US threatens fresh Iran strikes as Hormuz tensions rattle Gulf shipping
The US threatened more strikes on Iran as attacks hit Kuwait and shipping near the Strait of Hormuz. The escalation deepened regional strain even as Hamas signalled disarmament and fresh flashpoints flared in Gaza, Yemen and Lebanon.
The United States has threatened fresh strikes on Iran as it pushes for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, while attacks linked to the wider regional conflict continued across the Middle East. Kuwait said it responded to a new round of drone attacks from Iran, and two shipping incidents were reported in the strategic waterway off Oman.
At the same time, Israel carried out heavy strikes on the Gaza Strip after Hamas said it had agreed to disarm as part of a potential breakthrough in efforts to end the war. Elsewhere, Houthi rebels forced Saudi ships to reroute, and an Israeli operation in southern Lebanon drew criticism from Lebanon's president ahead of planned talks in Rome.
Speaking to reporters on Friday during a meeting with members of his Cabinet at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland, US President Donald Trump said, "we just want to win" in Iran and indicated that US military action could continue for some time. He said the US would hit Iran "very hard" until they cannot take it anymore.
Later on Friday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt accused Tehran of violating a truce understanding with Washington. She said Iran had signed a memorandum of understanding with the US on a truce last month but then quickly "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. "Iran will continue to pay until they come to the table in, what President Trump deems, a meaningful way."
Kuwait's military said on Saturday that its forces were responding to drone attacks that were part of Iran's assaults on the country. In a statement, Maj Gen 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 north of the country. He said there were no casualties.
The British Navy said on Saturday that a tanker was struck and that a separate explosion occurred close to another vessel in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Oman. It said there were no casualties in either incident. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Organization said an unknown projectile hit a vessel on Friday 11 nautical miles northeast of Lima, Oman, damaging its engine room. It also said that on Saturday a large splash and an explosion were reported close to another tanker sailing 21 nautical miles northwest of Khasab city. Iran has repeatedly attacked vessels trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz without its authorisation as part of its conflict with the US.
In Gaza, intense Israeli strikes on Friday night killed at least two people in central Gaza and injured dozens more, according to local health officials. The strikes came after Hamas confirmed on Friday that it would disarm in what could be a breakthrough towards ending the war, though major obstacles remain. Israel has not officially commented on the Hamas deal, which is part of a US-brokered ceasefire announced last October.
That agreement called for Hamas to disarm and hand over power to an independent Palestinian administration. Israel was to withdraw and an International Stabilisation Force was to be deployed. In a post on X on Friday, Israeli far-right lawmaker Itamar Ben-Gvir called the deal "unacceptable" and said the killings in Gaza must continue. "Israel must win," he said. The overnight strikes followed evacuation orders by Israel's military, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Elsewhere in the region, Houthi rebels said eight Saudi ships had been forced to reroute from the Bab el-Mandeb strait after the Iranian-backed group announced a blockade on Saudi shipping in the chokepoint. Brig Gen Yahya Saree, the military spokesman for the Houthis, said in a statement on Friday that the vessels changed route to the Cape of Good Hope around Africa to avoid the blockade.
In southern Lebanon, Israeli forces set off explosions on Friday to destroy an underground tunnel network beneath the Crusader-built Beaufort Castle, which Israel says had been used by Hezbollah militants as a command centre. The 12th-century castle, also known as Al-Shaqif, was seized by Israeli forces in May and was recently added to UNESCO's World Heritage List over Israel's objections. Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun said the Israeli operation sent "negative messages" ahead of upcoming talks in Rome, where Israeli and Lebanese teams are due to meet again to continue work on a plan for an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon in exchange for Hezbollah's disarmament.
The latest developments underlined how tensions remained high across the region, with the US and Iran exchanging threats, attacks affecting shipping and Gulf countries, fresh strikes in Gaza after Hamas's disarmament announcement, and parallel flashpoints continuing in Yemen and Lebanon.
With PTI Inputs
The United States has threatened fresh strikes on Iran as it pushes for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, while attacks linked to the wider regional conflict continued across the Middle East. Kuwait said it responded to a new round of drone attacks from Iran, and two shipping incidents were reported in the strategic waterway off Oman.
At the same time, Israel carried out heavy strikes on the Gaza Strip after Hamas said it had agreed to disarm as part of a potential breakthrough in efforts to end the war. Elsewhere, Houthi rebels forced Saudi ships to reroute, and an Israeli operation in southern Lebanon drew criticism from Lebanon's president ahead of planned talks in Rome.
Speaking to reporters on Friday during a meeting with members of his Cabinet at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland, US President Donald Trump said, "we just want to win" in Iran and indicated that US military action could continue for some time. He said the US would hit Iran "very hard" until they cannot take it anymore.
Later on Friday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt accused Tehran of violating a truce understanding with Washington. She said Iran had signed a memorandum of understanding with the US on a truce last month but then quickly "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. "Iran will continue to pay until they come to the table in, what President Trump deems, a meaningful way."
Kuwait's military said on Saturday that its forces were responding to drone attacks that were part of Iran's assaults on the country. In a statement, Maj Gen 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 north of the country. He said there were no casualties.
The British Navy said on Saturday that a tanker was struck and that a separate explosion occurred close to another vessel in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Oman. It said there were no casualties in either incident. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Organization said an unknown projectile hit a vessel on Friday 11 nautical miles northeast of Lima, Oman, damaging its engine room. It also said that on Saturday a large splash and an explosion were reported close to another tanker sailing 21 nautical miles northwest of Khasab city. Iran has repeatedly attacked vessels trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz without its authorisation as part of its conflict with the US.
