US Airstrikes Hit Deeper into Iran as Bahrain, Kuwait Face Retaliation
Bahrain and Kuwait reported incoming fire from Iran early Friday, as the United States expanded its airstrikes to target additional bridges inside Iran. Both Gulf countries host US military forces and have faced repeated attacks in recent days after an interim ceasefire aimed at ending the Iran war collapsed.
Iran's state-run IRNA news agency said at least three people were killed in US airstrikes on bridges in southern Hormozgan province on Friday.
On Thursday, the US intensified its strikes, hitting targets farther north and firing on a ship it accused of attempting to breach its naval blockade of Iran. Iran retaliated with missiles and drones at US allies in the region.
The interim ceasefire, agreed last month, has collapsed, leading to days of back-and-forth attacks between the US and Iran as they vie for control of the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian officials say US strikes have killed more than 35 people and wounded over 300 others.
For the first time in this round of violence, US strikes reached areas around Tehran, indicating a widening of targets. The US launched a second wave of strikes late Thursday, stating it aimed to 'further degrade' Iran's military capabilities.
Since the US and Israel launched their war on Iran on February 28, Tehran has effectively closed the strait to shipping, causing oil prices to soar and giving Iran leverage in negotiations.
Colonel Ebrahim Zolfaghari, a spokesperson for Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, threatened widespread attacks on 'all the infrastructure in the region' if the US acts on President Donald Trump's warnings that America could hit Iranian bridges and power plants. 'Under no circumstances will we allow America to interfere in the Strait of Hormuz. This is Iran's invincible red line,' he said.
Iranian state media reported US strikes on Thursday hit around Tehran and Semnan province, home to Iran's ballistic missile production and space program. Strikes were also reported in Hamedan, Hormozgan, Khuzestan, Lorestan, Markazi, Sistan and Baluchestan provinces, and on Qeshm island near the strait.
Seven people were wounded in a US strike on the Allah-Akbar Hill residential neighbourhood in Bandar Abbas, according to Iranian state media. Two more were wounded in an attack on the Bandar Abbas railway junction station. Witnesses reported two bridges struck west of Bandar Abbas, killing three and wounding nine.
US Central Command said it attacked Iranian defense and missile sites on Greater Tunb Island, one of three rocky islands at the confluence of the Persian Gulf and the strait. Iran seized the islands in 1971 from what became the United Arab Emirates, using them to exert significant control over the strait.
The US military also said it disabled a Curacao-flagged oil tanker heading toward Iran's main oil export terminal, firing a missile after the ship ignored multiple warnings.
Iran retaliated Thursday with missile and drone attacks on Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait, authorities in those countries said. There was no immediate confirmation of damage or casualties.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi condemned an overnight drone attack in Iraq's semiautonomous northern Kurdish region, which authorities said was intercepted.
