Iran Strikes U.S. Bases in Kuwait and UAE After U.S. Attacks in Iran

The United States and Iran have exchanged a new round of attacks – the biggest in more than a month – raising fears of escalation into a wider regional war. The US Central Command said it struck dozens of military targets along Iran’s southern coast. Recommended Stories list of 4 items- list 1 of 4Top US lawmaker Mike Johnson says lying is part of some Iranians’ religion - list 2 of 4US strikes on Iran kill child at wedding ceremony - list 3 of 4Mark Ruffalo comments spark pushback against anti-Semitism ‘smear campaign’ - list 4 of 4‘We had an ordinary life’: Iran fisherwoman navigates uncertainty of war US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said Iran will be “totally wiped out” if it retaliates against the US attacks. “If they do respond, they’ll be hit much harder,” he told Fox News in an interview. Iran has responded by firing ballistic missiles towards Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait and Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region. Tehran has accused the US of hitting a wedding party, killing at least four people. Here is what’s happening in the US-Iran war. Where did the US attacks hit? Iran said that the US bombing of a house during a wedding celebration in the city of Kuhestak has killed at least four people. Esmaeil Baghaei, the spokesman for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, called it a “brutal” attack, where more than 68 people, including women and children, were wounded. Footage published by the Iranian Red Crescent Society showed a building with walls and windows blown out, and debris scattered on the ground. The humanitarian group also published pictures of several children receiving treatment at a hospital in Sirik, which overlooks the Strait of Hormuz. In addition to Kuhestak, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported explosions in coastal cities including Konarak, Bandar Abbas, Jask, and Asaluyeh, as well as Qeshm Island. The second consecutive night of US attacks comes as Washington is jostling to wrest control over the Strait of Hormuz, the global energy chokepoint, which remains under Iranian blockade and has become Tehran’s bargaining chip. Two locations near the cities of Ahvaz and Aghajari in Iran’s southwestern Khuzestan province were hit in missile attacks, the province’s deputy governor for security affairs said, according to the state broadcaster IRIB. Seven people were killed at three locations in the province, and eight others were injured in the attacks, the IRIB reported. In total, at least 18 people have been killed across Iran. Where did Iran hit back? Iran’s military said it launched attacks on US bases and assets in Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Iraq’s Erbil. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said its forces carried out a combined missile and drone attack on US facilities in Erbil province in northern Iraq in retaliation for the US strike. Iran claimed it hit the Sheikh Isa Airbase, which hosts US forces, in Bahrain. The IRGC said it launched a “heavy” ballistic missile attack on Prince Hassan airbase and a US Marine base in Jordan, and hit the headquarters and residence of the American commander of the Ali Al Salem airbase in Kuwait. Tehran said its attack on Kuwait set fire to a drone hangar and a ramp through which UAVs participated in attacks on Iran, adding that several US drones were also destroyed, and claimed to have killed a number of US soldiers. Kuwait reported intercepting drones and missiles but did not report any casualties. There was no immediate comment from Washington, either. Jordanian armed forces said air defence systems intercepted and destroyed 10 of 13 Iranian ballistic missiles that entered the kingdom’s airspace earlier, with the remaining three falling in remote areas without causing casualties. What are US, Iran saying? Washington and Tehran have upped the ante in attacks and political rhetoric amid a diplomatic deadlock. Speaking at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran will reciprocate if the US returns to the terms of the June Memorandum of Understanding that halted the military hostilities. The two sides have failed to agree before the deal expired on August 17. Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said his country “has unforgettable lessons for the American enemy”. Baghaei, the Iranian spokesman, called for global action against the US strike on the wedding function. “This cruelty cannot be separated from the chain of atrocities that preceded it,” he said, pointing to attacks on the city of Minab and Lamerd on the first day of the war. In Minab, US forces struck an elementary school, killing more than 150 people, and in Lamerd, they hit a sport hall, killing at least 21 people. “Iran will respond to these savage crimes with firmness,” Baghaei said. “Still, those governments and international institutions that remain silent in the face of such barbarism, or seek to justify such acts, must understand that their silence is not neutrality.” In the US, Trump said he is not trying to force Iran back to the negotiating table, dismissing reports that Washington is seeking a new agreement with Tehran. “I like our position now much better, with almost total control of the Hormuz Strait, and their economy totally collapsing,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. He added that Iran was “playing out the inevitable” and asked: “When are the Iranian people going to rise up and fight?” Alexandru Hudisteanu, a maritime security expert, told Al Jazeera that the recent escalation in the US-Israel war on Iran is unlikely to be a one-off “because this war has not been settled in military terms and both sides have the impetus to go to war from time to time”. It can become “a repeatable pattern” although the war is no longer “in an active phase”, he said. He added, “there are still conditions that create these flare-ups, especially because the US is trying to show that Iran does not have monolithic control over the Strait of Hormuz and on who passes through the strait.” The talks over the status of Hormuz have been deadlocked, with Washington demanding an end to the Iranian blockade without any conditions while Tehran wants the US to end its naval blockade on its ports. The latest escalation comes a week after the US imposed a slew of economic sanctions to pressure Iran to come to the negotiating table. Tehran says the US economic pressure will fail.

Iran’s Kheibar Shekan missile, which means Castle Breaker in Persian, has emerged as one of the most talked-about weapons in the US-Israel war on Iran. The medium-range ballistic missile has been used by Iran in strikes on US military targets and infrastructure in the Middle East this week, as Tehran aims to demonstrate that its missile arsenal remains well-stocked following six months of intermittent US and Israeli attacks. Recommended Stories list of 3 items- list 1 of 3Moment US strikes on Iranian port city hit wedding party - list 2 of 3US launches new strikes on Iran, denies its bases hit in Jordan - list 3 of 3Top US lawmaker Mike Johnson says lying is part of some Iranians’ religion The war entered a new phase this week following a lull in fighting for a month, when US forces struck rocket launchers on Iran’s Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz, close to the country’s strategic port of Bandar Abbas, on Monday. That prompted Iran to strike back at US military assets in Jordan. Since then, the United States has carried out more attacks on various Iranian targets, with Tehran again responding in kind, targeting several US bases in the region, including in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). So, what is the Castle Breaker, what is it capable of, and what is the latest in the US-Israel war on Iran? What is the Kheibar Shekan or Castle Breaker missile? It is a medium-range ballistic missile which has been developed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as part of its wider range of missiles. It is one of Iran’s newer medium-range missile systems, with a range of roughly 1,450km (901 miles), with a payload range (warhead capacity) of 449kg to 590kg (990 pounds to 1,300 pounds). In comparison, the US has introduced the Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM) during the conflict, described by its producer Lockheed Martin as long-range precision-strike missiles that can hit targets ranging from 60km (37 miles) to more than 499km (310 miles) away. The US has also used Tomahawk cruise missiles, which are long-range, precision-guided weapons that can fly at low altitudes and hit targets up to 2,500km (1,550 miles) away. The Kheibar Shekan was unveiled in 2022 and takes its name from Khaybar, the word for a fortified settlement associated with early Islamic history. Shekan means breaker or destroyer. One of the missile’s key characteristics is its solid-fuel propulsion, which allows it to be launched within minutes during a crisis. Solid-fuel missiles are preloaded with fuel, so they do not need to be fuelled just before launch – a process that can take several hours. This makes them easier and safer to operate, less likely to be detected, and they require less logistical support for the transport of fuel. The fuel is dense and burns rapidly, producing a brief but powerful thrust. It can also be stored for long periods without degrading or breaking down, unlike liquid fuel, which is more prone to deterioration. Where has Iran used its Castle Breaker missile? Iran has repeatedly stated that it has been using Kheibar Shekan missiles against US military positions in the region since the six-month conflict began with US-Israeli strikes on Tehran and other sites around Iran on February 28. State broadcaster IRIB reported that Iranian forces deployed the missile in retaliatory attacks on US assets in Jordan this week. On July 20, the IRGC released footage showing Kheibar Shekan alongside Fateh-110, Zolfaghar and Emad ballistic missiles being used in attacks on US military targets. Four days prior, the IRGC said it had targeted a US jet maintenance facility and a new command-and-control centre in Jordan’s Azraq with Kheibar Shekan missiles. What other missile systems does Iran have? Iran has a combination of short-, medium- and long-range missiles at its disposal. Short-range ballistic missiles, which have a range of roughly 150km to 800km (93-500 miles), are built to reach nearby military targets in rapid regional strikes. Core systems include the Fateh variants: Zolfaghar, Qiam-1 and older Shahab-1/2 missiles. Their shorter range can be an advantage in a crisis as they can be launched in volleys, compressing warning time and making pre-emption harder. Medium-range ballistic missiles, with a range of roughly 1,500km to 2,000km (900-1,200 miles), include systems such as Shahab-3, Emad, Ghadr-1, the Khorramshahr variants and Sejjil, alongside newer designs like Kheibar Shekan and Haj Qassem. These missiles put Israeli targets and US-linked sites in the Gulf states within their range. Iran also has an arsenal of cruise missiles such as Soumar, Ya-Ali, the Quds variants, Hoveyzeh, Paveh and Ra’ad. The Soumar has a range of 2,500km (1,553 miles). Former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had previously limited Iranian missile ranges to 2,200km (1,367 miles) but removed that limit following Israel’s 12-day war on Iran in June 2025. What’s the latest in the US-Iran war? The latest escalation has brought a period of relative calm to an end. The US resumed attacks on Iranian targets on August 31, with US Central Command saying it had struck IRGC sites in southern Iran. Iran responded with missiles and drones against US forces and military assets located in the region. On Tuesday, the US military said it had completed another wave of strikes against Iranian military targets. Tehran reported that the US had also struck civilian targets, including a house which was bombed during a wedding celebration in the city of Kuhestak, killing at least five people and injuring 68, including women and children. Iran’s military said it launched attacks on US bases and assets in Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait and Iraq’s Erbil in response. US President Donald Trump previously threatened more attacks if Iran retaliated, while Tehran said it would also respond to US attacks. The renewed fighting has also put the Strait of Hormuz back at the centre of the crisis as Iranian and US forces vie for control of the critical waterway. Oil prices rose sharply this week as markets reacted to the renewed US-Iran fighting and the risk to energy shipments through the key waterway, through which 25 percent of the world’s oil and petroleum products are shipped in peacetime. The US attacks come shortly after Washington announced an economic pressure campaign against Iran, declaring that it would target its financial interests across the world.

The Iranian army announced today, Thursday, the execution of the thirty-first phase of a series of operations dubbed "Lightning," targeting American military sites in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates with missiles and drones. The Iranian Army Public Relations said in a statement that the forces targeted this morning satellite communication systems and depots of equipment and aircraft hangars belonging to the American army at Ahmed Al-Jaber base in Kuwait. The statement added that the attack caused damages and injuries to the communications systems and the fighters' aircraft hangars. The Iranian army announced strikes on American forces’ sites and radar systems at the Manhed base in the Emirates using missiles and drones. The statement described the Ahmed Al-Jaber base as playing a pivotal role in supporting air and reconnaissance operations of American forces in the region, while describing the Manhed base as one of the most prominent centers for air support and movement of foreign troops. The Iranian army also pledged that its response would be severe and destructive to any American attack, confirming the continuation of its operations until achieving what it described as the final victory and punishing the aggressor. Kuwait’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned, on Thursday, the repeated heinous Iranian attacks on the country, deeming the latest one to have occurred at dawn today a violation of Kuwait’s sovereignty and a threat to its security and the safety of its citizens and residents. In a statement, the Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry said that these attacks represent, in its view, a violation of international law, the United Nations Charter, and Security Council Resolution 2817. The ministry emphasized that the continued “blatant attacks” reflect an adversarial approach and constitute a dangerous escalation that threatens the region’s security and stability, as well as undermining diplomatic efforts aimed at de-escalation and reducing tensions.

Recent Iranian attacks on U.S. military facilities in the Gulf region have raised growing questions regarding the future of the U.S. military footprint, which has formed a pillar of Washington’s strategic presence in the Middle East since the 1990s. According to a Financial Times report by Jacob Judah, the U.S. presence in the Middle East has relied for nearly four decades on a network of large military bases across Gulf states. However, six months of war with Iran have placed the future of these facilities in question. The report noted that Iran utilized short-range missiles and drones to target U.S. facilities, exposing the vulnerability of massive bases located near the Iranian coastline. This has driven Washington to shift troops and aircraft to locations further out of reach of these weapons, including Israel, Jordan, and other sites. It highlighted that while the U.S. has enjoyed access to military bases in all major Gulf states for over three decades, it now faces a strategic choice between spending billions of dollars to rebuild damaged facilities or fundamentally reconsidering its entire military posture in the Middle East. Hal Brands, a scholar at Johns Hopkins University, quoted in the report, noted that large, static military bases have become highly vulnerable to attacks. He expects a redirection of the U.S. military footprint away from the Gulf and away from bases situated within the range of short-range missiles and drones. Large, permanent military bases have gradually begun losing their prominence in U.S. military planning, as the Pentagon pivots toward more flexible and distributed deployment models that make targeting U.S. forces significantly harder. The report added that this shift has bolstered long-standing calls to downsize the U.S. military presence in the Gulf—a footprint that for decades served as the military component of a political and security arrangement built primarily around the “oil-for-security” equation between Washington and its regional allies. It noted that U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has already begun testing new operational models, including dispersing soldiers across smaller combat positions and rapidly maneuvering fighter jets between temporary runways and locations. Dana Stroul, a former senior U.S. defense official for Middle East policy, stated that Washington can adopt a far more flexible military model, arguing that the design of existing Gulf bases reflects an era no longer suited to the nature of modern warfare. The report pointed out that a significant portion of the U.S. base infrastructure in the Gulf sits above ground, leaving it exposed to attacks. During the conflict, Iran targeted aircraft hangars, supply facilities, radars, and command-and-control centers. Damage to U.S. facilities prompted the U.S. Fifth Fleet to utilize Diego Garcia in the Chagos Archipelago as an alternative logistics hub to its damaged headquarters in Bahrain. Nate Swanson, former Director for Iran at the U.S. National Security Council, observed that rebuilding certain sites may no longer be viable or logical. He noted that the high cost of rehabilitating facilities that Washington no longer wishes to maintain could accelerate the ongoing shift of U.S. military weight westward. According to estimates from the American Enterprise Institute, the cost to repair damage inflicted across 11 U.S. bases in seven Middle Eastern countries reached approximately $5 billion. The Pentagon, however, did not incorporate these expenses into its formal cost projections for the conflict with Iran. The Financial Times report further highlighted that over the past six months, the U.S. moved troops and equipment into Israel and Jordan, while also operating aircraft and drones out of European bases—locations positioned safely beyond the reach of Iran’s short-range weaponry. However, it warned that Iran could adapt to these U.S. realignments. Danny Citrinowicz, a former Iran analyst for Israeli military intelligence, predicted Tehran would invest more heavily in developing medium-range missiles capable of striking targets in Israel and Jordan. The necessity of maintaining a vast basing network in the Gulf has also diminished as the U.S. has sought in recent years to reduce its Middle East commitments and pivot focus toward the Indo-Pacific region. The report noted Washington’s withdrawal from Syria in April 2026, alongside the gradual reduction of its military presence in Iraq as counter-ISIS operations wound down. Stroul remarked that the U.S. no longer requires Gulf bases in the same manner it once did, pointing out that many operations in Kuwait were directly linked to U.S. missions in Syria and Iraq. The report observed that any reassessment of U.S. military posture will inevitably impact troop numbers in the Gulf, where roughly 35,000 U.S. service members typically rotate through Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait. Three former U.S. defense strategists quoted in the report anticipate that troop levels could drop to numbers not seen in the region since before the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq. Nevertheless, scaling back presents Washington with a major strategic dilemma: how to reduce its Gulf footprint without emboldening Iran or stoking fears among Arab allies regarding the U.S. commitment to their security. While the “oil-for-security” dynamic has evolved over past decades—with several Gulf states diversifying defense partnerships beyond total reliance on Washington—the conflict with Iran has forced allies to re-evaluate the exact nature of the U.S. defense umbrella. Hal Brands noted that military and diplomatic imperatives are moving in opposite directions: Washington must restructure its military presence while avoiding the perception that it is abandoning the region. Stroul added that Washington will need to strike a delicate balance between operational requirements and partner commitments, determining the right force composition to reassure Gulf partners without giving the impression of withdrawal. The report linked the future of U.S. bases to a broader strategic crisis stemming from the ongoing confrontation with Iran. The U.S. footprint in the Gulf originally took shape following the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the Iranian Revolution. In January 1980, U.S. President Jimmy Carter announced what became known as the “Carter Doctrine,” pledging that Washington would use military force if necessary to prevent any hostile power from gaining control over the Gulf. This presence expanded dramatically following the First Gulf War. Gregory Brew, an analyst at Eurasia Group, remarked that the Carter Doctrine appears to have collapsed, noting the historical irony that while the 1979 Islamic Revolution triggered the doctrine’s creation, the current war with Iran has brought about its end. The report concluded by emphasizing the absence of a clear, new strategic vision for the Middle East to guide U.S. policy moving forward amid the shifts forced by the confrontation with Tehran. Brands noted that while the Pentagon will draft plans to reorganize U.S. deployments, these plans will likely face friction when reaching the political level under President Donald Trump. He highlighted that Trump has repeatedly expressed a desire to avoid a legacy akin to President Jimmy Carter, whose presidency was severely impacted by the Iranian Revolution and the Tehran hostage crisis. Concluding the report, Citrinowicz observed the historical irony that a strategic failure in Iran could ultimately haunt Trump as well, stating: “He never wanted to become Carter, but he is now turning into him.” Source: Financial Times