In Gaza, intense Israeli strikes on Friday night killed at least two people in central Gaza and injured dozens more, according to local health officials. The strikes came after Hamas confirmed on Friday that it would disarm in what could be a breakthrough towards ending the war, though major obstacles remain. Israel has not officially commented on the Hamas deal, which is part of a US-brokered ceasefire announced last October.
That agreement called for Hamas to disarm and hand over power to an independent Palestinian administration. Israel was to withdraw and an International Stabilisation Force was to be deployed. In a post on X on Friday, Israeli far-right lawmaker Itamar Ben-Gvir called the deal "unacceptable" and said the killings in Gaza must continue. "Israel must win," he said. The overnight strikes followed evacuation orders by Israel's military, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Elsewhere in the region, Houthi rebels said eight Saudi ships had been forced to reroute from the Bab el-Mandeb strait after the Iranian-backed group announced a blockade on Saudi shipping in the chokepoint. Brig Gen Yahya Saree, the military spokesman for the Houthis, said in a statement on Friday that the vessels changed route to the Cape of Good Hope around Africa to avoid the blockade.
In southern Lebanon, Israeli forces set off explosions on Friday to destroy an underground tunnel network beneath the Crusader-built Beaufort Castle, which Israel says had been used by Hezbollah militants as a command centre. The 12th-century castle, also known as Al-Shaqif, was seized by Israeli forces in May and was recently added to UNESCO's World Heritage List over Israel's objections. Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun said the Israeli operation sent "negative messages" ahead of upcoming talks in Rome, where Israeli and Lebanese teams are due to meet again to continue work on a plan for an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon in exchange for Hezbollah's disarmament.
The latest developments underlined how tensions remained high across the region, with the US and Iran exchanging threats, attacks affecting shipping and Gulf countries, fresh strikes in Gaza after Hamas's disarmament announcement, and parallel flashpoints continuing in Yemen and Lebanon.
With PTI Inputs
The United States has threatened fresh strikes on Iran as it pushes for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, while attacks linked to the wider regional conflict continued across the Middle East. Kuwait said it responded to a new round of drone attacks from Iran, and two shipping incidents were reported in the strategic waterway off Oman.
At the same time, Israel carried out heavy strikes on the Gaza Strip after Hamas said it had agreed to disarm as part of a potential breakthrough in efforts to end the war. Elsewhere, Houthi rebels forced Saudi ships to reroute, and an Israeli operation in southern Lebanon drew criticism from Lebanon's president ahead of planned talks in Rome.
Speaking to reporters on Friday during a meeting with members of his Cabinet at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland, US President Donald Trump said, "we just want to win" in Iran and indicated that US military action could continue for some time. He said the US would hit Iran "very hard" until they cannot take it anymore.
Later on Friday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt accused Tehran of violating a truce understanding with Washington. She said Iran had signed a memorandum of understanding with the US on a truce last month but then quickly "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. "Iran will continue to pay until they come to the table in, what President Trump deems, a meaningful way."
Kuwait's military said on Saturday that its forces were responding to drone attacks that were part of Iran's assaults on the country. In a statement, Maj Gen 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 north of the country. He said there were no casualties.
The British Navy said on Saturday that a tanker was struck and that a separate explosion occurred close to another vessel in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Oman. It said there were no casualties in either incident. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Organization said an unknown projectile hit a vessel on Friday 11 nautical miles northeast of Lima, Oman, damaging its engine room. It also said that on Saturday a large splash and an explosion were reported close to another tanker sailing 21 nautical miles northwest of Khasab city. Iran has repeatedly attacked vessels trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz without its authorisation as part of its conflict with the US.
In Gaza, intense Israeli strikes on Friday night killed at least two people in central Gaza and injured dozens more, according to local health officials. The strikes came after Hamas confirmed on Friday that it would disarm in what could be a breakthrough towards ending the war, though major obstacles remain. Israel has not officially commented on the Hamas deal, which is part of a US-brokered ceasefire announced last October.
That agreement called for Hamas to disarm and hand over power to an independent Palestinian administration. Israel was to withdraw and an International Stabilisation Force was to be deployed. In a post on X on Friday, Israeli far-right lawmaker Itamar Ben-Gvir called the deal "unacceptable" and said the killings in Gaza must continue. "Israel must win," he said. The overnight strikes followed evacuation orders by Israel's military, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Elsewhere in the region, Houthi rebels said eight Saudi ships had been forced to reroute from the Bab el-Mandeb strait after the Iranian-backed group announced a blockade on Saudi shipping in the chokepoint. Brig Gen Yahya Saree, the military spokesman for the Houthis, said in a statement on Friday that the vessels changed route to the Cape of Good Hope around Africa to avoid the blockade.
In southern Lebanon, Israeli forces set off explosions on Friday to destroy an underground tunnel network beneath the Crusader-built Beaufort Castle, which Israel says had been used by Hezbollah militants as a command centre. The 12th-century castle, also known as Al-Shaqif, was seized by Israeli forces in May and was recently added to UNESCO's World Heritage List over Israel's objections. Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun said the Israeli operation sent "negative messages" ahead of upcoming talks in Rome, where Israeli and Lebanese teams are due to meet again to continue work on a plan for an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon in exchange for Hezbollah's disarmament.
The latest developments underlined how tensions remained high across the region, with the US and Iran exchanging threats, attacks affecting shipping and Gulf countries, fresh strikes in Gaza after Hamas's disarmament announcement, and parallel flashpoints continuing in Yemen and Lebanon.
With PTI Inputs
