The US military continued its aggression against Iran for the second day straight as it said on Saturday that it carried out strikes on 10 targets in Iran after attack on a commercial ship passing through the Strait of Hormuz. In response, Iran’s navy and aerospace forces launched a joint missile and drone operation targeting US military sites in Kuwait and Bahrain.
The latest exchange of attacks risks escalating the conflict in West Asia once again, despite Iran and the United States reaching an interim agreement aimed at negotiating a final deal to end the war. Follow US-Iran war live updates here.
US launches strikes on Iran over attack on ship
US central command said in a social media post that American military aircraft struck Iranian military “surveillance infrastructure, communication systems, air defence sites, drone storage facilities, and minelayer capabilities” after a merchant vessel came under attack early on Saturday.
It later confirmed that the operation targeted 10 Iranian military sites at different locations in and around the Strait of Hormuz. The US Central Command also shared a video of the strikes on Saturday.
The command said that Iranian forces attacked the oil tanker Kiku using a one-way drone. The vessel was carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil while passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
The US military said “Iran had a chance to honour the ceasefire agreement” but “elected not to” when it carried out the attack on the Kiku.
“Commercial vessel transits through the Strait of Hormuz continue. US forces remain vigilant, lethal, and ready,” the statement read.
Trump’s ‘Iran will no longer exist’ warning
US President Donald Trump warned on Saturday that Iran would “no longer exist” if America was “forced” to restart military action, accusing Tehran of violating the ceasefire.
“United States aircraft just struck Iranian missile and drone storage locations, and coastal radar sites, for violating the Cease Fire Agreement, AGAIN!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“There may come a point when we are no longer able to be reasonable, and will be forced to militarily complete the job that we very successfully started. If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!” Trump wrote.
Iran hits back, launches attack on Bahrain, Kuwait
Iran on Sunday launched strikes on Kuwait and Bahrain in retaliation for the US attacks, the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said, adding that any further action against Iran would receive a “crushing response”.
In a statement, the Guards said they had “destroyed eight important US military facilities at the Ali al-Salem base in Kuwait and at the Fifth Fleet naval base in Port Salman in Bahrain”.
“Any enemy aggression, whatever the pretext, even against insignificant targets… will have a crushing response,” the Guards added.
Ibrahim al-Fiqar, official military spokesperson for Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, which coordinates the IRGC, said any violation of the ceasefire would be met with a crushing response.
“Any new aggression, regardless of its pretext or the scale of its objectives, will be met with a crushing response. Violating the ceasefire constitutes a breach of Article 1 of the Islamabad Understanding and will lead to a complete halt of all tracks. Under the Islamabad understanding, Iran will regulate maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. Violent vessels will be dealt with more firmly than before.”
The IRGC’s navy command also said that the US bases in the West Asia region will experience “hell” in these days.
US-Iran peace deal
Meanwhile, the US and Iran are continuing talks on the terms of the peace agreement, including guarantees for the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, as well as the future of Iran’s nuclear programme and its stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
Under the interim agreement, both sides have 60 days to finalise the details.
With inputs from agencies