Baghdad/Masalla: Fears of a renewed escalation have dominated the Middle East region after the largest exchange of fire between Tehran and Washington since July, as American forces bombed southern Iran’s coast and Iran responded by striking American bases across the region. The United States threatened more devastating strikes. Iran accused Washington of targeting a wedding, which killed four people and injured scores. Iran’s Health Minister said 18 people died and 108 others were injured in the latest wave of U.S. strikes. The U.S. military said it bombed targets belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including air-defense and radar systems, naval facilities, mine-laying capacities, and communications sites. Iran announced strikes on several targets near the Hormuz Strait. This escalation threatens to fuel a conflict that has been raging since the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran in February, disrupting global energy supplies and provoking opposition from a majority of Americans ahead of the November midterm elections. A civil servant in the Siriq district, overlooking the strait, Mahmoud (38) told Reuters by phone: “Last night was like the end of the world,” describing attacks on the area, which includes the city where reports of a wedding attack emerged. President Donald Trump said the United States struck Iran “with great force” and that Iran responded only with “a light strike.” Trump told reporters at the White House, “The attack last night was very heavy, and we are ready to strike again whenever we want.” Iran responded by targeting what it said were American assets in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, and Iraq, noting that its aim now is to push American forces out of the broad network of military bases it has in the Middle East for decades. The headquarters of the Khatam al-Anbiya Military claimed that “the continuation of America’s evil aggressive actions in the region will face harsher and wider and more destructive responses, and any country that cooperates with the aggressor American army must bear the serious consequences that result.” Iran said it killed American soldiers in Jordan and at a base in northern Iraq, but American officials told Reuters that there were no casualties, according to initial assessments. In Kuwait, Iran said it launched a strike with missiles and drones at the Al Salem Air Base and the residence of a U.S. commander. Kuwaiti firefighting teams reported extinguishing a fire that broke out in a residential complex targeted by a drone. A statement from the Qatari Foreign Ministry said Doha holds “the Islamic Republic of Iran fully legally responsible for these attacks and the consequences arising therefrom.” Qatar hosts the largest U.S. airbase in the Gulf. Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. Navy’s regional headquarters, said it intercepted and destroyed Iranian drones. Iran said two oil tankers collided with mines as American forces attempted to steer them through the Hormuz Strait. Washington said that despite the Iranian attacks, ships were being guided through the strait, and U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Ray said more than 17 million barrels of oil left on Monday. A government site showed Iran added 11 more ships to its blacklist, bringing the total to 56, meaning the ships would be subject to fines, seizure, or detention if they attempted to navigate the Hormuz Strait without Tehran’s permission. Trump reiterated that the Hormuz Strait, through which about 20% of global oil and LNG shipments passed before the war, remains open to navigation. Iran accuses the U.S. of targeting a wedding. Iranians fear the new strikes signal a renewed full-scale war. Mahbari (28) of the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas told Reuters by phone, “It is very hard to live under such conditions. We don’t know when the United States will launch a new strike.” Iran said four people, including a four-year-old child, were killed while attending a wedding at a home in Siriq. Iranian media reported up to 68 people injured at the site, with pictures of injured children in a hospital. Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command, said, “We are aware of reports from Iran’s official media. The U.S. military never targets civilians, unlike the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.” A video from West Asia News Agency at the site shown in the reports depicted scattered debris in rooms and a yard. There was a woman’s shoe on a blood-stained rug. Ali Molahehi, who was identified as the bride’s father, said, “I’m only relieved that the losses were not worse.” The exchange of attacks is the fiercest since July, when Trump abruptly halted a heavy bombing campaign on Iran that lasted two weeks, after military leaders warned of dwindling ammunition and viable targets. So far, Trump has not achieved the objectives set at the launch of the “Epic Rage” operation in February—to end Iran’s nuclear program, to deny Tehran the ability to strike its neighbors, and to create the conditions for Iranians to topple their rulers. But U.S. officials say the United States has significantly weakened Iran’s conventional military capabilities and damaged an Iranian economy already in crisis. Al-Masalla – متابعة – وكالات. The text that includes the author’s or agency’s name does not necessarily reflect Al-Masalla’s views; the source is responsible for the content. Al-Masalla’s responsibility is to relay news with neutrality and defend freedom of expression at the highest levels.

Iran Attacks U.S. Military Bases in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates with Drones and Missiles Iranian Army announced this Thursday that it attacked American military bases in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with drones and missiles. In a statement, the army said the attacks were carried out in the early hours of this Thursday as part of the 31st phase of Operation Saiqeh (Lightning in Persian) in response to recent U.S. attacks against Iran. Şahin Demir September 3, 2026 • Updated: September 3, 2026 Archive Istanbul Iran’s Army announced on Thursday that it attacked American military bases in Kuwait and the UAE with drones and missiles. In a statement, the army said the attacks were carried out in the early hours of this Thursday as part of the 31st phase of Operation Saiqeh (Lightning in Persian) in response to recent U.S. attacks against Iran. The army noted that the targets were satellite communications systems, equipment stores, and fighter jet hangars at Ahmad Al Chabir Air Base in Kuwait, and noted that the attacks caused material damage. In the UAE, the attacks targeted American troop positions and radars at Al-Minhad Air Base. The Iranian army vowed to continue its attacks in response to U.S. military operations against the country. On Thursday morning, Kuwait announced that its air defenses were responding to the Iranian attacks with missiles and drones, while its Foreign Ministry condemned the new attacks as a “flagrant violation” of the country’s sovereignty. The latest attacks came a day after Iran launched attacks on American military facilities in Kuwait. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reported on Wednesday that it attacked the American commander’s headquarters and housing at Ali Al Salem Air Base. Iran has also attacked American military facilities in several regional countries as part of its retaliation for recent U.S. attacks inside Iran. The latest escalation began after a U.S. attack on Iran’s island of Larak on Sunday ended a roughly one-month truce in the direct confrontations between Tehran and Washington. *Translated by Daniel Gallego. Iran Attacks U.S. Military Bases in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates with Drones and Missiles

Iranian army claims latest attacks on US bases in Kuwait, UAE Military says missiles, drones targeted communications systems, equipment warehouses, fighter jet hangars and radar systems Sahin Demir 03 September 2026•Update: 03 September 2026 ISTANBUL Iran on Thursday carried out missile and drone strikes on US military bases in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, its army confirmed. In a statement, the army said the strikes were conducted early Thursday as part of the 31st phase of its Operation Saeqeh in retaliation for recent US attacks on Iran. It claimed missiles and attack drones struck satellite communications systems, equipment warehouses and fighter jet hangars at Ahmed Al Jaber Air Base in Kuwait. The strikes caused damage to communications systems and fighter jet hangars at the base, the army said. In the UAE, the Iranian military said missiles and drones targeted US troop positions and radar systems at Al Minhad Air Base. The Iranian army vowed to continue its attacks in response to US military operations against Iran. Earlier Thursday, Kuwait said its air defenses were responding to Iranian missile and drone attacks, while its Foreign Ministry condemned the new attacks as a “flagrant violation” of the country’s sovereignty. The latest attacks came a day after Iran launched strikes on US military facilities in Kuwait. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Wednesday that it targeted the headquarters and accommodation of the US commander at Ali Al Salem Air Base. Iran has also targeted US military facilities in several countries across the region as part of its retaliation for recent US strikes inside Iran. The latest escalation began after a US strike on Iran’s Larak Island on Sunday ended a roughly month-long lull in direct fighting between Tehran and Washington.

The Pasdaran claimed to have “carried out a coordinated attack with missiles and drones against bases in Erbil,” in which a maintenance center, depots, and the “guidance system of a U.S. surveillance airship” were destroyed, according to a statement released by the Irna news agency. Iranian forces also attacked the U.S. Sheikh Isa air base in Bahrain, Tasnim News Agency reported. “The Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran attacked radar facilities and gathering points of U.S. terrorist forces in Bahrain a few hours ago,” the state agency noted. Earlier, anti-aircraft sirens had sounded in Bahrain, and authorities had urged residents to take shelter and remain calm. Iran also launched attacks in Kuwait, where the headquarters and the residence of the American commander, as well as the drone base and launch platform at Ali al-Salem air base, were hit and set on fire, according to a statement from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. “The attack was carried out in retaliation for U.S. airstrikes against Sirik during the night, which caused four deaths and 66 injuries,” the statement added, per Fars News Agency. Kuwait, for its part, reported that an Iranian drone attack triggered a fire at a residential complex in the capital, though there were no casualties and the fire was brought under control. “A fire that broke out in a residential complex of the Capital Governorate was brought under control.” The Kuwaiti Armed Forces General Staff had previously announced, in a post on X, that its air defenses had intercepted “hostile drones” and urged the population to take shelter. Finally, the Iranian army stated that “the positions of the American forces and their radar system at the Al Dhafra and Al Minhad air bases in the United Arab Emirates were attacked this morning by dozens of drones,” and assured that several of these devices were damaged. (ANSA). Read the full story on Ansa Latina

Sirens sounded in Kuwait City in the early hours of Wednesday as Iran responded to a new wave of US strikes by launching drones and missiles at some Gulf countries and Jordan. Sirens sound in Kuwait City as tension escalates between US and Iran Sirens sounded in Kuwait City in the early hours of Wednesday as Iran responded to a new wave of US strikes by launching drones and missiles at some Gulf countries and Jordan. Short Stories George and Amal Clooney arrive for Venice ceremony 0:56 Nurse who saved baby from Pakistan hospital fire tells AP she wishes she could have saved the rest 1:10 Finding missing workers from Nepal’s hydropower tunnels proves difficult 0:34 Danny Boyle fears the rise of AI journalism 0:40 One of northern Nigeria’s most conservative states is also home to a bustling nightlife scene 1:01 Sen. Ed Markey, 80, wins Mass. 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Tensions are escalating sharply as Iranian ballistic missiles target U.S. forces in Jordan, triggering American Patriot air defence systems to intercept multiple incoming missiles near Muwaffaq Salti Air Base. The latest exchange of fire comes after U.S. forces reportedly destroyed two Irani… WASHINGTON — Iran has fielded a new generation of ballistic missiles that can evade American air defenses and strike with far greater precision – a technological leap that military experts say has damaged the ring of U.S. bases across the Persian Gulf and left them more vulnerable than they've been in decades. The centerpiece of that shift is a highly mobile ballistic missile Iran calls the Kheibar Shekan, or "Castle Breaker," which has a range of 900 miles and a satellite-guided, maneuverable warhead. Iran's military has used the missile extensively in strikes on the U.S. naval hub in Bahrain and other American bases during the six-month war with the U.S. and Israel, according to the Iranian government and confirmed with former U.S. military and intelligence officials and weapons analysts. Some of those analysts believe Iran used Castle Breaker missiles in the July 17 strikes on the U.S. Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Al-Azraq, Jordan, that killed three American service members − an assertion Iran itself has also made, according to official government statements obtained by USA Today. And on Monday, an Iranian state-run outlet confirmed it used Kheibar Shekan missiles to hit Muwaffaq Salti and the King Hussein air base in Jordan in response to a U.S. military attack on Iran's Larak Island. Projectiles streak across the sky in this screengrab taken from footage published by Iranian authorities purporting to show missiles launched at US military targets Monday in Jordan from an unknown location. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) "targeted the technical and maintenance infrastructure as well as fighter-jet bases at the two facilities, causing significant damage" at the bases, said Iran's IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency. Unlike a conventional ballistic missile that travels a fixed path defenders can track and try to intercept, the Kheibar Shekan can quickly change course in the final phase of its descent, potentially slipping past air defenses and hitting targets with devastating precision, those sources said. Mounted on mobile launchers, the solid-fuel missile is extremely difficult to detect and destroy before launch, allowing it to survive American bombardment campaigns. It can easily reach U.S. and allied targets across the Middle East, including in Israel – and major American bases like Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia and the Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates. "We designed entire air defense systems based on this understanding of what we thought they would do," Jonathan Hackett, a former Marine and U.S. intelligence officer, said of Iran’s military capabilities. And now, he said, "they're doing something different." "So now you have to change your defensive posture for missile defense in a way that we hadn't been doing previously. Ever," said Hackett, a fluent Farsi speaker who spent two decades working on Iran-related military and intelligence issues out of six U.S. embassies. He held positions at the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency and Marine Forces Special Operations Command before retiring in October 2024. Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz are visible Aug. 28 near the beach of Bandar Abbas, Iran. In interviews with USA Today, Hackett and other experts described how the Kheibar Shekan and other Iranian missiles have on occasion penetrated the layered defenses American forces have relied on for generations during the war against Tehran that President Donald Trump launched jointly with Israel six months ago. Hackett believes Kheibar missiles were central to the July 17 strike. Like other analysts, though, he said U.S. officials have made that hard to corroborate by asking major commercial satellite providers to black out imagery of sensitive U.S. military sites in the region. Iranian missiles have also caused extensive damage to the U.S. Naval Support Activity base in Bahrain − the regional hub of the Navy's 5th Fleet − and other key U.S. military installations, according to U.S. and allied statements, news reports, satellite imagery and USA TODAY interviews. An independent analysis of satellite imagery conducted by The Washington Post revealed that Iranian missile and drone strikes damaged or destroyed at least 228 structures and pieces of equipment across at least 15 U.S. military sites in the Middle East during the conflict. Top administration officials, including Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth and Trump himself, insisted that the U.S. campaign has destroyed Iran’s military capabilities and that U.S. air defenses have been successful the majority of the time, an assertion Iran vehemently denies. A statue of Iranian military members is seen Aug. 26 as vessels in the Strait of Hormuz are visible near the beach of Bandar Abbas, Iran. “U.S. forces absolutely remain fully operational. We have everything required to strike at the time and place of the President’s choosing,” chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement Friday. “Across multiple combatant commands, we have already executed successful operations while maintaining a deep, ready arsenal to defend our people and our interests.” The Pentagon did not respond to requests for comment Monday about whether the Castle Breaker broke through U.S. defenses during the overnight exchange of military strikes and caused damage. The threat from the relatively new Iranian technology helped prompt a public reckoning earlier this month, when retired four-star Army Gen. Barry McCaffrey stated on social media that the United States had "probably permanently lost access to 15 Persian Gulf bases" because of Iranian missile and drone strikes. McCaffrey’s Aug. 22 post drew more than 3.8 million views, sparking a debate in U.S. military and intelligence circles over whether the Trump administration had sufficiently accounted for Iran's missile counterpunch before launching an unprovoked war. McCaffrey, who served in the U.S. Army for 32 years and retired as a four-star general, is highly decorated for being wounded three times in combat. He led 26,000 troops into battle in Operation Desert Storm, the 1991 Gulf War to liberate Kuwait from an Iraqi invasion. More recently, he was a prominent military analyst and critic of Trump's war in Iran. McCaffrey was responding to a statement that Iranian counterattacks had all but destroyed the Bahrain base, which is the primary anchor for U.S. naval power in the Persian Gulf region. It also provides logistical, supply and operational support to U.S. and coalition ships, aircraft and personnel throughout the Middle East. As a result of that counterattack and others like it, McCaffrey wrote, “Iran (is) now poised to control access (to) the Gulf States. (The) US will have to negotiate new access in western Saudi Arabia, Israel, southern Europe.” In interviews with USA Today, McCaffrey said the Iranian missile capability, especially the Kheibar Shekan, is central to his conclusion that U.S. bases in the Gulf are too vulnerable to stay where they are. The missile, he said, is particularly agile, well-hidden by Iran, and something that U.S. military installations in the region can't completely defend against. Its capabilities, he said, amount to "a significant change in technology." Both McCaffrey and Hackett said the Kheibar Shekan and other Iranian missiles, combined with Iran's aggressive use of sophisticated drones, have caused considerable damage to U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force bases and smaller encampments throughout the Middle East. Jim Lamson, a CIA analyst from 1998 to 2021, said the Kheibar Shekan’s guidance system allows it to adjust its trajectory and maneuver rapidly to strike within 10 meters of a target, a significant achievement given how far it travels. And its ability to “maneuver in the terminal phase" means it can "completely avoid" two or three interceptors fired at it by opposing military forces, said Lamson, who now tracks Iran's missile program as a senior research associate at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies. ​COPYRIGHT 2026 BY APPLE VALLEY NEWS NOW. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.

