US President Donald Trump has threatened more strikes on Iran as the United States, amid attacks on its bases in West Asia/Middle East, presses for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Hours later on Saturday, Kuwait, which houses US bases, said it responded to a new round of drone attacks from Iran.
New attacks on Kuwait and on shipping
Speaking to reporters on Friday during a Cabinet meeting at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland, Trump said the US was determined to “win” in Iran and indicated military operations would continue. He added that the US would hit Iran “very hard” until it “can’t take it anymore.”
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Later in the day, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reiterated the administration’s frustration, saying Tehran had signed a memorandum of understanding with the US on a truce last month but soon “broke it, shot at commercial ships, and killed American soldiers.”
“President Trump is not going to stand by and allow this terrorist behavior to occur,” Leavitt said in a statement on Friday evening. “Iran will continue to pay until they come to the table in, what President Trump deems, a meaningful way.”
Iran’s military accused the United States of fuelling tensions in West Asia on Saturday, cautioning countries in the region against working with Washington as the conflict continues.
“The United States is rapidly moving down the path of escalating tensions in the region. Any country serving as a defensive shield for criminal and aggressive America will be engulfed by the flames of war,” Ali Abdollahi, head of Iran’s military central command, said in a statement read on state television.
The remarks came after US President Donald Trump reiterated threats to hit Iran “very hard”.
Kuwait’s military said on Saturday that its forces were responding to drone attacks, which were part of Iran’s assaults on the country. In a statement, Major General Saud Abdulaziz Al-Otaibi, spokesman for Kuwait’s defence ministry, said the drones hit “a number of vital facilities”, including a government structure in the country’s north. He said there were no casualties.
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The British Navy said a tanker was hit and another explosion took place near a separate vessel in the Strait of Hormuz off Oman on Saturday. It added that neither incident resulted in any casualties.
Details
In the strait, meanwhile, another tanker was struck on Saturday.
On another front, Israel heavily struck the Gaza Strip even as the Palestinian militant group Hamas agreed to disarm.
US media reported he was considering renewed heavy attacks as soon as this weekend, including against energy infrastructure targets.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Organisation said an unidentified projectile hit a vessel on Friday, 11 nautical miles northeast of Lima, Oman, causing damage to its engine room. On Saturday, it reported a large splash and an explosion near another tanker 21 nautical miles northwest of Khasab.
Iran has repeatedly attacked vessels attempting to transit through the Strait of Hormuz without its authorisation as part of its ongoing conflict with the US
At least two people were killed and dozens injured in central Gaza after intense Israeli strikes on Friday night, according to local health officials.
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The strikes came after Hamas confirmed on Friday that it will disarm in a potential breakthrough for ending the war in Gaza, though major obstacles remain.
Israel has yet to comment officially on the Hamas deal, which is part of a US-brokered ceasefire announced last October. The agreement calls for Hamas to disarm and cede power to an independent Palestinian administration, with Israel withdrawing and an International Stabilization Force being deployed.
In a post on X on Friday, Israeli far-right lawmaker Itamar Ben-Gvir described the deal as “unacceptable” and said military operations in Gaza should continue.
“Israel must win,” he said.
(With inputs from AP and AFP)
