbaijan in the northwest and Hamadan in the west. Iranian television announced activation of air defenses in western, eastern, and northeastern Tehran.

IRNA quoted a local official as saying that three areas in Bushehr province were attacked, including a power plant near the nuclear power plant in the city. Iranian authorities did not report damage to the nuclear facility itself.

The Revolutionary Guards-affiliated Fars news agency also reported that residents in Tehran heard explosions during the early hours of Wednesday, coinciding with air defense activity over the capital.

An official in the Iranian Health Ministry said the latest US strikes killed 50 civilians and wounded about 500 others. This casualty figure could not be independently verified.

Iranian Regional Attacks

In response, Iranian forces announced launching missile and drone attacks on what they said were US military sites in Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain.

The Iranian army said it targeted buildings and equipment storage facilities at Al-Azraq Air Base in Jordan, then attacked warehouses and aircraft maintenance hangars at Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain using Arash drones.

The Kuwaiti army announced that its air defenses had repelled drone attacks originating from Iran, while Bahrain said it intercepted Iranian attacks after sirens sounded. Jordan also confirmed intercepting missiles and drones.

Sirens sounded in the Jordanian city of Aqaba, and Israeli officials said Iranian missiles targeted Jordan. Video recordings taken from the nearby city of Eilat showed columns of smoke in the skies above Aqaba.

A still from a video showing strikes on military sites inside Iran during the 11th night of US operations, early Wednesday

Iranian state media quoted a statement by the Revolutionary Guards saying the attacks targeted air defense systems, radars, and administrative facilities, threatening more severe waves of missile and drone attacks.

The new round came after four US servicemen were killed in attacks in recent days in Jordan and Iraq, bringing the death toll of US forces since the war began on February 28 to 18 soldiers.

Trump said US forces intercepted most of the projectiles targeting their positions, but acknowledged that some had breached defenses in Jordan. He vowed that Iran would pay 'many times over' for every US soldier killed.

Escalation in the Strait of Hormuz

The strikes coincided with continuing confrontation in the Strait of Hormuz, after a tanker was attacked Tuesday, forcing its crew to abandon it.

The British Maritime Trade Operations had said an 'unknown projectile' struck a tanker off the coast of Oman, while the Revolutionary Guards announced intercepting two oil tankers that they said attempted to cross the strait in violation, after large fires broke out on them.

The US Central Command said its latest strikes target Iranian capabilities used to threaten navigation, as control over the strait becomes a major axis in the renewed war.

The escalation in the Strait of Hormuz coincided with threats by the Houthis in Yemen to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and target ships violating what they described as a naval blockade.

A still from a video showing strikes on military sites inside Iran during the 11th night of US operations, early Wednesday

Trump warned that the United States would deal with the Houthis if they tried to carry out their threat, and said Bab el-Mandeb had not been closed yet, and that Washington would respond if it did.

Navigation monitoring companies reported that a number of tankers had changed course in the Red Sea after the threat was issued, an indication of the war's widening impact from the Strait of Hormuz to the maritime corridor at the entrance to the Red Sea.

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