The scene reflects a continuing tug-of-war between the military path and political efforts, with signs that Washington is not closing the door on escalation, paralleled by regional moves to prevent the conflict from widening. Washington prepares for a long war with Iran (Getty Images). The Iranian army announced on Thursday that it targeted American bases in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, despite threats by U.S. President Donald Trump to strike them further. Meanwhile, the United States intensified its threats to continue the war on Iran, the day after a wide-scale midweek attack targeted sites across the country, killing at least 19 Iranians, as the fighting intensity rises and diplomatic efforts to contain the confrontation continue. Continuous coverage on the Arabs 48 site channel in Telegram. The Iranian army said in a statement carried by state television: “The army today targeted communications systems via satellites, equipment depots, and aircraft hangars belonging to the U.S. Army at Ahmed Al Jabber Air Base in Kuwait with missiles and drones.” It added that “the locations of the U.S. Army forces fought against the children and its radar systems at Al-Minhad Air Base in the UAE were also targeted with missiles and drones.” On the 78th day since the signing of the Washington-Tehran memorandum of understanding, and after 186 days of war breakout between the two sides, Reuters reported that senior aides to U.S. President Donald Trump are pushing to contain the war on Iran before the midterm elections due on November 3, with the possibility of discussing intensified strikes on Iran after the elections. In contrast, Trump said Washington is ready to launch a new attack at any time, noting that the latest strikes destroyed radar systems and new military equipment near the Hormuz Strait. In this context, The Wall Street Journal, citing informed sources, reported that American Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is extending the presence of U.S. forces in the Middle East until 2027, which could indicate a continuation of the war with Iran into the next year. In Tehran, the Commander-in-Chief of the Iranian Army, Major General Amir Hatami, accused the United States of trying to inflame the Iranian street after failing, in his view, to confront the armed forces, stressing that his country is raising its readiness and strengthening its defensive capabilities. For its part, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh accused the U.S. Central Command of lying, in response to its denial of targeting a wedding in the city of Sirik, recalling the record of American operations that caused civilian casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq, amid ongoing exchange of narratives between the two sides regarding the casualties and targets of the strikes. Parallel to the military escalation, diplomatic moves continue to reduce tensions and bring Washington and Tehran back to the negotiating table. Pakistan reaffirmed its serious engagement in mediation efforts, noting that current developments do not mean the diplomatic track has failed, despite growing concerns about the widening scope of the confrontation. In this framework, the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, discussed in two separate phone calls with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan the latest regional developments, particularly diplomatic efforts to reduce the escalation, and to enhance joint coordination to support security and stability in the region. Special and ongoing coverage: U.S. Vice President, Kamala Harris: • All options are on the table to be used against Iran, including economic, military, diplomatic pressure, and covert operations. • The Iranians are losing their capabilities day by day. • We are pressuring Iran to prevent it from firing on merchant ships and we understand it will continue trying. • We are currently protecting a large number of ships, which is why we have not seen a global energy crisis. • 15 million barrels of oil passed through the Hormuz Strait last night thanks to the United States. • All options are on the table to be used against Iran, including economic, military, diplomatic pressure, and covert operations. • We have many additional tools at our disposal and the president will use some of them against Iran. • If we do not protect navigation in the Hormuz Strait, no one else will, and we will face a catastrophic global energy crisis. • We will not conduct talks with Iran unless it stops firing on ships. • Regarding the war and the timeline, I do not think it is accurate to describe the current situation as a war. Details: click here. Trump: • We are producing ammunition at an unprecedented level, stockpiling it, and preparing for any emergency that may arise, and we will soon resume selling some of it to our allies. • We are easily winning the war, and anyone who says we do not have ammunition is completely wrong. • Media outlets and people who promote the idea that we do not have ammunition are traitors and 100% wrong. • Those who promote the idea that we do not have ammunition prefer our loss in a war we would win easily. Tasnim Agency: • Six Iranian naval forces were killed in the American attack this week. • Three Iranian airmen were killed in the American attack this week. To read more… click here. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar: - We condemn renewed Iranian attacks on Kuwait and consider them a flagrant violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity. - The continuation of Iranian attacks is a dangerous escalation that could complicate efforts to contain the tension. - We hold Iran fully legally responsible for the attacks and their consequences. The Iranian army announced on Thursday that it targeted American bases in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, despite threats by U.S. President Donald Trump to strike them further. The Iranian army said in a statement carried by state television: “The army today targeted with missiles and drones the communications systems via satellites, equipment depots, and aircraft hangars belonging to the U.S. Army at Ahmed Al Jabber Air Base in Kuwait.” It added that “the locations of the U.S. Army forces fought against the children and its radar systems at Al-Minhad Air Base in the UAE were also targeted with missiles and drones.”

Recent Iranian attacks on American military facilities in the Gulf region have raised growing questions about the future of American military presence, which since the 1990s has been one of Washington’s pillars of strategic influence in the Middle East. The Financial Times, in a report prepared by Jacob Joudeh, said that the American presence in the Middle East has for about four decades rested on a network of large bases spread across Gulf states, but six months of war with Iran have cast the future of these facilities into question. The report noted that Iran used short-range missiles and drones to strike American facilities, revealing how fragile the massive bases located close to Iranian shores are, and pushing Washington to move soldiers and aircraft to locations farther from the reach of these weapons, including Israel, Jordan, and other sites. It added that the United States has had access to military bases in all major Gulf states for more than three decades, but now faces a strategic choice between spending billions of dollars to rebuild its damaged facilities or reconsidering its overall military footprint in the Middle East. The report quoted Hal Brands, a researcher at Johns Hopkins University, as saying that large, especially fixed, military bases have become highly vulnerable to attacks, and predicting a reorientation of American force posture away from the Gulf and bases within the range of short-range missiles and drones. Related news The massive, fixed bases began gradually losing their importance in American military planning, as the Pentagon moves toward more flexible and dispersed deployment models that make striking American forces more difficult. The report noted that this trend has reinforced longstanding calls to reduce the size of the American military presence in the Gulf, which for decades represented the military side of a political and security arrangement essentially based on the oil-for-security equation between Washington and its regional allies. It pointed out that the U.S. Central Command has already begun testing new models, including dispersing troops across smaller battle sites and rapidly moving fighter jets between runways and temporary locations. It quoted Dana Straub, a former official in the U.S. Department of Defense for Middle East affairs, saying that Washington could adopt a more flexible military model, noting that the design of current Gulf bases reflects an era no longer suitable for the nature of modern wars. The report also noted that a large portion of the U.S. Gulf base infrastructure sits above ground level, making it vulnerable to attack, and pointed out that Iran targeted during the war aircraft hangars, supply facilities, radars, and command-and-control centers. It added that the damage to American facilities forced the U.S. Fifth Fleet to use Diego Garcia in the Chagos Archipelago as an alternative resupply hub for its damaged Bahrain headquarters. The Times quoted Nate Swaanson, former director for Iran affairs at the U.S. National Security Council, as saying that rebuilding some sites may not be very worthwhile, noting that the costs of rehabilitating facilities that Washington no longer wishes to maintain could accelerate the shift toward shifting military weight Westward. According to estimates from the American Enterprise Institute, the cost of repairing damages to 11 American bases spread across seven Middle Eastern countries amounted to about five billion dollars, a figure the Pentagon did not include in its war expenditure estimates with Iran. The Financial Times noted that the United States has moved troops and equipment to Israel and Jordan in the past six months, and has also used bases in Europe to operate aircraft and drones, locations that lie beyond the reach of Iranian short-range missiles and aircraft. It cautioned, however, that Iran could adapt in turn to these American changes, as the newspaper quoted Dani Strenovich, a former Iran analyst for Israeli military intelligence, as predicting that Tehran will invest more in developing medium-range missiles capable of targeting Israel and Jordan. The report added that the need to maintain a wide network of Gulf bases declined as the United States has sought in recent years to reduce its involvement in the Middle East and to focus more on the Indian and Pacific oceans. It noted the withdrawal of Washington from Syria in April 2026, as well as a gradual reduction of its military presence in Iraq with the decline of operations related to fighting the Islamic State. Related news Straub said that the United States no longer needs Gulf bases in the same way it did before, pointing out that many operations in Kuwait were primarily tied to U.S. operations in Syria and Iraq. The article argued that any rethinking of the U.S. military footprint would also affect the number of troops deployed in the Gulf, with about 35,000 American service members typically rotating through Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait. It quoted three former American defense strategists predicting that this number could fall to levels the region has not seen since before the 2003 Iraq War. Yet the report noted that shrinking the U.S. military presence poses Washington a strategic dilemma: how to reduce its footprint in the Gulf without encouraging Iran or triggering concerns among its Arab allies about the United States’ commitment to their security. It explained that the oil-for-security arrangements have shifted over the decades, with some Gulf states diversifying their defense partnerships away from a full dependence on Washington, but the war with Iran has pushed allies to reassess the nature of the U.S. commitment to defending them. The Times quoted Hal Brands as saying that military and diplomatic considerations are moving in opposite directions, as Washington must reorganize its military posture while avoiding creating the impression that it is abandoning the region. Straub added that Washington will need to strike a careful balance between its operational requirements and its commitments to its partners, including defining the size of forces and the necessary military capabilities to ensure Gulf security, while avoiding any perception that the United States is abandoning its allies. The report linked the future of American bases to a deeper strategic crisis arising from the ongoing confrontation with Iran, noting that the U.S. military presence in the Gulf began to take shape after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the Iranian Revolution of 1979. It recalled that former U.S. President Jimmy Carter announced in January 1980 what would later be known as the “Carter Doctrine,” by which Washington pledged to prevent any hostile power from dominating the Gulf and to use military force if necessary, before the American military presence expanded greatly following the First Gulf War. The Financial Times quoted Greg Pry, historian and analyst at the Eurasia Group, as saying that the Carter Doctrine seems to have collapsed, noting that the paradox is that the Iranian Revolution helped bring about this doctrine, while the war with Iran called its end into question. The report pointed to a lack of a new, clear strategic vision for the Middle East to guide American policy in the next phase, in light of the changes imposed by the war and confrontation with Tehran. Brands said the Pentagon would draft plans to reorganize the U.S. military deployment, but he anticipated difficulties in moving these plans from the tactical level to the political level and reaching President Donald Trump. He noted that Trump has repeatedly said he does not want to be remembered like Jimmy Carter, whose presidency was heavily affected by the Iranian Revolution and the 1979-1981 Iran hostage crisis. The newspaper concluded the report with Strerinovich’s remark that the historical paradox is that strategic failure in Iran could haunt Trump as well, adding: “He never wanted to become Carter, but now he is turning into him.”

Jordan’s alliance with the US makes the kingdom a target for Iranian strikes Jordan’s alliance with the US makes the kingdom a target for Iranian strikes Jordan, a staunch U.S. ally that hosts American forces in the Mideast, has paid a price for its relationship with Washington, which has made the kingdom’s military bases a target of repeat Iranian strikes. Hundreds of drone and missile attacks have added to other strains on Jordan that include a slumping economy and volatility in the neighboring West Bank, where Israeli settlers have ramped up attacks on Palestinians. Despite the risk of more strikes, Jordanian leaders say they are committed to maintaining the relationship after decades of courting deeper security ties with American officials and offering to be a reliable partner with the West in a region rocked by conflict. Analysts say the alliance offers Jordan a way to guard against Iran’s attempts to destabilize its neighbors. King Abdullah II of Jordan seemed to acknowledge the need for such alliances last year, when he warned that destabilization fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and multiple Israeli military campaigns in the Middle East could trigger chaos far beyond the region. “We are living through wave after wave of disruption, without pause,” he told European lawmakers. “There is no telling where the boundaries of this battleground will end. That, my friends, is a threat to people everywhere.” Jordan embraces Washington to weather stormy Middle East The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is a puzzle-piece-shaped nation bordering Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Israel and the West Bank. More than 11 million Jordanians live between the Jordan River, the Red Sea and eastern deserts strewn with ruins. Besides the threat from Iran, Jordan faces other challenges, such as an economy that has buckled under millions of refugees fleeing regional conflicts. Soaring energy prices and inflation have added to the burden as the tourism sector struggles to draw visitors to landscapes lionized in Hollywood by Peter O’Toole, Harrison Ford and Matt Damon. And next door, growing Israeli settler violence in the West Bank is deeply unsettling to Jordanians who fear instability could drive many of the 2.8 million Palestinians there to flee into the kingdom, said Sean Yom, a professor at Temple University and author of a 2025 book titled “Jordan: Politics in an Accidental Crucible.” Since taking the reins from his father, King Hussein, in 1999, Abdullah has forged ever-stronger links with Washington. The monarch — a fluent English speaker whose dynasty claims to be descended from the Prophet Muhammad — enjoys widespread support among world leaders and Democratic and Republican lawmakers in the U.S. U.S. President Donald Trump once called the king “one of the true great leaders of the world.” Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, also praised his leadership. First lady Jill Biden was a guest at the wedding of Abdullah’s son Hussein to a Saudi aristocrat in 2023. Pope Leo welcomed Abdullah to the Vatican in 2025. As part of its partnership with the West, Jordan provided logistical help and intelligence for the U.S.-led 2003 invasion of Iraq, and it contributed to the fight against Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq. Amer Sabaileh, an independent Jordanian political analyst, said Jordan’s alliance with the U.S. is central to Abdullah’s yearslong campaign to secure his kingdom against danger, including from Iran. Jordanian elites see Iran’s support of Shiite militias in Iraq, armed Palestinian groups and Syrian drug traffickers as direct threats to the royal court, Yom said. “Very few people in Jordan think the Islamic Republic is good for the Middle East,” he said. US military operations rely on a dozen sites in Jordan Amman and Washington signed a defense-cooperation agreement in 2021 that granted U.S. forces and contractors access to 12 military installations across the kingdom. The NATO military alliance opened its first liaison office in the region in Jordan in 2025. In the run-up to the Iran war, Jordan’s sprawling Muwaffaq Salti Air Base became “a key logistics hub” for U.S. C-17 transport planes and about 60 combat aircraft, said David Schenker, a fellow at the Washington Institute. “Jordan provides great strategic depth,” he said, calling the kingdom’s position “essential” to the U.S. campaign against Iran. “This makes Jordan a target, not just targeting U.S. forces but also targeting the king.” About 50,000 U.S. troops are currently deployed across the Middle East, with an unknown number in Jordan. Schenker estimates that at least 8%, or $1.47 billion, of the kingdom’s annual budget comes directly from U.S. grants. Adm. Charles Bradford, commander of the Pentagon department covering the Middle East, said in May that the U.S. military had relocated personnel and assets from its mission against the Islamic State from Iraq to Jordan. The shift was part of a broader, long-running strategy to put more distance between American forces and Iranian missiles. Those troops were enough to draw fire to Jordan from the Islamic Republic. Most of the incoming missiles and drones were knocked down by U.S. air defenses. Speaking Thursday in Vienna, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi defended his country’s right to make its own decisions. “Iran has been attacking us and many other countries in the region long before even this war started,” he said, referring to Iranian “meddling in internal affairs” and other clandestine efforts. “So we do not buy their argument. We are a sovereign country. We were not a party to this war.” ___ Associated Press video journalist Philipp-Moritz Jenne contributed to this report.

Iran conducts attacks on Kuwait, and China calls for a “new security framework” for the Middle East Iran launched attacks on Kuwait on Thursday, announcing targets of “American interests” after a round of reciprocal strikes between the United States and Iran, described as the fiercest since July. The Kuwaiti army said, in a post on the X platform at dawn on Thursday: “Our air defenses are currently repelling hostile missile and drone attacks,” following the Iranian aggression. In contrast, the official Iranian television confirmed that Tehran is targeting American bases in Kuwait with missiles and drones, “in response to America’s crimes against the Iranian people.” After a month of relative calm in the war that began with a US-Israeli strike on Iran in February, the situation escalated last Sunday with renewed exchange of blows, as diplomatic efforts remain stalled. The US Army carried out two rounds of strikes on Sunday and Tuesday evening. The strikes on Iran on Tuesday killed 19 people, including four members of the IRGC and four from the Basij, in one of the highest casualty figures in months. Four people were killed and about 70 injured at a wedding in the Sirc district in southeast Iran, according to Iranian media. The Iranian Foreign Ministry considered the strike on the wedding a “war crime.” Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Naqavi wrote on X: “The reality of this unlawful war… and the true face of the war crime is in Sirc, where the United States barbarically bombed a wedding, in the context of its miserable struggle to cover up its failure in the war with the Islamic Republic.” The US military did not comment on the strike that hit the wedding, but stressed that it “does not target civilians at all, contrary to the IRGC.” The Iranian strikes on Kuwait come as part of an Iranian escalation against US allies in the region. The IRGC announced on Wednesday that it had bombed American sites in Jordan, Iraq, Bahrain, and Kuwait, and carried out “a multi-pronged attack with missiles and drones on American bases in Erbil,” while the Iranian armed forces said that “dozens of attacking drones targeted radar systems and locations of American forces at the al-Dhafra and al-Minah bases in the UAE,” in addition to other sites at the Sheikh Isa airbase in Bahrain. For its part, the Jordanian army said air defense systems engaged 13 ballistic missiles entering the kingdom’s airspace, shooting down ten of them, while three missiles fell in uninhabited areas, with no announced casualties or damages. The fighting had largely subsided since the July exchange of fire, despite talks failing to make progress during that period. Yesterday, Saudi Arabia’s national shipping company, Bahri, announced the death of two Filipino sailors after their oil tanker “Sidra” was subjected to a security incident while transiting the Hormuz Strait late Monday. The company confirmed, in a post on X, the deaths of the sailors, without specifying the nature of the incident, after Greek risk management company MARSIX said that “unknown projectiles” struck the vessel. The Saudi Foreign Ministry condemned Iran targeting a Saudi-flagged tanker named “Sidra” while transiting the strait, and the resulting fatalities among the crew, the ministry said. In contrast, the IRGC said the tanker pair attempted to cross out of the navigation lane designated by Iranian forces in the strait, under “US prompting,” before hitting mines and explosions occurred on board, causing fires. This escalation comes despite President Donald Trump’s statements that the new US campaign against Iran would not last long. Yet Trump also told reporters at the White House on Wednesday that Washington is prepared to launch another attack on Iran at any time. He said Iran had attempted to build a missile that drops mines, but the United States destroyed it. He noted that Iran is working to restore its radar and missile systems, which were also targeted in the US strikes. “We destroyed all the new equipment they tried to build near the Hormuz Strait, some defensive and some offensive… The attack was very heavy last night, and we are ready to strike again whenever we want.” Reuters cited four unnamed sources saying Trump’s senior aides are seeking to prevent a broader war before the midterm Congressional elections, to limit Republican electoral losses, and White House officials would study escalating military action after the November elections. Polls show more than half of Americans oppose the war. “Severe consequences for civilians” The United Nations expressed concern about the recent escalation in the Gulf region, especially the attacks targeting civilians. Stéphane Dujarric, the UN Secretary-General’s spokesperson, said at a briefing on Wednesday that Antonio Guterres “is deeply concerned by reports of civilian deaths, including those from a strike believed to have hit a wedding in Iran.” He called for an immediate halt to hostilities. Dujarric said: “The Secretary-General condemns all attacks on civilians. He reminds all parties of their obligations under international humanitarian law, including principles of distinction, proportionality, and precautions.” He warned that any further escalation would have severe consequences for civilians, and for the region and beyond. He noted that only a few regional countries are shielded from this escalation, as airspace and vital shipping lanes remain heavily affected. The UN Secretary-General urged the United States and Iran to return urgently to diplomacy, as “a comprehensive and sustainable settlement can only be achieved through dialogue and negotiations.” “A New Security Framework” for the Middle East Chinese President Xi Jinping urged Middle Eastern countries to oppose external interference and to explore changing the region’s security architecture during his visit to Egypt on Wednesday, as Beijing seeks to expand its influence in the Middle East. The Chinese agency Xinhua quoted Xi as saying that regional countries should “take the reins of their own affairs” and seek a “new security framework” for the region. Xi added that China is ready to work with regional countries to protect maritime trade routes, a matter that has gained greater importance after the war disrupted movement through the Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab straits. The Chinese president’s remarks come as regional partners of the United States reassess their strategic relationships with Washington, after months of war that disrupted trade and destabilized regional economies, prompting some to seek alternative security partnerships.

