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Missiles After Strikes
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Thursday that if Iran attacks Israel, the country will target Iran’s energy facilities and other military and civilian infrastructure, threatening to send Iran “deep into the Stone Age and darkness.”
““We will cripple all of Iran's national military and civilian infrastructure — including energy infrastructure"”
Katz said an Iranian attack would free Israel from any existing limitations on attacking Iran, adding, “We will cripple all of Iran's national military and civilian infrastructure — including energy infrastructure.”
The warning came as the U.S. and Iran exchanged their heaviest barrage since July, with the U.S. striking Iran’s southern coast and Tehran firing at U.S. bases across the region.
Kuwait’s army said it was confronting hostile missile and drone attacks from Iran, and Kuwait advised residents to follow security and safety instructions as any explosions were due to air defense systems intercepting hostile targets.
CBS News reported that a U.S. official confirmed Iran’s attacks overnight didn’t impact any military facilities in the Middle East where U.S. forces are based, including in Kuwait, which was targeted by Iranian forces.
Casualties and Retaliation
President Donald Trump posted on social media to defend Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick after Lutnick acknowledged he “misspoke” about U.S. military deaths in the Iran war, writing, “18 members of our military have died.”
Trump’s post also said Lutnick “had Venezuela on his mind when he said nobody was killed,” and Trump added, “18 people were killed in Iran!”
Iran claimed Thursday it launched new attacks targeting U.S. forces in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates in retaliation for American strikes that Tehran said killed at least 18 people the previous day, including four civilians attending a wedding party.
Kuwait’s military said its air defenses intercepted the incoming missiles and drones, calling it Iranian aggression, while Iran’s state media also reported drone attacks on U.S. bases in Bahrain and the U.A.E.
France 24 reported that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards chief Ahmad Vahidi vowed to avenge the killing of four people at a wedding ceremony, saying, “The pure blood of these oppressed martyrs... will not go unanswered and will definitely be avenged.”
Economic Pressure and Stakes
The conflict’s political and strategic stakes were framed in terms of nuclear restraint and economic pressure, with Trump telling reporters on Wednesday that “Iran could not have a nuclear weapon,” and that “As soon as it’s over” it “doesn’t matter.”
“In the Strait of Hormuz, six vessels transited the strait Wednesday, down from 11 the day before”
In a digitally conducted interview published by the State Department, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the primary means to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon is an economic tool to impose costs, adding, “We always reserve the right to defend our interests in the region.”
Kpler data cited by NewsNation showed six vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz Wednesday, down from 11 the day before and below the roughly 13-vessel 10-day average, as the U.S. and Iran competed for control of the waterway.
An Anadolu Ajansı report said Kuwait announced at dawn on Thursday that its air defenses were confronting Iranian rocket and drone attacks for a second day, and Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry denounced the attacks as a “blatant violation.”
Anadolu Ajansı also said the United States and Israel began an offensive against Iran on February 28, 2026, including the closure of the strategic Strait of Hormuz to oil exports and global supply chains, and that Iran responded with attacks on Gulf countries before reaching a ceasefire.