Advertisement Middle East Iran continues strikes on US bases as Israel warns of Tehran taking ‘extreme measures’ 03/09/2026 - 16:34 PM !Iran Continues Strikes On Us Bases As Israel Warns Of Tehran Taking ‘Extreme Measures’ A residential building in Kuwait city that was damaged in an Iranian drone attack on Thursday. Photograph: AFP via Getty Images Share this article From The Irish Times As Iran’s military targeted US bases in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, despite threats of further strikes by US president Read More UK More than 70,000 pints worth of Guinness stolen from English depot World Teams studying kissing and nose-blowing win Ig Nobel prizes for quirky science Europe Shoot-out between Ukrainian spy services in Kyiv ‘disgraceful’, says Zelenskiy Europe Putin says Ukraine peace deal possible as Kyiv hints at renewed diplomatic push World Memorial unveiled to victims of Lisbon funicular crash UK Driverless robotaxis try their luck on London’s narrow streets

Kuwait's army on Thursday said it was confronting hostile missile and drone attacks from Iran, a day after U.S. President Donald Trump said that renewed hostilities in the Middle East would not last "too long." Kuwait advised residents to follow security and safety instructions, adding that any explosions heard in the country were due to air defense systems intercepting hostile targets. The strikes were targeted at U.S. bases in Kuwait, Iranian state media outlet IRIB said. "I don't think it will [war] be very much longer ... I don't know how much more they [Iran] can take," Trump told reporters on Wednesday, describing the American strikes against Iran on Tuesday as a "very heavy attack," adding that the U.S. was prepared for further military operations "any time we want." Iran had retaliated after the Tuesday strikes, targeting U.S. regional allies Jordan and Bahrain. Reuters reported that top aides to Trump were pushing to keep the Iran war from escalating before November's midterm elections. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are trying to keep the Iran conflict relatively "quiet" until the elections are over, the outlet reported. Citing four people familiar with the discussions, Reuters said this was to limit Republican losses due to the conflict, which is proving increasingly unpopular with Americans. A University of Massachusetts Amherst poll of 1,000 respondents in August found more than two-thirds disapproved of Trump's handling of the war, and "nearly as many now express disapproval in how he is handling his job overall," the university said. Trump also said Wednesday that, while he was not on the ballot at the midterm elections, he was going to help the Republican Party, which he said "respects the fact that we're not allowing Iran to have a nuclear weapon." "We're doing that not for any other reason, or at least 99%, we're doing it to help the Middle East, we're doing it to help Israel, and we're doing it to help ourselves," Trump said at a later event in the Rose Garden, referring to the Iran conflict. — CNBC's Kevin Breuninger contributed to this report.

Share Carla Jeffery, the actress best known for playing Bree in Disney Channel’s Zombies franchise, has died at 33. CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — The San Jose Water District suspended its entire water supply operation Thursday after a large… Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling will be conferred the title of… Palestinian singer-songwriter Saint Levant has postponed the North American leg of his world tour to spring 2027 after… Gloria Steinem, the pioneering journalist and activist who became one of the most prominent figures of the American… TEHRAN (AFP) — Iran attacked United States military bases in Kuwait on Thursday, despite President Donald Trump threatening further strikes in a fresh flare-up six months into the war. Trump said his military was prepared to attack Iran “any time we want” after extensive US bombardment of sites across the country left at least 19 Iranians dead. Tehran retaliated by hitting US military targets across the Middle East, including in Kuwait, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region. The clashes deepen the ongoing impasse in the war, as Iran maintains a stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz oil export route and the US presses its counter-blockade of Iranian ports. Security chief Mohsen Rezaei warned the US that Iran had adopted a “new strategy” in the war that “will shatter your foundations.” Kuwait’s army said Thursday it was intercepting a missile and drone attack from Iran, with Iranian state TV confirming that Tehran was targeting US bases in the Gulf state “in response to America’s crimes against the Iranian people.” The latest round of fighting began when Washington hit Iranian targets on Sunday, the first known strikes in several weeks, saying it was trying to stop Tehran placing sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran said Sunday’s strikes resulted in “casualties” and responded by targeting US troops in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. ‘Maximum pressure’ Aside from military action, Washington has vowed to choke Iran’s economy, threatening to slap sanctions on its trade partners. Energy Secretary Chris Wright pledged on Wednesday that a US plan for expanded sanctions targeting the Islamic republic’s economic partners would deliver “absolutely maximum pressure.” Trump also suggested on Wednesday renaming the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic shipping lane that Tehran has effectively shut for six months, as “Trump Strait” — although he implied later that he wasn’t serious. “Now that we have it under USA control, should we change the name Hormuz Strait to TRUMP STRAIT???” the US president wrote on Truth Social. Iran’s pummelling of US military targets across the region came after a US attack that hit a wedding in the country’s south, prompting fury from Tehran. The Iranian Red Crescent said shrapnel from the missile attack in the coastal town of Kuhestak killed four people, including a child, and wounded more than 50. The US military did not address the attack directly. US Central Command spokesperson Tim Hawkins said “the US military never targets civilians, unlike the IRGC,” referring to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.

For more than four decades, the American presence in the Middle East, especially in the Gulf states, rested on massive military bases, but the Iran war raised questions about the future of these bases. In this context, The Financial Times said that Iranian attacks on American facilities with missiles and drones exposed the fragility of these bases when they are located close to the Iranian coastline. It added that the Iranian attacks forced Washington to relocate troops and aircraft to sites distant from Tehran’s reach in Israel, Jordan, and farther regions. The newspaper quoted Hal Brands, a researcher at Johns Hopkins University, as saying, "These facilities, especially the large bases, are extremely fragile. We will witness a redefinition of the U.S. military posture away from the Gulf." He added that "reliance on bases within the range of short-range missiles and drones will be reduced." Observers believe that in light of the Iran war’s repercussions, large, static bases have begun losing their status as primary hubs for military deployment and sustainment, while the preferred trajectory in Washington has become a more dispersed model that makes targeting American forces more difficult. Tehran launched missiles and drones at Israel and allied Arab states, saying its strikes target military bases used by the United States in the war, noting that the attacks also hit civilian facilities and locations. In light of these attacks, the U.S. Central Command, responsible for U.S. military operations in the Middle East, began experimenting with new methods that distribute soldiers across smaller combat sites and rapidly move fighter aircraft between temporary runways used for swift landings and takeoffs. "Relocation of forces" In an interview with The Financial Times, Dana Stroul, the former deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East, said the design of the current Gulf bases "harks back to a bygone era and is no longer suitable for the nature of modern wars." She added, "We can adopt a leaner and more flexible model. Those who have been advocating for some time to reduce our reliance on these bases will now feel that their position was justified." It is noted that the U.S. Navy was forced to use the remote Diego Garcia Atoll as an alternate supply hub for the U.S. Fifth Fleet after its Bahrain headquarters sustained damage. Bahrain hosts the Fifth Fleet of the U.S. Navy and the U.S. regional naval command. Its deep-water port can accommodate the largest U.S. warships, including aircraft carriers, and the U.S. Navy has used this base since 1948. Former White House Iran desk director at the National Security Council, NIT Swanson, said, "There is not much value in rebuilding some of these sites. The need to fund the reconstruction of facilities that is no longer desired could accelerate the trends already in place." He added, "I would be extremely surprised if we do not see a relocation of forces away from these sites." "Avoid any impression that we are abandoning them" Qatar hosts Al Udeid Air Base, the largest American base in the Middle East, which includes advanced elements of U.S. Central Command, its air forces, and special operations units. The base was attacked by Iran during the current war, after Tehran previously targeted it in June 2025 following American strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. The Washington-based American Enterprise Institute estimated in April that the cost of repairing damage to 11 U.S. bases spread across seven Middle Eastern countries amounts to about $5 billion. In recent years, with the United States seeking to reduce its engagement in the Middle East and to focus more on the Indo-Pacific region, the need to maintain a broad network of military bases in the Gulf has diminished. Washington withdrew from Syria in April 2026, and is gradually reducing its military presence intended to combat the Islamic State in Iraq. In this context, Dana Stroul stated, "We no longer need these bases in the same way as before." But she stressed that achieving a precise balance will be necessary between the operational requirements of American forces and Washington’s commitments to its partners. In her interview with The Financial Times, she noted that it is essential to assess the size of the troops and military assets needed to ensure Gulf security. She added that "it will be important to avoid any impression that we are abandoning them." Edit: Emad Ghanem

The Kuwait Army reported in the early hours of this Thursday (09/03/2026) that its air defense systems are responding to a missile and drone attack coming from Iran, which the day before attacked American bases in the region in retaliation for the U.S. bombings. "Kuwaiti air defenses face hostile attacks with missiles and drones, as a consequence of Iran's condemnable aggression," the Army said in a post on X. The Kuwaiti force said that any explosion is the result of the interception of the attacks by the air defense systems and urged the population to follow the safety instructions issued by the authorities. Iranian media, usually used as a megaphone for attacks launched by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), have not yet reported on this alleged offensive. During the past midnight, Kuwait also indicated that its air defenses responded to a drone attack from Iran, in a night marked by Tehran's retaliation against American bases in the region. Throughout Wednesday night, Iran launched attacks against American bases in Jordan, Bahrain, and Iraq, in response to the offensive launched hours earlier by the U.S. The United States attacked Iran again on Tuesday night for the second time in 48 hours in an operation aimed at “targets of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps” to counter Iran's “attempts of aggression” against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, and against American military service members deployed in the region. Do not let the algorithm hide the news. If you rely on that site for reliable information, please take a moment to select us as your preferred source on Google: click here and check the DW.com checkbox to always see our verified news in your preferences. jc (efe, dpa)

Iran reports 18 dead and raises to 142 the injured from US attacks, while Kuwait denounces drones and missiles In the home where a wedding was being held, in Kuhestak, four people died and up to 68 were injured. The Iranian government said on Thursday that 18 people died, including two women and a child, and that the number of injured rose to 142 following the US attacks registered on Tuesday night, which Tehran called "war crimes." Iranian Health Ministry spokesman Hossein Kermanpour updated the figure of the injured, among whom are 61 women and 44 under 18, in a message posted on social networks without specifying the victims’ location. Previously, Tehran had reported 68 injured, while the number of deceased remained unchanged. The United States attacked Iran on Tuesday night for the second time in 48 hours in an offensive aimed at “targets of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps” to counter Iran’s “aggression attempts” against commercial maritime transport in the Strait of Hormuz, and against US military personnel deployed in the region. U.S. projectiles hit a house where a wedding was being held in the village of Kuhestak, in Hormozgan Province’s southern area, where four people died and 68 others were injured, reported Mojtaba Salahshour, the provincial head of the Red Crescent, according to IRNA news agency. Another seven people died at three locations in the southern province of Bushehr, which were struck by U.S. missiles, reported Valiola Hayati, deputy director of Security and Public Order for the Bushehr Governor, cited by IRNA. The Revolutionary Guard reported, for its part, the death of four of its Aerospace Force members in Kermanshah Province, the Tasnim agency noted. Additionally, three members of the Basij Islamic militia died in American attacks on Lavan Island, according to the Revolutionary Guard. The Foreign Ministry compared the attack that hit the wedding with those that caused the deaths of 168 students and teachers in the southern city of Minab and another that left 21 dead in the also-southern Lamerd area on the first day of the war, February 28, labeling them as “brutal war crimes.” Gulf alert Moreover, Kuwait’s army reported that its air defenses are responding to a missile and drone attack from Iran, which the previous day attacked U.S. bases in the region in retaliation for U.S. bombings. “Kuwait’s air defenses face hostile missile and drone attacks, as a consequence of Iran’s condemnable aggression,” the Army stated in a post on X. The Kuwaiti force said that any explosion is the “result of the interception of the attacks” by the air defense systems and urged the population to follow the safety instructions issued by the competent authorities. Iranian media, usually used as a megaphone for the attacks launched by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran, have not yet reported on this alleged offensive. During the early hours of the past night, Kuwait also indicated that its air defense systems responded to a drone attack from Iran, on a night marked by Tehran’s retaliation against U.S. bases in the region. Throughout the night on Wednesday, Iran launched attacks on U.S. bases in Jordan, Bahrain, and Iraq, in response to the offensive launched hours earlier by the United States.

At least 19 people died in the latest Washington bombings, according to Tehran, which has pointed to military targets in Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait. The United States and Iran have again become embroiled, after 31 days of calm, in a spiral of clashes that has claimed the lives of 19 Iranians, according to Tehran. Among the dead in different attacks, there are at least four civilians who were attending a wedding on Tuesday night in the small coastal town of Kuhestak, in Hormozgan province, opposite the Strait of Hormuz. Two of them are minors; one is a four-year-old boy and the second a 16-year-old teenager. The Iranian Red Crescent said that 67 more people were wounded in that bombing and that the death toll could rise due to the critical condition of some of them. Local witnesses say that, late at night, two hours after the United States launched new attacks near the Strait, they heard the sound of several fighter-bombers, though other people speak of two drones. Minutes later, a missile struck the home where many people were gathered at that hour, including children. “Unfortunately, this is a residential building and, unfortunately, this occurred during my daughter’s wedding ceremony,” said Ali Mallahi, the bride’s father, to local television. According to geolocation, Mallahi’s house is located 130 meters from a communications tower that would be one of the attack’s targets. Videos circulating on social networks show the toppled tower but also the crater left by the missile impact on a one-story house, as well as the destruction around it. “This is the true face of war crime,” said Esmaeil Baqaei, spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, on his social networks. “More dangerous than the bomb itself is the normalization of bombings; and more dangerous than silence is turning silence into legitimacy. Iran will respond firmly to these savage crimes,” Baqaei added on the X network. On Wednesday, Iranian television also showed the remains of the missile which, according to the British BBC, citing a weapons expert, belongs to an AGM-84 (SLAM-ER) missile commonly used by the U.S. military. “They say it’s a Revolutionary Guard base, but it’s only a wedding,” said a local showing a video in which the attack’s remains appear, including a white sandal belonging to one of the attendees. “We were on our way to the wedding when we heard the sound of a fighter. When the explosion happened and I came to my senses, I saw a person who had a cement block fall on his head and was unconscious,” one of the witnesses told Iranian television from Minab’s hospital, where the wounded were taken. “Many children and many women are in serious condition,” the man insisted, his head covered with a bandage. The footage also shows children being treated at the same hospital. Amir Ali’s mother, the four-year-old boy who died in the attack, told the official IRNA news agency that he usually didn’t attend events like this because he was very restless, but that day he was very eager to attend and she persuaded him to go. “The U.S. Army never attacks civilians, unlike the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps,” said CENTCOM. The Iranian Red Crescent, for its part, sent a letter to the International Criminal Court requesting an “independent, impartial, thorough, and effective” investigation of this bombing. What happened on Tuesday reminded Iranians of the country’s most tragic episode since the United States and Israel launched a new war against Iran on February 28. That day, an American missile hit a school in Minab, an hour by car from the site of Tuesday’s attack and very close to a Revolutionary Guard base. Subsequent investigations revealed that the Americans had used outdated information. In the past the building had been part of the military complex but had operated as a school for years. It later emerged that an American analyst warned in 2019 about the change, but the information never reached the database used to select military targets. According to Amnesty International, the attack left 156 dead, 120 of them children. “With these battles, not only will they not be able to escape the hell they have created, but they will soon see that Iran’s new strategy on the battlefield, in diplomacy, and in the face of the economic blockade will destroy their foundations,” General Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, the country’s top decision-making body after the Supreme Leader, promised. The official referred to the new punitive economic measures announced last week by the United States, targeting companies and countries that continue doing business with Iran. And also to the resumption of military attacks. In addition to the bombing in Kuhestak, U.S. attacks hit dozens of other targets with fatalities. Among the dead are four members of the Revolutionary Guards in Kermanshah, in northwest Iran, and three Basij militiamen, a paramilitary force, on Lavan Island. Seven more people were reported dead in Khuzestan Province in the south of the country, and one in Jahrom in Fars Province in the central region. Tehran has responded to these attacks by announcing bombings against several Gulf countries that host U.S. military facilities or personnel, such as Jordan, Bahrain, and Kuwait. The Revolutionary Guards claimed to have killed American soldiers at a military base in Jordan, a claim denied by two U.S. officials. There were no reported deaths in a missile-and-drone attack on Kuwait’s Ali Al Salem air base, aimed at the housing of an American commander. Kuwait’s fire department said its crews extinguished a fire at a residential complex in the capital early Wednesday after being struck by an Iranian drone, causing material damage but no deaths. Bahrain also confirmed it had been targeted by an attack with no fatalities. The authorities of the Arab kingdom announced that they had intercepted and destroyed several Iranian drones. The new peak of tension between the United States and Iran began in the early hours of Monday, when Washington attacked Iran for the first time since July and launched an offensive aimed, in its view, at “targets of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.” The declared objective is to counter Iran’s “attempts at aggression” against commercial maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and against U.S. military personnel deployed in the region. The ongoing standoff between the two countries remains, as it has since the outset of the conflict, over control of the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran has made its main leverage in the war. That move has allowed Iran to paralyze much of the oil exports of the Gulf monarchies. However, in recent weeks, the United States has managed to restore part of the maritime traffic through the strait along a southern route near Oman, according to oil and Middle East experts, although export figures prior to the start of the war have not yet recovered, when a fifth of the world’s crude passed through this crucial maritime route.

Archivo - Missile launches during military maneuvers in Iran - -/Sepahnews via ZUMA Wire/dpa - Archive MADRID, Sep 3 (EUROPE PRESS) - The Iranian Army claimed new attacks this Thursday against "US bases" in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as part of what it describes as a new phase of its response to the latest US bombardments against the Asian country, which left at least 18 dead and about 150 wounded. Thus, it highlighted that these attacks were launched "in revenge for the pure blood of the innocents and the brave men of the armed forces" killed by Washington’s attacks, according to a statement carried by the Iranian public television channel IRIB. The Iranian Army specified that with this wave of attacks it hit "satellite communication systems", "equipment warehouses" and "fighter jet nests" at the Ahmed al-Jaber base in Kuwait, where it would have caused "damages and loss of communications systems and hangars". "The Ahmed al-Jaber base plays a key role in the preparation and support of the United States Army in the Middle East and has had a major impact on its air and surveillance operations," it explained. Additionally, it noted that its forces had also attacked US "radar systems" at the Al Minhad base in the UAE, which it described as "one of the important centers for air support and the movement of foreign forces" in the context of the bombardments against Iran. "The response of the brave men of the Army to any attack by the terrorist US Army will be hard and devastating, and will continue until the final victory and punishment of the aggressor," it concluded. Kuwaiti authorities reported an Iranian attack early on and said their air defense systems were facing missiles and drones from Iran, while the UAE government has not commented so far, something the United States has not done either.

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By SAM McNEIL Jordan, a staunch U.S. ally that hosts American forces in the Mideast, has paid a price for its relationship with Washington, which has made the kingdom’s military bases a target of repeat Iranian strikes. Hundreds of drone and missile attacks have added to other strains on Jordan that include a slumping economy and volatility in the neighboring West Bank, where Israeli settlers have ramped up attacks on Palestinians. Despite the risk of more strikes, Jordanian leaders say they are committed to maintaining the relationship after decades of courting deeper security ties with American officials and offering to be a reliable partner with the West in a region rocked by conflict. Analysts say the alliance offers Jordan a way to guard against Iran’s attempts to destabilize its neighbors. King Abdullah II of Jordan seemed to acknowledge the need for such alliances last year, when he warned that destabilization fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and multiple Israeli military campaigns in the Middle East could trigger chaos far beyond the region. “We are living through wave after wave of disruption, without pause,” he told European lawmakers. “There is no telling where the boundaries of this battleground will end. That, my friends, is a threat to people everywhere.” Jordan embraces Washington to weather stormy Middle East The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is a puzzle-piece-shaped nation bordering Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Israel and the West Bank. More than 11 million Jordanians live between the Jordan River, the Red Sea and eastern deserts strewn with ruins. Besides the threat from Iran, Jordan faces other challenges, such as an economy that has buckled under millions of refugees fleeing regional conflicts. Soaring energy prices and inflation have added to the burden as the tourism sector struggles to draw visitors to landscapes lionized in Hollywood by Peter O’Toole, Harrison Ford and Matt Damon. And next door, growing Israeli settler violence in the West Bank is deeply unsettling to Jordanians who fear instability could drive many of the 2.8 million Palestinians there to flee into the kingdom, said Sean Yom, a professor at Temple University and author of a 2025 book titled “Jordan: Politics in an Accidental Crucible.” Since taking the reins from his father, King Hussein, in 1999, Abdullah has forged ever-stronger links with Washington. The monarch — a fluent English speaker whose dynasty claims to be descended from the Prophet Muhammad — enjoys widespread support among world leaders and Democratic and Republican lawmakers in the U.S. U.S. President Donald Trump once called the king “one of the true great leaders of the world.” Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, also praised his leadership. First lady Jill Biden was a guest at the wedding of Abdullah’s son Hussein to a Saudi aristocrat in 2023. Pope Leo welcomed Abdullah to the Vatican in 2025. As part of its partnership with the West, Jordan provided logistical help and intelligence for the U.S.-led 2003 invasion of Iraq, and it contributed to the fight against Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq. Amer Sabaileh, an independent Jordanian political analyst, said Jordan’s alliance with the U.S. is central to Abdullah’s yearslong campaign to secure his kingdom against danger, including from Iran. Jordanian elites see Iran’s support of Shiite militias in Iraq, armed Palestinian groups and Syrian drug traffickers as direct threats to the royal court, Yom said. “Very few people in Jordan think the Islamic Republic is good for the Middle East,” he said. US military operations rely on a dozen sites in Jordan Amman and Washington signed a defense-cooperation agreement in 2021 that granted U.S. forces and contractors access to 12 military installations across the kingdom. The NATO military alliance opened its first liaison office in the region in Jordan in 2025. In the run-up to the Iran war, Jordan’s sprawling Muwaffaq Salti Air Base became “a key logistics hub” for U.S. C-17 transport planes and about 60 combat aircraft, said David Schenker, a fellow at the Washington Institute. “Jordan provides great strategic depth,” he said, calling the kingdom’s position “essential” to the U.S. campaign against Iran. “This makes Jordan a target, not just targeting U.S. forces but also targeting the king.” About 50,000 U.S. troops are currently deployed across the Middle East, with an unknown number in Jordan. Schenker estimates that at least 8%, or $1.47 billion, of the kingdom’s annual budget comes directly from U.S. grants. Adm. Charles Bradford, commander of the Pentagon department covering the Middle East, said in May that the U.S. military had relocated personnel and assets from its mission against the Islamic State from Iraq to Jordan. The shift was part of a broader, long-running strategy to put more distance between American forces and Iranian missiles. Those troops were enough to draw fire to Jordan from the Islamic Republic. Most of the incoming missiles and drones were knocked down by U.S. air defenses. Speaking Thursday in Vienna, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi defended his country’s right to make its own decisions. “Iran has been attacking us and many other countries in the region long before even this war started,” he said, referring to Iranian “meddling in internal affairs” and other clandestine efforts. “So we do not buy their argument. We are a sovereign country. We were not a party to this war.” Associated Press video journalist Philipp-Moritz Jenne contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump declared Thursday that the U.S. has “virtually unlimited” ammunition and accused those reporting otherwise of being “treasonous,” pushing back against reports that the war with Iran has sharply depleted stockpiles of several critical weapons. “The people and Media Outlets that keep harping on the fact that we have no ammunition (And they are 100% wrong!), are actually treasonous,” Trump wrote in a social media post. “They do it because they would rather see the United States LOSE a War that we’re easily WINNING, than see me WIN!” Trump doubled down in a second post, saying the U.S. has “virtually unlimited amounts of Mid to High Grade Ammunition” and is producing munitions “at levels never seen before.” “We are stockpiling and preparing for any contingency that could happen,” Trump wrote, adding that the U.S. is prioritizing its own supplies before resuming sales to allies. Trump also criticized the Biden administration for providing weapons to Ukraine, claiming it gave away more munitions than the U.S. has used during the Iran war and saying his administration would seek money from Europe for past support. The posts come amid scrutiny of U.S. weapons inventories after months of fighting with Iran. Fox News reported early last month that some analysis has pointed to significant drawdowns of some critical weapons systems, including Tomahawk missiles and Patriot interceptors, while raising concerns about U.S. readiness for a potential future conflict. Reuters first reported on Aug. 4 that the U.S. has used “virtually all” its highly accurate long-range missiles up to that point in the war with Iran. The outlet cited multiple sources familiar with the matter. Following these reports, Trump disputed the claims about depleted munitions. On Aug. 6, he said the U.S. had “massive amounts” of munitions and that large quantities were being manufactured, though he did not provide evidence. Trump also said the “leakers” behind what he called “treasonous statements” about U.S. munitions were being “hunted down” and that his administration would seek “long term jail sentences.” The House on Thursday passed legislation that would bar federal funding from colleges and universities that boycott Israel , sending the measure to the Senate for consideration. The bill passed 237-169, with 33 Democrats joining nearly all Republicans in support of the measure. It must still clear the Senate before it can be sent to President Donald Trump's desk. House Democratic leadership opposed the legislation, arguing it raises free speech concerns and broadly defines boycotts to include Israeli settlements in the West Bank. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he continues to oppose the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement but argued the Republican-backed bill "does not achieve that goal" and would give the Trump administration authority to target colleges and universities. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, a Democratic co-sponsor of the bill, defended the measure, saying it "simply says that if your university takes federal taxpayer dollars, it can't discriminate against academic partnerships or investments with one country." Retired U.S. Marine Corps Col. Mike Jernigan said Thursday that countries are increasingly looking for ways to reduce their dependence on the Strait of Hormuz, arguing the world is "running out of patience" with Iran. Appearing on Fox News' "America Reports," Jernigan said the U.S. military campaign and mounting economic pressure have significantly weakened Tehran's position. "CENTCOM reports that we've struck 170 targets," Jernigan said, adding that Iran's missile attacks have declined dramatically compared to earlier in the conflict. Jernigan also said he expects Iran to continue launching cyberattacks against U.S. infrastructure but expressed confidence in America's cyber defenses. "The Iranians are gasping and reaching out and trying to do anything they can," he said. "They will continue to do cyber attacks, and I am confident in the U.S. military and the U.S. government's ability to defend against those attacks." Looking beyond the battlefield, Jernigan said countries in the region are pursuing new pipeline projects to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, reducing Iran's ability to threaten global energy supplies. "Everybody is running out of patience and has for the last 47 years with Iran," Jernigan said. "We're going to remove any leverage that you think you have about shipping, because all of a sudden we're going to have alternate routes." The State Department on Thursday announced a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the identification or location of Amir Yaryab, a senior cyber official with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. According to the State Department's Rewards for Justice program, Yaryab heads the IRGC Cyber-Electronic Command's Cyber Operations Command and oversees several affiliated groups accused of targeting defense, energy, financial, telecommunications, shipping, airline and media infrastructure in the U.S., Europe and the Middle East. The department said Yaryab also oversees operations by IRGC-linked groups including CyberAv3ngers, Dadeh Afzar Arman and Mehrsam Andisheh Saz Nik, which it said have used malware to target civilian infrastructure around the world. The Rewards for Justice program said it is offering up to $10 million or relocation assistance for information leading to Yaryab's identification or location. The announcement comes as the Trump administration continues to increase pressure on Iran across military, diplomatic and cyber fronts amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that toppling Iran's regime remains Israel's primary objective, saying the country's leadership is now vulnerable after months of conflict. Speaking at an event with senior Israeli defense and military officials in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu said removing Iran's government was Israel's "main mission" and claimed the goal was "within reach." "I am convinced of our ability to remove this threat once and for all ... that is, to topple this regime," Netanyahu said. Netanyahu argued Iran's leadership is "weaker than ever" and "fighting for its life." "Do not mess with us. We have the strength, the determination and the internal unity to defeat you," he added. Vice President JD Vance said Thursday that Iran is "losing their capabilities by the day" and argued Tehran is no longer able to effectively threaten commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz despite continued attacks. "The fundamental reality is that the reason gas prices are so high right now is because the Iranians are shooting at commercial shipping," Vance said during a White House briefing. He accused Iran of continuing attacks even after agreeing to stop targeting commercial vessels. Vance said roughly 15 million barrels of oil moved through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday despite the attacks, arguing the U.S. remains the only country capable of ensuring global energy markets remain supplied. He also said Iran's leverage over the strategic waterway is fading. "I think that they're losing their capabilities by the day," Vance said. "I think they're realizing, by the way, that their control over the Strait of Hormuz is effectively gone, and it's a diminishing asset." Vance also said the Trump administration would not engage with Iran diplomatically unless Tehran ends its attacks on commercial shipping. "The president's been very clear. We're not talking to them, and we're not going to talk to them unless they stop shooting at commercial shipping," Vance said. Vance ended with a message to Tehran: "My advice to the Iranians is stop acting like crazy people and stop shooting at commercial shipping." Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick acknowledged Thursday that he “misspoke” when he said no U.S. service members had died in the Iran war, saying he had confused the conflict with the U.S. military operation in Venezuela. “18 members of our military have died, and to those families my heart breaks and I am so very sorry for their loss,” Lutnick wrote in a social media post. “I was thinking about the Venezuelan military operation where no service members died,” he added. Lutnick issued the correction after President Donald Trump posted on social media that the commerce secretary “had Venezuela on his mind when he said nobody was killed.” “18 people were killed in Iran!” Trump added in the post. Lutnick had said in a Wednesday CNBC interview at the G20 innovation summit that no Americans had died in the Iran conflict while discussing the war, which began in February. In his Thursday post, Lutnick also pointed to the approaching 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and expressed gratitude for U.S. service members. Lutnick, who was CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald at the time of the attacks, lost his brother Gary and hundreds of colleagues when the World Trade Center was attacked. “I am deeply thankful for our military and the sacrifices the men and women who serve our great country make, so such an attack … never happens again,” Lutnick wrote. President Donald Trump has privately discussed with senior aides whether to declare the Iran war over and has indicated he favors the idea, according to a new report, as he publicly signals that the conflict may not last “very much longer.” U.S. officials told The Wall Street Journal that Trump has discussed declaring the war over while telling aides he believes continued economic pressure will eventually force Iran to dismantle its nuclear program or lead to the collapse of the regime. The reported discussions come as the U.S. and Iran continue to exchange fire and compete for control of the Strait of Hormuz. When Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on the report, officials pointed to remarks Trump made Wednesday in the Oval Office. “It’s very simple. Iran could not have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said. “As soon as it’s over, which I don’t think it will be very much longer. I don’t know how much more they can take, but, you know, whatever it is, it doesn’t matter,” Trump added. Trump also said his approach to Iran was not being influenced by the election and argued that his party supports his efforts to prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. “Number one, I'm not running, but my party is running and I'm going to help my party,” Trump said. “But I think my party respects the fact that we're not allowing Iran to have a nuclear weapon. And frankly, other presidents should have done that, but they didn't have whatever it takes to do it.” Trump has pursued an economic pressure campaign in recent weeks to bring Iran back to the negotiating table, though Tehran has shown no sign of backing down. Israel released a Lebanese man from detention Thursday in the first such handover since the latest war with Iran-backed Hezbollah erupted six months ago, with four more Lebanese detainees expected to be freed as the two sides navigate stalled negotiations. Malek Kamal Ghazi, who was captured in October 2025, was handed over by the International Committee of the Red Cross to Lebanese authorities at the Naqoura border crossing, according to Reuters. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Ghazi was among five Lebanese citizens set to be released after authorities determined they had no links to militant groups. Lebanese sources told Reuters that Ghazi and the four others were civilians. The circumstances surrounding Ghazi’s capture were not immediately clear. The release comes as Israel and Lebanon negotiate the return of the remains of Jewish community leaders who were kidnapped and killed in Lebanon in the mid-1980s. Netanyahu’s office said the two countries have made several efforts in recent months to locate the remains, including operations on the ground. The handover also comes as broader negotiations between Israel and Lebanon have struggled to make progress. Lebanese sources told Reuters that 35 Lebanese detainees remained in Israel following Ghazi’s release, including 20 civilians. Another round of talks between Lebanese and Israeli officials is expected to take place in Rome later this month. The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Thursday that Israel would target Iran’s energy and other infrastructure if Tehran attacks the country, threatening to send Iran “deep into the Stone Age and darkness” as tensions in the Middle East escalate. Speaking to Defense Ministry employees, Katz said an Iranian attack would remove any restrictions on how Israel could respond. “An Iranian attack on Israel would free Israel from any existing limitations on attacking Iran,” Katz said, according to Reuters. “We will cripple all of Iran's national military and civilian infrastructure — including energy infrastructure — and return Iran deep into the Stone Age and darkness,” he added. Katz said Israel is prepared both defensively and offensively for a possible attack and that the Israel Defense Forces is ready to respond. He added there were signs that mounting economic pressure in Iran and fears of an uprising could push Tehran to take “desperate measures,” according to the Times of Israel. The warning comes amid a new escalation in fighting between the U.S. and Iran. Washington and Tehran this week 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. Reuters contributed to this report. Oil prices climbed sharply Thursday as renewed fighting between the U.S. and Iran pushed Brent crude closer to $100 a barrel, even as President Donald Trump suggested the U.S. bombing campaign may not last “much longer.” Brent crude, the international benchmark, rose 1.7% to $97.25 a barrel after falling earlier Thursday. West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. benchmark, rose 1.9% to $92.71 a barrel. Oil prices have risen sharply as the renewed conflict between the U.S. and Iran raises concerns that further fighting could disrupt global energy supplies. Trump said Wednesday that he did not expect the U.S. bombing campaign to last “much longer,” suggesting the latest military action could be relatively short-lived. For American consumers and businesses, higher oil prices could mean higher costs for gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and other petroleum products. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Iran fired missiles and drones at Kuwait early Thursday as Tehran continued retaliatory attacks following U.S. bombardments earlier this week. Kuwait’s air defenses intercepted the incoming missiles and drones after sirens sounded across the country, according to Kuwait’s Ministry of Defense, which described the attack as a “blatant Iranian aggression.” Kuwait’s foreign ministry posted a statement on X condemning what it called “repeated heinous Iranian aggressions” as “a direct threat” against the country’s security, stability and sovereignty. “The Ministry reiterates its affirmation that the continuation of these brazen aggressions reflects a hostile approach, constitutes a dangerous escalation that threatens the security and stability of the region, and systematically undermines diplomatic efforts aimed at de-escalation and reducing tensions,” the statement said. The attack followed Iranian strikes targeting what Tehran said were U.S. assets in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait and Iraq. Bahrain and Jordan said their air defense systems intercepted several Iranian attacks Wednesday. Fighting between the U.S. and Iran has intensified after American forces struck Iranian rocket launchers on an island in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday. The U.S. said Iran had planned to use the launchers to fire mines into the strategic waterway. Iran has also threatened oil tankers traveling through the Strait of

Live: The United States is investigating the claims of a bombing at a wedding in Iran, but rules out resuming dialogue "When our army makes mistakes, it learns from them in order to try to improve." This was the statement by U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, who indicated that Washington is trying to determine whether an attack in Kuhestak actually detonated in a house where a wedding was taking place. In the Gaza Strip, Israel advances in its plan against the civilian population and the Security Minister, the far-right Itamar Ben-Gvir, presented a plan to expel the residents of the enclave and send them abroad, a project he described as "realistic." The essentials: - In line with Vice President J.D. Vance. The United States is trying to determine the allegations that its forces killed five civilians at a wedding in Iran. - Washington rules out any attempt at dialogue with Iran while attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz persist. - Israel’s Security Minister, the far-right Itamar Ben-Gvir, presented a plan to expel Gaza’s inhabitants, envisaging the departure of 250,000 people in the first year. - Iran claims it attacked U.S. military installations in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates with missiles and drones. - Kuwait’s air defenses repelled a massive attack with missiles and drones launched by Iran. - Israeli soldiers killed two Palestinian youths in the West Bank after clashes sparked by settler incursions. - Iranian health authorities reported 18 dead and 142 wounded after recent U.S. bombings. Below are the main news of this Thursday, September 3, on the various conflict fronts in the Middle East: U.S.: dialogue will not be resumed while Iran continues bombing ships in the Hormuz Strait The U.S. Vice President, J.D. Vance, who spoke today as a White House spokesperson in the absence of a Press Secretary, told reporters that his country’s diplomacy does not plan to resume peace talks with Iran while attacks against tankers and other ships in the Hormuz Strait persist. "They have to stop. It’s that simple," Vance said during his briefing. J.D. Vance: The U.S. is investigating the airstrike that allegedly hit a wedding The U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance said his country has already opened investigations to determine the veracity of the claims that an airstrike by its forces in the Middle East caused five deaths and nearly 70 injuries at a wedding in Iran. "We are investigating because obviously we care. We want to know," Vance said at a White House press conference, adding: "If we make mistakes, again, this is a big difference between us and Iran, when our army makes mistakes, it learns from them to try to improve." According to the Iranian authorities’ version, five people died immediately as a result of the bombing that hit a house where a wedding was being held in Kuhestak, in Hormozgan Province in the south. A fifth victim died after being transported to a hospital. Netanyahu says toppling the Iranian regime is within reach Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed confidence that the Islamic Republic of Iran could fall soon. "This regime is currently on the verge of collapse. It’s weaker than ever. It fights for its survival," Netanyahu said at an event with military leaders of his country. "I’m convinced we can remove this threat once and for all, that is, topple this regime. That is the fundamental task ahead of us, but it is close. It’s not impossible. It’s within our reach," he said. Netanyahu, after decades of describing the Iranian state, controlled by the clergy, as an existential threat, launched a joint attack against Iran with the United States at the end of February, though President Donald Trump declared a ceasefire in April. Burnham calls Israel’s colonial ambitions in the West Bank unacceptable British Prime Minister Andy Burnham called Israel’s recent decision to extend its colonial plans over the E1 settlement in the West Bank "unacceptable," according to a Downing Street statement released after Burnham’s meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. The meeting focused on issues such as irregular immigration, ties with the European Union, and the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. On this last point, Burnham added that Israeli expansionist policy in the West Bank "only serves to undermine the possibility of a two-state solution." U.S. Vice President J. D. Vance says 15 million barrels of oil circulated through the Hormuz Strait on Wednesday Israel halts a settler for an assault in the Palestinian village of Qusra Israeli police detained on Thursday a settler involved in the invasion of a Palestinian home and the assault on its residents in the village of Qusra, in northern West Bank, on August 29, in the context of the siege that these Israeli groups have maintained against the people for weeks. The detainee is a 19-year-old settler who will be questioned and brought before a court. "It is expected that the Police will request an extension of his detention," says a Police statement. On Saturday, August 29, dozens of settlers invaded a house in Qusra and barricaded themselves inside while the Palestinian family who lived there remained in the house, according to the Israeli Army. Israel seized 20 hectares in the West Bank in July: Amnesty International Amnesty International (AI) reported on Thursday that Israel confiscated about 20 hectares of Palestinian territory in the Jenin district, at the far north of the West Bank, through at least 15 Israeli Army orders. The seizure occurred in Area A of the West Bank, where the Palestinian Authority has exclusive civil and military jurisdiction, according to the Oslo Accords signed in the 1990s. AI says the land seizure aimed to unite the illegal settlements of Emek Dotan and Noa, which are among the 34 new settlements approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government earlier this year. Three Palestinians die in Gaza after Israeli attacks Three Palestinians, including a 15-year-old boy, were killed on Thursday in northern Gaza and in the city of Gaza due to attacks carried out by Israeli troops, according to Shifa Hospital officials, where the victims were taken. The Israeli army said it identified "two terrorists who crossed the Yellow Line and approached the troops in a way that posed an immediate threat." However, Shifa Hospital officials said the two Palestinians died in a "safe zone" west of the so-called yellow line that marks the part of the Gaza Strip controlled by the Israeli army. Another airstrike later killed another Palestinian in Gaza City and seriously wounded two others, the hospital added. The Israeli army confirmed it attacked the area but gave no further details. "It is realistic": Israeli minister presents plan to expel Gaza’s population The Israeli Security Minister, the far-right Itamar Ben Gvir, presented a plan to expel the Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and send them abroad. On the eve of tightly contested Israeli elections, he said the plan contemplates the departure of 250,000 Palestinians from Gaza in the first year, followed by the departure of the remaining roughly two million residents in the next six years. "It is realistic," Ben Gvir said, noting that there were countries "willing" to host Gazans, without specifying which. Forced displacement of civilians in occupied territory is considered a war crime under the Geneva Conventions. The Pentagon extends the deployment of troops in the Middle East to 2027: U.S. media U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is quietly extending the deployment of troops in the Middle East, indicating the conflict could last well into next year, The Wall Street Journal reports, citing anonymous sources. The extension aims to give President Donald Trump options while he waits to see if his economic pressure strategy on Iran will pay off, the American daily reports. "As the conflict prolongs, Pentagon deployment schedules also stretch," the report notes. The prolonged conflict also poses logistical challenges for U.S. troops aboard warships, the report adds. "The loss of logistical capacity in the region further complicates the situation of sailors and Marines aboard those ships," the WSJ states. “The fighting has prevented the United States Navy from refueling in the Middle East, forcing it to rely largely on the remote Diego Garcia island, a military base that the United States shares with the United Kingdom in the Indian Ocean.” Visual investigation by The New York Times concludes a U.S. weapon caused the deadly attack at the wedding in Iran The investigation found that a U.S. weapon struck a residential building in Kuhestak, in southern Iran, where a wedding was taking place. At least four people died, including a four-year-old child and a 16-year-old. Sixty-eight people were injured, according to local authorities. The New York Times verified videos of the site, compared the location with satellite images, and analyzed photographs of fragments of the weapon with an explosives expert, who identified them as consistent with a U.S.-supplied JSOW glide bomb. The paper also found that the wedding site was about 150 meters from a communications tower that was attacked separately. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard chief vows to avenge wedding attack victims Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps chief Ahmad Vahidi promised to avenge the killings of four people at a wedding ceremony, which Tehran blames on the United States. "The pure blood of these oppressed martyrs (...) will not go unpunished and will certainly be avenged," Vahidi stated in a press release broadcast by state television. Israel Katz threatens Iran with destructive retaliation if attacked Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned on Thursday of massive retaliation against Iran’s civilian and energy infrastructures if it were to attack the Jewish state. "An Iranian attack on Israel would release it from any limit to attack Iran," he said during a speech to Defense Ministry employees. "We will paralyze all of Iran’s military and civilian infrastructures, including the energy sector, and return Iran to the darkness and the Stone Age," he added. Six Iranian Navy members die in U.S. attacks: Tasnim Six members of Iran’s naval forces died on Tuesday in U.S. attacks, according to the semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim. "During the criminal attacks carried out by the U.S.-led terrorist army two nights ago, on September 1, in the south of the country, six members of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army’s Navy lost their lives," the report said, without specifying the exact location of their deaths. Katz warns economic pressure could push Iran to "desperate measures" Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said U.S. sanctions are putting strong pressure on Iran, but warned that economic deterioration and Iranian authorities’ fear of an internal uprising could push Tehran to adopt "desperate measures." Washington announced new sanctions last month to intensify pressure on the Iranian economy and resumed airstrikes against the country on Sunday. Katz also issued a fresh warning to Tehran after Iran retaliated by striking U.S. military targets but avoided attacking Israel. "The regime of the ayatollahs in Iran knows very well why it does not attack Israel after we hit it hard on two occasions, dismantled its nuclear program, eliminated the Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, and severely damaged its strategic capabilities," he said. He added that an Iranian attack on Israel would remove any constraint on Israeli response and warned of striking Iran’s military, civilian, and energy infrastructures. Iran claims to have attacked U.S. bases in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates The Iranian army said it attacked American bases in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates in response to U.S. bombings on Iranian territory. According to a military statement released by state television, missiles and drones hit satellite communication systems, equipment depots, and fighter jet hangars at Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base in Kuwait, while at al-Minhad Air Base in the UAE, radar systems of the U.S. army were attacked. Iran’s Parliament security committee chief: Hormuz cannot reopen without Tehran’s approval Ebrahím Azizi, head of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security Committee, said the Hormuz Strait cannot reopen without Tehran’s consent, according to an Al Jazeera report. Azizi also asserted that Iran’s adversaries have retreated more than 800 kilometers from the area and are now resorting to "malicious actions" because they have not managed to "unlock" the strategic maritime route. He also argued that the targets Iran attacked received "the strongest blows," as a demonstration of Tehran’s ability to fulfill its threats. Iran warned in August to the U.S. that it would respond to an Israeli offensive in southern Lebanon Reuters reported on Thursday that Iran warned the United States in August that it would respond forcefully if Israel launches an offensive against the Ali al-Taher mountain range in southern Lebanon, where, according to three officials familiar with the message, Iranian forces alongside Hezbollah fighters are stationed. This shows Tehran’s direct involvement in fighting in southern Lebanon and its willingness to respond to an Israeli attack in that strategic area, which would house an underground command center and Hezbollah weapons depots. Israeli army says it killed two Palestinians after stone-throwing in the West Bank The Israeli army said its troops killed two Palestinians aged 16 and 19 in the village of Al Mughair, in the West Bank, after residents allegedly threw stones at soldiers and Israeli settlers. The Armed Forces noted that they responded with fire to "eliminate the threat" and said the events are under investigation. The village council chief, however, denounced that settlers accompanied by Israeli forces stormed the town, attacked homes, and stole sheep.

Translated by AI US$93.4450 Iran’s missile and drone attacks on U.S. bases in Kuwait have heightened tensions due to an escalation of the conflict across the region. The attacks followed U.S. strikes on Iran and Iran’s response against Jordan and Bahrain. These escalations could put oil facilities and shipping routes at risk throughout the Gulf. They could also disrupt flows through the Strait of Hormuz. These risks may keep a geopolitical risk premium in oil prices and sustain near-term upside momentum in Brent and WTI. But the conflict might not continue with the same intensity. President Trump said the renewed conflict might not last much longer. His top officials also do not want a further escalation before the November midterm elections. Growing popular opposition to the war puts political pressure on the administration. A cease-fire or a period of greater calm could ease fears about supply and push oil prices lower. But until definitive signs of de-escalation reach the market, oil may remain volatile. The daily chart for WTI crude shows that the price has broken out of the triangle pattern at $87. The price then moved to the initial resistance at $92.50. After touching that resistance, price is consolidating in a tight range. A breakout above $92.50 would push the price toward $96.50 in the near term. The price remains well above the 50- and 200-day SMAs. The RSI also remains above the midpoint, signaling positive price action in the WTI crude market. The weekly chart for WTI crude also shows a positive structure after the price broke the downtrend line in March 2026. The price remains above the 10- and 20-week SMAs, pointing to further gains. The 4-hour chart for WTI also shows a near-term positive price structure. The chart shows the formation of a rounded bottom pattern, as noted in the prior analysis. The price has surpassed $87 and moved toward the $93.80 area in the near term. A breakout above $93.80 could push the price toward the $97 area. However, the RSI has reached the short-term overbought level, which could trigger a pullback toward the $87–$88 region. Nevertheless, the overall price structure remains bullish, and a breakout above $97 would open the way for more gains in the near term. Brent crude has traded above $95. The price now pushes toward $102, which is the immediate resistance. The $95 level becomes near-term support in the Brent market. A breakout above $102 would pave the way for a strong move toward $115. Conversely, a break below $95 would signal further declines. The 50-day SMA is now crossing above the 200-day SMA, suggesting a positive outlook for the Brent market. The RSI also remains above the midpoint, indicating further upside toward the $102 level. The weekly Brent chart shows the price reaching $99.25, very close to the $100 resistance. A breakout above the $100 area would likely open the way to a strong push toward the $120 region. But as long as price stays above $80, Brent is likely to remain bullish in the near term. Oil prices are supported by rising tensions in the Gulf. These tensions raise the risk of supply disruptions. A breakout above $92.50 in WTI could push the price toward $97. Brent also maintains a positive outlook above $95, with $100 and $102 as key resistance levels. But both markets could experience a short-term pullback after recent gains. A cease-fire could weaken the geopolitical risk premium, but further escalation could lead to higher prices. In my view, crude may continue to rise as long as the $80 level holds in both WTI and Brent markets. Read more: Brent targets $100 after resumption of attacks between the U.S. and Iran Muhammad Umair, PhD, is a financial markets analyst, founder and president of Gold Predictors, and an investor focused on forex and precious metals markets. He uses his technical expertise to challenge prevailing assumptions and capitalize on misperceptions.

- i24NEWS - Middle East - Iranian drones strike the Gulf.. Attacks on American bases in Kuwait, the UAE, and Bahrain Iranian drones strike the Gulf.. Attacks on American bases in Kuwait, the UAE, and Bahrain Tehran announces targeted American bases in the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan, while Manama confirms interception of Iranian air attacks and a fire breaking out in a residential complex in Kuwait following a drone downing. Authorities in Kuwait reported a fire inside a residential complex in the capital, Kuwait City, after it was hit by an Iranian drone. The Fire and Rescue Department said its teams managed to bring the fire under control with no injuries reported. In the UAE, the Iranian Army announced that it struck the Al Dhafra and Al-Minhad bases with dozens of drones, claiming the attacks targeted radar systems and military sites. It also said radar facilities and information-gathering centers belonging to American forces at the Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain were hit by drone strikes. Separately, the IRGC announced it targeted American sites and interests in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan, in addition to Erbil in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. It said the attacks included the residence of an American commander at Ali Al-Salem base in Kuwait, as well as a drone hangar and launching site, claiming several enemy personnel were killed and drones destroyed on the base. This post can’t be displayed because social networks cookies have been deactivated. You can activate them by clicking. In Bahrain, the army announced that air defense systems were able to intercept and destroy several Iranian air attacks, as the confrontation widens and reciprocal assaults escalate in the Gulf region.

Jordan keeps US alliance despite Iranian drone and missile attacks Jordan is standing by its US alliance despite repeated Iranian drone and missile attacks. The stance underlines Amman's security dependence on Washington amid economic strain and regional unrest. Jordan, a key US ally in the Middle East that hosts American forces, has come under repeated Iranian drone and missile attacks, putting its military bases in the crosshairs and adding to the strain on the kingdom. The pressure comes at a time when Jordan is also dealing with a weak economy and growing volatility in the neighbouring West Bank. Even with the risk of more strikes, Jordanian leaders say they will maintain their relationship with Washington after decades of building deeper security ties with the US and positioning the kingdom as a reliable Western partner in a conflict-hit region. Analysts say the alliance is also seen by Jordan as a way to guard against Iran's efforts to destabilise its neighbours. Jordan, which borders Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Israel and the West Bank, is home to more than 11 million people. Alongside the threat from Iran, it faces economic stress linked to the arrival of millions of refugees from regional conflicts. High energy prices and inflation have added to the burden, while the tourism sector has struggled to recover. Tensions in the West Bank have also raised concern in Jordan, where many fear instability could push Palestinians into the kingdom. Sean Yom, a professor at Temple University and author of a 2025 book on Jordan, said the rise in Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians was especially unsettling because of fears that many of the 2.8 million Palestinians in the West Bank could flee. Since succeeding his father King Hussein in 1999, King Abdullah II has steadily deepened ties between Amman and Washington. The monarch has strong support among world leaders as well as Democratic and Republican lawmakers in the US. Donald Trump once called him "one of the true great leaders of the world", while Joe Biden also praised his leadership. In 2023, US First Lady Jill Biden attended the wedding of Abdullah's son Hussein to a Saudi aristocrat, and in 2025 Pope Leo received the king at the Vatican. As part of its partnership with the West, Jordan provided logistical support and intelligence during the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, and later took part in the fight against Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq. Independent Jordanian analyst Amer Sabaileh said the alliance with the US is central to Abdullah's long effort to shield the kingdom from threats, including from Iran. Yom said Jordanian elites see Iran's support for Shiite militias in Iraq, armed Palestinian groups and Syrian drug traffickers as direct threats to the royal court. "Very few people in Jordan think the Islamic Republic is good for the Middle East," he said. Jordan's military role has expanded in recent years. A 2021 defence cooperation agreement gave US forces and contractors access to 12 military sites in the kingdom, and NATO opened its first liaison office in the region there in 2025. Before the Iran war, Jordan's Muwaffaq Salti Air Base had become "a key logistics hub" for US C-17 transport aircraft and around 60 combat aircraft, according to David Schenker of the Washington Institute. "Jordan provides great strategic depth," he said, calling the kingdom's position "essential" to the US campaign against Iran. "This makes Jordan a target, not just targeting US forces but also targeting the king." About 50,000 US troops are currently deployed across the Middle East, with an unknown number in Jordan. Schenker estimated that at least 8 per cent of Jordan's annual budget, or USD 1.47 billion, comes directly from US grants. In May, Adm. Charles Bradford, who heads the Pentagon department covering the Middle East, said the US had moved personnel and assets tied to its mission against Islamic State from Iraq to Jordan as part of a longer strategy to place more distance between American forces and Iranian missiles. Even so, the presence of those troops drew fire from Iran, though most incoming missiles and drones were intercepted by US air defences. Speaking in Vienna on Thursday, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi defended his country's right to act independently. "Iran has been attacking us and many other countries in the region long before even this war started," he said, referring to Iranian "meddling in internal affairs" and other covert activity. "So we do not buy their argument. We are a sovereign country. We were not a party to this war." The broader concern has also been underlined by King Abdullah, who told European lawmakers last year, "We are living through wave after wave of disruption, without pause," and added, "There is no telling where the boundaries of this battleground will end. That, my friends, is a threat to people everywhere." Together, the warnings and the continued military partnership capture Jordan's effort to hold on to its US alliance while facing attacks and wider regional instability. With PTI Inputs

As Kuwait’s air defense systems were activated to intercept Iranian missile and drone strikes, media outlets affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reported that US military bases in the country were targeted. Tasnim News Agency, affiliated with the IRGC, wrote on Thursday, September 3: “US bases in Kuwait came under attack from Iranian missiles and drones.” The news agency provided no further details regarding specific targets, the extent of damage, or potential casualties resulting from these attacks. The Kuwaiti military announced in a statement that its air defense systems were activated to counter missile and drone attacks originating from Iran. Kuwaiti officials urged citizens to comply with security instructions and follow news exclusively through official channels. United States Central Command (CENTCOM) has not yet commented on the fresh attacks targeting its bases in Kuwait or on any associated damage. The IRGC had previously claimed to have targeted Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait through a combined missile and drone attack. The military institution claimed that the quarters of a US commander, drone hangars, and deployment areas within the base were damaged, resulting in American fatalities. The United States and Kuwait have not confirmed these claims. Limited access for independent media to military bases across Persian Gulf states makes direct verification of damage levels difficult. Recent satellite imagery capable of independently clarifying the claims of both sides has not been released. Iran’s renewed attacks follow a wave of US strikes targeting IRGC military positions in southern Iran. CENTCOM stated that IRGC air defense centers, radar systems, naval equipment and facilities, minelaying capabilities, and communications hubs were targeted in that operation. Following those strikes, the IRGC and the Islamic Republic of Iran Army announced that US military bases and deployment centers in Kuwait, Jordan, Bahrain, the UAE, and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq were targeted by missile and drone strikes.

The Iranian army announced the targeting of sites belonging to the American Army at the Ahmad al-Jaber in Kuwait and al-Manha at the base in the United Arab Emirates, using missiles and suicide drones. The Iranian statement said the attacks targeted satellite communications systems, equipment depots, and fighter jet hangars at Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base, causing damage to communications systems and aircraft hangars. The statement added that the attacks also targeted troop deployment sites and U.S. radar systems at al-Manha base in the United Arab Emirates. The Iranian army announced the targeting of sites belonging to the American Army at Ahmad al-Jaber in Kuwait and al-Manha in the UAE, using missiles and suicide drones. The Iranian army announced the targeting of sites belonging to the American Army at Ahmad al-Jaber in Kuwait and al-Manha in the UAE, using missiles and suicide drones. According to the Iranian statement, the attacks targeted satellite communications systems, equipment depots, and fighter jet hangars at Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base, causing damage to communications systems and aircraft hangars. The statement added that the attacks also targeted troop deployment sites and the U.S. radar systems at al-Manha base in the UAE. The Iranian army announced the targeting of sites belonging to the American Army at Ahmad al-Jaber in Kuwait and al-Manha in the UAE, using missiles and suicide drones. The Iranian army announced the targeting of sites belonging to the American Army at Ahmad al-Jaber in Kuwait and al-Manha in the UAE, using missiles and suicide drones. According to the Iranian statement, the attacks targeted satellite communications systems, equipment depots, and fighter jet hangars at Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base, causing damage to communications systems and aircraft hangars. The statement added that the attacks also targeted troop deployment sites and the U.S. radar systems at al-Manha base in the UAE. Comments are published in real time and may be reviewed later. Nazareth: Two young men were killed after being subjected to a shooting incident. Nazareth: A 25-year-old man was killed after being subjected to a shooting incident. Yair Netanyahu launches an unprecedented attack on Ben-Gvir: 'Minister of TikTok and has turned the police into a left-wing tool and risks right-wing rule.' Two young men killed and a third seriously injured in a horrific road accident on Route 854 in the Upper Galilee. Lawyer Youssef Shaban: A 11th-grade student detained in Georgia for about a year, and we will work to bring him back to the country.

The Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned this Thursday Iran's nocturnal attacks against the country, describing them as a flagrante violation of its sovereignty and of international law. “These attacks constitute a flagrante violation of Kuwait’s sovereignty, a direct threat to its security and stability and to that of its citizens and residents, and a serious infringement of international law, the United Nations Charter, and Security Council Resolution 2817,” Foreign Affairs stated in a press release. The ministry also denounced the attacks as a “dangerous escalation” that threatens regional security and stability, and that “systematically undermines” diplomatic efforts aimed at de-escalation and reducing tensions. The ministry also underscored that the Gulf country reserves the full right to “take all necessary measures” to safeguard its sovereignty and defend its territory. In this context, Qatar also published a statement expressing its condemnation of the recent attacks by the Islamic Republic against Kuwait, describing them as a “flagrante violation.” This new offensive takes place within a rapid escalation of violence in the Middle East, triggered by the bombings that the United States carried out against installations of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. Washington justified its intervention as a measure to curb Iranian aggression against merchant ships in the Strait of Hormuz and to protect its troops in the region. In response, Tehran launched a wave of defense missiles and drones against U.S. bases located in Jordan, Bahrain, Iraq, and Kuwait, a deterioration of the security environment that Gulf countries fear could drag the region into a generalized conflict.

The Iranian army announced the strike on American military sites at the Ahmed Al-Jaber Base in Kuwait, using missiles and suicide drones, according to the Iranian Army Public Relations. In a statement released on Thursday, the public relations office said the attack targeted several locations inside the base, including satellite communications systems, equipment depots, and hangars housing American combat aircraft. Tehran talks of damage and losses. The statement added that the strikes, according to the Iranian army, were “in response to the killing of a number of civilians and Iranian armed forces personnel,” noting that the attacks caused damage and losses to the communications systems and the American combat aircraft hangars inside the Ahmed Al-Jaber base. The statement did not specify the extent of the damage or losses claimed to have afflicted the American sites, nor did it provide further details about the nature of the targeting or timing. Targeting the Al-Manha base in the Emirates. In the same vein, the Iranian army said it targeted positions of troops and radar systems belonging to the American army at the Al-Manha base in the UAE, in another attack using missiles and suicide drones. The statement noted that the Ahmed Al-Jaber base plays a “central role” in logistics and supply operations for the American army in the West Asia region, while the Al-Manha base, according to the Iranian army, is one of the important hubs for supporting and transporting foreign forces by air. Escalation against American sites. These announced strikes come amid rising tensions between Iran and the United States, with Tehran continuing to target American military sites in the region, according to the Iranian army, at a time when the region is experiencing heightened security and military tension.

The Iranian military announced today that it carried out rocket and drone attacks targeting American military bases in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, in a new escalation with the United States, despite threats from U.S. President Donald Trump to carry out more strikes against Iran. The Iranian army, in a statement carried by state television, said its forces targeted this morning the communications systems via satellite, and depots of equipment and hangars of fighter aircraft belonging to American forces at Ahmed al-Jaber Air Base in Kuwait, using rockets and drones. The statement added that American troop deployment sites and their radar systems at Al-Manha air base in the UAE were also subjected to attacks with Iranian rockets and drones. These attacks come amid a continuing confrontation between Tehran and Washington, with the scope of the confrontation expanding to include sites linked to American forces in several regional countries. In response, Kuwait announced that its air defenses repelled attacks with Iranian rockets and drones, and the Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry described the assault as a direct threat to Kuwait’s security, stability, and the safety of its citizens and residents on its territory, deeming it a violation of international law.

The Iranian armed forces said on Thursday that they carried out attacks with missiles and drones on bases used by the United States in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. In a statement from the Iranian army, the base “Ahmad al-Jaber” in Kuwait was subjected to shelling, in response to American attacks on Iran. The army added that its forces targeted with missiles and drones the communications systems of the U.S. Army’s satellite networks, equipment depots, and bombing aircraft hangars. It said the attacks caused damage and losses to communications systems and aircraft hangars inside the base. The statement also referred to strikes on the gathering points of American soldiers and radar systems at the “Manhad” base in the UAE. On Wednesday, the Kuwaiti army announced that its air defenses repelled missile and drone attacks by Iran, while authorities said they controlled a fire that broke out in a residential compound in the capital after it was targeted by a drone. The United States and Israel began on February 28, 2026, an aggression against Iran, during which it closed the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for oil exports and global supply chains. Iran responded with attacks on countries in the region, and on what it described as “American and Israeli targets” in the region, before reaching a ceasefire. On June 18, Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding to end hostilities and reopen the Strait of Hormuz to navigation, but it later faltered due to disagreements over its implementation and the security of the waterway.

Iran Strikes Back At US Targets In Jordan, Kuwait And Bahrain Despite Trump's Warning The Iranian strikes came hours after the US military launched a fresh wave of attacks on targets across southern Iran. Iran launched a fresh wave of ballistic missile and drone attacks targeting US military interests in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain early Wednesday, defying US President Donald Trump’s warning of a “much harder and higher" response. The Iranian strikes came hours after the US military launched a fresh wave of attacks across southern Iran. Washington said the strikes targeted IRGC infrastructure following recent attempted attacks “against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and against American service members." Recommended Stories - Could More Lives Have Been Saved? Warning Signs Were Visible Before Nepal-China Disaster: Report - 'They Knew Exactly What I'd Do': Netanyahu Claims Officials Deliberately Didn't Wake Him On Oct 7 - US Iran War | US Forces Attack Jiroft Airport In Iran’s Kerman Province | Trump Iran News | News18 - Iran Vows ‘Harsh Punishment’ After New US Strikes, Defies Trump’s Retaliation Threat | News18 Jordan Intercepts 10 Missiles In Jordan, Iran’s IRGC said it launched a heavy ballistic missile attack on a US Marine Corps base. Iranian media identified the facility as Camp Titin, located near the Gulf of Aqaba. Iranian news agency Tasnim reported that the attack targeted US forces and claimed a “large number" of American troops were killed. The claim has not been independently verified. Jordan’s military gave a different account, saying its air defences intercepted and destroyed 10 of 13 ballistic missiles launched from Iran. The remaining three fell in remote areas away from populated centres, adding that no casualties were reported. Jordanian state television later reported fresh sirens as the Iranian attacks continued. Two US officials told Reuters there were no reported casualties at US facilities in Jordan based on initial information. Kuwait, Bahrain Also Targeted Kuwait also came under attack, with its military saying air defences were responding to “hostile missile and drone attacks". It was the first reported Iranian attack on Kuwait in more than a month. Iranian media reported that missiles and drones were launched towards US-linked facilities in the country, while loud explosions and warning sirens were heard. Further details on damage or casualties were not immediately available. In Bahrain, Iran’s army said it launched a wave of drone attacks against radar installations and areas of Sheikh Isa Airbase, where it claimed US forces are stationed. Iran’s Tasnim news agency described the operation as the 29th phase of “Operation Thunder" and said Tehran was prepared for a “crushing and extensive response" to further attacks. Bahrain’s Interior Ministry issued a public safety alert on X, urging residents and citizens to remain calm, move to the nearest safe location and follow official updates. Trump Warned Of ‘Much Harder’ Attack After the US launched its latest attacks across Iran, Trump warned Tehran against retaliation. “If the failed Nation of Iran retaliates for this very justified attack, they will be hit again at a much harder and higher level, but it will not be the biggest attack of them all, that is waiting in the wings and, when it is over, there will be very little left of the Islamic Republic of Iran!" Trump said in a post on Truth Social. Iranian officials nevertheless vowed to respond. IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebi said the US would “will regret its new attacks," saying that “severe punishment awaits the aggressors.", while Tasnim later reported that Iranian forces had begun targeting US bases and interests across the region. The escalation also came after a US strike in Sirik, southern Iran, where the Iranian Red Crescent said five people, including a child, were killed and more than 50 others wounded at a wedding ceremony. It was not immediately clear what target the US military was seeking to hit in Sirik County. Washington has yet to comment on the reported strike. (With inputs from agencies) Quick Answers The ongoing conflict could have several long-term implications. The depletion of US missile and interceptor stocks is raising concerns about Washington's ability to defend its homeland and respond to threats from China and Russia. Additionally, there are risks that the crisis could widen beyond the Middle East, as reports suggest Iran's elite forces could target shipping routes and ports across East Asia. Host nations of US bases are also pushing for de-escalation to protect civilians.

A federal judge on Friday extended her prohibition against the U.S. Postal Service implementing President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to limit mail voting during the midterms, putting another major obstacle in the way of the administration as the first states begin sending out mail ballots. The preliminary injunction replaces a temporary order the judge previously granted blocking the Postal Service’s plan until Sept. 10. Also Friday the U.S. Treasury announced that it imposed sanctions on the Turkish bank Golden Global Yatirim Bankasi Anonim Sirketi as part of the Trump administration’s latest effort to sever “critical financial lifelines” for the Iranian government. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The global economy, meanwhile, continues to roil. Diesel hit a record price in the U.S., soaring to an average of $5.85 a gallon for the first time as the war disrupts the world’s flow of fuel. Here's the latest: Trump administration scrubs data on gender-based bullying from major school civil rights survey The administration quietly released an update to the survey on civil rights in schools that was scrubbed of all data related to nonbinary students or bullying based on gender identity. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The numbers come from the Education Department’s Civil Rights Data Collection, a survey of nearly every public school in the nation. The release this week covers the 2023-2024 school year, when the survey included “nonbinary” as a gender category alongside male and female. However an AP analysis shows that in every column for information related to gender identity, the numbers were replaced with a code indicating “Suppressed in Compliance with Executive Order.” That refers to an order Trump signed on Inauguration Day calling for the government to define sex as only male or female. The Education Department said in a statement that the Office for Civil Rights would release more data in coming weeks. It also said the administration is “realigning the functions of OCR to align with its statutory mandate.” Advertisement Article continues below this ad ▶ Read more Plaintiffs’ lawyer says case of Stars and Stripes firings is not over Democracy Defenders Fund attorney Taryn Wilgus Null said the judge’s decision Friday not to block the dismissals emphasizes the “high burden” that plaintiffs have in seeking preliminary injunction, as the plaintiffs did in this case. She noted in a statement that the ruling is not the final word in the litigation. Advertisement Article continues below this ad “While we are disappointed in the decision, we fully expect to prevail after we have an opportunity to take discovery and all the facts are revealed,” Null said. ▶ Read more Judge refuses to block Pentagon from firing 3 Stars and Stripes staffers over CBS interview The judge declined Friday to block the firings of the staffers, who claim they were illegally disciplined for speaking out about the military news outlet’s need to maintain editorial independence. Advertisement Article continues below this ad U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, who was nominated to the bench by Trump, ruled that the journalists are unlikely to successfully prove that the Pentagon violated their First Amendment free speech rights. He said Stars and Stripes’ editorial independence “is not at stake here” and plaintiffs “failed to demonstrate a chill.” Publisher Max Lederer, editor-in-chief Erik Slavin and Middle East reporter Lara Korte sued last Thursday in Washington to challenge their firings by the Pentagon, which partially funds the news outlet. Slavin says he was dismissed for insubordination after giving an interview in which he objected to potential censorship by the military. Korte participated in the same interview. Their lawsuit says they were punished for publishing a report on deteriorating conditions aboard the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln. Postmaster general defends Postal Service amid mail ballot controversy David Steiner released a statement in the wake of an anonymous whistleblower’s report advising Congress that the agency was rushing a new system to regulate mail ballots this fall that could disenfranchise millions. It is creating the system at Trump’s direction as part of his order to limit mail voting. Advertisement Article continues below this ad “We stand behind both the rigor of our process and the resulting system,” Steiner said, adding: “We welcome thoughtful questions and appropriate oversight, and we are committed to transparency, accountability, and working constructively with election officials, Congress, the courts, and all stakeholders.” His statement was issued an hour before a federal judge extended her ban on the Postal Service requiring use of the system before November’s midterm election. Election officials warned that they cannot comply with its requirements in time. Acting Army secretary notes high stakes as he starts new job In his first public statement since Trump appointed him, Acting Army Sec. Adam Telle said he’s grateful to the president and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for understanding “exactly how high the stakes are.” Advertisement Article continues below this ad Telle did not mention the ongoing war with Iran. But he said it’s his job to equip American soldiers with “every cutting-edge advantage needed to completely dominate our enemies and return home safely.” Telle was the top civilian leader in the Army Corps of Engineers, overseeing the nation’s dams, harbors and flood protection projects. He spent 20 years working for Republican senators and in the White House during Trump’s first term. He replaces Dan Driscoll, who resigned without a public explanation. However tensions between Driscoll and Hegseth were widely reported. Federal judge extends block on Trump executive order seeking to limit mail voting in the midterms The judge extended her prohibition against the U.S. Postal Service implementing Trump’s executive order seeking to limit mail voting during the midterms, putting another major obstacle in the way of the administration as the first states begin sending out mail ballots. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The decision from U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani in Boston to issue a preliminary injunction replaces a temporary order she had granted blocking the Postal Service’s plan until Sept. 10. The Trump administration already appealed Talwani’s restraining order, and it’s likely the latest order will now be included in that appeal. The administration is running out of time to make big changes in voting procedures. North Carolina began sending out its first mail ballots Friday and more states will swiftly follow. ▶ Read more ICE officer pleads not guilty to lying about shooting and is ordered released from federal custody The officer was ordered released Friday after pleading not guilty to lying to investigators about the circumstances that led to the shooting of a Venezuelan man during the Minnesota immigration crackdown last winter. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The federal indictment accuses Christian Castro of falsely telling investigators that he was attacked with a broom and shovel before he opened fire, injuring Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in January. Castro was shackled during a brief court hearing in Texas after he turned himself in Thursday evening. The judge ordered him released on a $75,000 unsecured bond and with a GPS ankle monitor. It’s the first DOJ prosecution of a federal officer for actions during this year’s massive Operation Metro Surge, which brought thousands of agents to the Twin Cities and led to protests, arrests and the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens. Castro’s attorney urged people not to rush to judgment without learning all the facts and let him “have his day in court.” Advertisement Article continues below this ad ▶ Read more Trump suggests communities rejecting data centers may face ‘poverty, crime, squalor’ The president continued his full-throated recent defense of data centers in the face of polls showing bipartisan opposition to them around the country. “I look at data centers very, very carefully,” Trump said, arguing that they can “lower taxes” and “create tremendous wealth.” Advertisement Article continues below this ad “If you want to go through poverty, crime, and squalor, I would say don’t approve data centers,” Trump added of communities opposing them. “You know, you have your choice.” That followed the president posting on his social media site earlier in the week that “The only reason that communities throughout the U.S.A. should not want Data Centers is if they want to end up being backwards and poor.” Widow of airman killed in Mideast is upset she was told Iran wasn’t a war while sorting out benefits The widow of an airman killed on a combat mission in the Middle East said it took a viral social media post to get resolution from the Pentagon on issues related to her husband’s benefits and basic pay months after his death. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Maj. Alex Klinner, 33, was one of six crew members of a KC-135 refueling aircraft that crashed in western Iraq in March while supporting operations against Iran. The Air Force reached out to his widow, Libby Klinner, this week to clarify that his final paycheck would include hazard pay and combat-related tax breaks. She had voiced frustration on social media at being told by a military officer that her husband was ineligible for those benefits because “we were not at war.” “My husband lost his life because we’re in a war, and then I was told that because it’s not technically a war, we lose out on something,” Klinner told The Associated Press. “It all comes down to principle.” Judge to decide ‘very shortly’ whether prosecutors could seek new Reflecting Pool charges against ex-Olympian During a hearing on Friday, David Hearn’s attorneys urged D.C. Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman to dismiss the Maryland resident’s case with “prejudice,” which would block U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office from refiling the felony charge against the former Olympic canoeist. The judge didn’t rule from the bench after hearing attorneys’ arguments. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Hearn’s lawyers say Trump administration officials have continued to falsely accuse the Maryland resident of vandalizing the reflecting pool despite Pirro’s decision to drop the case on July 31. Hearn was charged with one count of property destruction. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Spence told Edelman that Pirro’s office has no plans to seek another grand jury indictment of Hearn. But the prosecutor said that plan could change if any new evidence emerges. Hearn, 67, of Bethesda, Maryland, competed in three Summer Olympics. Supreme Court gives Republican campaign committees a win on TV ad rates ahead of midterms The Supreme Court sided with Republicans in a dispute over campaign ad prices on Friday, clearing a legal roadblock to political parties getting cheaper TV ad time ahead of the midterm elections. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The justices halted, for now, a lower-court ruling in favor of Democratic candidates who argued that cheaper broadcast ads should be limited to candidates. It’s the latest election-related appeals to come before the high court ahead of the pivotal November contests. Trump says he can ‘understand’ what Vance was saying in not calling Iran fighting a war Asked about the vice president suggesting on Thursday that the fighting in Iran isn’t a war, Trump said the conflict is “not a big thing.” “I can understand what he’s saying. It’s a military conflict, but it’s very intimate,” Trump said of Vance’s assessment. “And I could see somebody not calling it a war.” Advertisement Article continues below this ad The U.S. continues to bomb Iran with the war now in its sixth month. Yet Trump said, “I would say that it’s intermittent” in terms of fighting, adding, “We’re not fighting right now. There’s no fighting.” The president once suggested he’d wrap up the war in Iran in a matter of weeks. Asked when fighting might actually conclude now, he offered, “I want to leave so that the next president doesn’t have to worry about it.” Trump says he’ll host a state dinner for China’s Xi on Sept. 24 Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to visit the White House later this month, and Trump confirmed there will be a state dinner in his honor. Advertisement Article continues below this ad “We look forward to it. He’s a great gentleman. We get along great,” Trump said of Xi. “We have a very good trading relationship. And, you know, they’re a competitor and all of that. But we have a very good relationship with President Xi.” Trump noted that the new White House helipad he has been building on the White House lawn would be ready in time for Xi’s visit. “We’ve done very well with China,” Trump added. “And China and I have a very good relationship.” Trump announces executive orders on food processing and culling grey wolves The president said he was signing two orders, one of which is designed to allow farmers and ranchers “the right to process their own food.” Advertisement Article continues below this ad Trump said the order would break up what he suggested was a near-monopoly held by four major meat processing firms. He didn’t name those companies, but said two were based in Brazil. The president said the move would ultimately help lower food prices. Trump also announced that he’d sign an action meant to allow for culling populations of grey wolves from Mexico, Canada and other places. Surrounded by farmers and ranchers from Arizona and other western states, who described wolves attacking their livestock and dogs, Trump said the action means, “You’ll be able to protect your herd.” Advertisement Article continues below this ad Trump says his super PAC will spend on the midterms — but provides few details on how Asked about MAGA, Inc., which has at least $400 million in campaign funds, Trump said, “I’m going to be making contributions to various campaigns” that “I think are good people.” Pressed on how he’d decided which candidates to support, Trump said, “I sit down, and I say, ‘Let’s do this.’” “I’m going to spend whatever amount of money necessary to try and help us,” Trump said of Republicans running in November’s midterm elections. Advertisement Article continues below this ad He added, “This is my money,” however, and said it was “separate” from funds controlled by the Republican National Committee. The president also said he could hold some of the funds until the elections in 2028 “if that’s what I want.” Trump weighs in on Clancy mistrial, calls the killings a ‘horrible tragedy’ The president said he followed television news coverage of the trial in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Advertisement Article continues below this ad “It’s a terrible situation. Look, she did a horrible, horrible thing,” Trump said of Lindsay Clancy. “Can’t be worse. But you’ll find out what the price to pay is. There’ll be a price — a mental institution or jail or something.” A judge earlier Friday declared a mistrial after jurors said they could not reach a unanimous verdict on whether she was criminally responsible when she strangled her three young children. ▶ Read more Trump vents about high interest rates after strong jobs report The president expressed his anger that U.S. interest rates climbed in response to the solid August jobs report. Advertisement Article continues below

By AMIR VAHDAT KUHESTAK, Iran (AP) — Women with their children were gathered in the house and yard, waiting for the bride and groom to arrive to kick off a wedding celebration in this small town in southern Iran. Then an explosion turned the scene to carnage. The town of Kuhestak is still reeling from a barrage of strikes that killed five people during an American bombardment of southern Iran on Tuesday evening. Lampposts at the entrance to the town displayed large posters of four of the dead — a 4-year-old boy, a 16-year-old and two women. Another woman, one of more than 60 people wounded in the blasts, died Thursday at a hospital. On Friday, an Associated Press team made a rare visit to the town on the coast overlooking the Strait of Hormuz. Within a densely built neighborhood of houses and unpaved alleys stood the compound of the Mallahi family, which was struck as relatives celebrated their daughter’s wedding. A U.S. weapons expert who reviewed images from the scene said the evidence suggests the strikes were carried out with American guided bombs. Blast left a gaping hole in the roof Ali Mallahi, a cousin of the bride, pointed to a gaping hole in the roof of a room that took a direct hit in one of the compound’s four houses. Big cracks ran through walls decorated with floral designs. Windows were shattered, and twisted sections of roofing and metal framework lay across the courtyard, among carpets and household appliances that the family had pulled out of other damaged rooms. Video of the immediate aftermath aired in Iranian media showed colorful decorations and palm fronds strewn across the ground. Weddings in the area are traditionally segregated by gender, and on Tuesday evening, roughly 150 women were gathered in the house, while the men held a separate celebration in another building about 50 meters (yards) away, Mallahi said. A strike hit the room where the women were due to be served dinner, but at the time, celebrations were only just getting started, Mallahi said. The bride and groom had not yet arrived. “Thank God, the casualties were not higher,” he said. The father of the bride, his uncle, is also named Ali Mallahi. Sasan Zarei, a neighbor, said she rushed to the Mallahis’ home and helped people out of the rubble. “Most of the injured were kids. The scenes were very heartbreaking.” Vance says US is investigating U.S. Vice President JD Vance said Thursday that he was briefed on the wedding attack. “We’re investigating it very fully,” he said. He said the U.S. never targets civilians in combat but added, “Sometimes things happen.” Residents described to the AP how a series of heavy explosions shook Kuhestak, lighting up the night sky. The blasts came amid the latest round of American bombardment in southern Iran that the U.S. military said targeted air defenses, radar systems and maritime assets. Also hit was a communications tower by Kuhestak’s port, just over 100 meters (yards) from the Mallahi’s home. AP footage showed the tower toppled and heavy damage to the neighboring building that houses the town’s telecommunications department. Hassan Sayadi, a technician with the department, said the tower had provided telephone and internet connections across the area. The Hormozgan provincial telecommunications department said Wednesday that U.S. attacks had disrupted landlines and mobile phone service in multiple locations, including Kuhestak, and that it was working to restore services. On Friday, mobile phones and data services were operating. Town is not far from site where US hit a primary school Kuhestak is about 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the town of Minab, where more than 100 children were killed in an American missile strike that hit a primary school on Feb. 28, the opening day of the war launched by the U.S. and Israel. Following Tuesday’s strikes, residents and Iranian media showed fragments of munitions found at the scene, including a thermal battery unit, a segment of a control fin and part of the exterior body of the munition. Weapons experts told the AP that they believe imagery of fragments found at the site points to an American guided munition. Trevor Ball, a former U.S. Army explosive ordnance disposal technician and an analyst at Armament Research Services, said the imagery shows remnants of both a JSOW and GBU-39, which are types of guided, air-delivered glide bombs. The images were “being evaluated to determine if one of these munitions, or another model, was responsible,” he said. Videos released by U.S. Central Command of its operations that night in Iran show aircraft heading on missions, including an F/A-18E loaded with a JSOW. The AP could not immediately determine where the remnants were collected or whether they all came from the wedding venue or also from the communication tower. Associated Press reporters Mohsen Ganji in Kuhestak, Iran, Sarah El Deeb in Beirut and Lee Keath in Cairo contributed to this report.

US Official Apologizes For Saying No Americans Killed In Iran War US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick apologized for incorrectly stating that no Americans had been killed in the Iran war, acknowledging that 18 US service members had been killed. "I misspoke. Eighteen members of our military have died, and to those families my heart breaks and I am so very sorry for their loss. I was thinking about the Venezuelan military operation where no service members died," Lutnick wrote in a post on X on September 3. Lutnick made the erroneous comments during an interview with CNBC on September 2, in which Venezuela was not mentioned. "I think the way the president is playing Iran…there haven't been American deaths. It's really just an economic choke-out, which the administration is now executing more broadly, and I think it'll be very effective," Lutnick told CNBC. Moments before Lutnick's apology, US President Donald Trump defended the commerce secretary on social media. "Sec. Lutnick had Venezuela on his mind when he said nobody was killed. 18 people were killed in Iran!" Trump wrote. The United States has so far reported that 18 military personnel have been killed and more than 750 wounded in the Iran war, which began on February 28. UN Special Rapporteur: Iranian People Caught Between Foreign Aggression And Internal Repression Referring to the renewed US attacks on Iran, Mai Sato, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran, called an end to "external attacks" and "internal repression" in the country. In a post on X on September 3, Sato wrote: "The people of Iran are caught between foreign aggression and domestic repression; both foreign aggression and domestic repression must end, but above all, the war must end." Citing figures from Iran's Health Ministry, which reported that 18 people had been killed and 108 others injured in US attacks on the evening of September 1, Sato said the strikes had targeted Kuhestak, a fishing town on the Strait of Hormuz. She added that "a house where a family was holding a wedding celebration was also targeted." Sato said the new attacks had compounded the suffering of ordinary Iranians. "In reflecting on this year, what stands out most is the scale of the violence and the number of lives lost," she wrote. Sato's comments come amid renewed US-Iran hostilities and her continuing warnings about the human rights situation in Iran. She has also stressed that military action should not be viewed as a solution to Iran's problems. IRGC Vows to Avenge 'Civilian Deaths' Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has vowed to avenge the killing of "civilians" in an air strike allegedly carried out by the United States earlier this week. Iranian authorities say at least four people, including a child, were killed and 68 others injured in an strike that hit a wedding party in the country's south in the night of September 1-2. The US Central Command said that its forces "never target civilians." Captain Tim Hawkins, spokesperson for the US CENTCOM, told RFE/RL that "we are aware of reports, which originated from Iranian state media. The US military never targets civilians, unlike the IRGC." In a statement carried by Iran's state television, IRGC chief Ahmad Vahidi said the "blood of these oppressed martyrs will not go unanswered." The midnight strike was carried out in Kuhestak, a town along the coast of the Strait of Hormuz. Earlier, Iranian officials labeled the attack a "war crime," alleging it was carried out by the Untied States. Iran and the United States have resumed tit-for-tat attacks following a lull of several weeks since July. On September 3, Iran launched missile and drone attacks against neighboring Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, calling them retaliation for US strikes on targets inside Iran. w Qatar Condemns Iranian Attacks on Kuwait Qatar has condemned Iran's latest attacks against Kuwait and called them a breach of international law that represents a "dangerous escalation" in the region. The Qatari Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement on September 3 that the renewed attacks would complicate efforts to contain tensions and undermine political and diplomatic efforts to end the conflict. Earlier on September 3, the Iranian military announced that it had carried out strikes on US bases in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. The statement said the US military's satellite communication systems, equipment depots, and fighter aircraft hangars were hit at the Ahmed Al-Jaber base in Kuwait in the fresh attacks using missiles and drones. Qatar called the attacks a "flagrant violation" of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Kuwait, adding that Qatar "holds the Islamic republic of Iran legally responsible for these attacks and their repercussions and consequences." Expressing solidarity with the state of Kuwait, the statement announced Qatar's support for "all measures it takes to safeguard its sovereignty and security." Several Gulf countries, including Qatar, have been targeted by Iranian missiles and drones since the beginning of the US-Iran conflict on February 28. The state of Qatar has served as a key mediator alongside Pakistan, in efforts to resolve the conflict. On August 27, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani visited Tehran and held talks with senior Iranian officials in a bid to de-escalate tensions. Oil Prices Hit 5-Week High Amid Renewed US-Iran Strikes Oil prices reached their highest levels in about five weeks amid renewed fighting between the United States and Iran and concerns about disruptions to crude supplies through the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude briefly rose above $97 per barrel on September 2, reaching a roughly five-week high, before retreating a day later. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude also rose sharply earlier in the week but remained around $91 per barrel on September 3. Early on September 3, Brent was trading at about $95.20 a barrel, down around 0.45 percent, while WTI was at about $90.77, down 0.26 percent, according to Reuters. The increase in oil prices came amid renewed US-Iran hostilities and concerns that further fighting could disrupt oil supplies from the Middle East, particularly through the Strait of Hormuz. On September 2, US President Donald Trump said the United States was prepared to carry out another attack on Iran "anytime we want," while also saying the renewed US military campaign would not last "too long." Iran, meanwhile, launched retaliatory attacks against US positions in the Gulf. The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and Iranian military authorities said they had targeted US facilities in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates on September 3. Iran Says 18 People Killed In Latest US Strikes The spokesman for Iran's Health Ministry said the death toll from the latest US attacks had reached 18. Hossein Kermanpour posted a message on X saying that between 8:30 p.m. on August 30 through 8:30 p.m. on September 2, "18 people were killed and 142 injured" as a result of the attacks. In his message, the government official did not differentiate between whether the dead were military or civilian, but he wrote that the number included two women and a child. Iranian officials had previously said four people, including a child, were killed in a strike on a wedding ceremony in the Kuhestak area of Hormozgan Province. Iranian officials said dozens of others were wounded in the alleged September 1 strike in Kuhestak, a town along the coast of the Strait of Hormuz, a major flashpoint in the confrontation with the United States. The Iranian Red Crescent Society said shrapnel from the alleged US attack struck a residential home where a wedding party was being held. The deputy security and law enforcement officer of the Khuzestan governor's office had reported that "seven people were killed" in Ahvaz and Aghajari, and news agencies close to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) had also reported the killing of "four IRGC aerospace officers" in Kermanshah, as well as "three Basij forces" on Lavan Island. Tasnim News Agency, which is close to the IRGC, reported that three Iranian Army pilots were killed in a US attack on Iran on the night of September 1. The news agency, publishing the names and pictures of these pilots, said two of them were naval pilots and one was an air force pilot, but did not say where or how they were killed. 6 Ships Passed Through Strait of Hormuz On September 2, Kpler Says The passage of ships through the strategic Strait of Hormuz remained at its lowest level -- just six ships a day -- on September 2, compared with data from the previous 10 days. Data collected by the Kpler ship-tracking company on September 2, which was released on September 3, showed only six ships passed through the waterway as compared to 11 on September 1 and an average of 13 ships a day in the past 10 days. Because some ships turn off their locator transmitters while passing through the strait, the data may not reflect the exact number of ships. The Strait of Hormuz has effectively been closed by Iran since the beginning of the Middle East conflict in late February. The vital waterway previously accounted for 20 percent of global oil and gas supplies. Earlier, US President Donald Trump claimed an average of 30 ships pass through the strait each night with the help of the US military. Trump did not specify the average time frame for the passing of the ships through the strait. The US-Iran conflict has disrupted a major part of global oil supplies and caused fuel prices to skyrocket on international markets. Iranian Military Says It Attacked Targets In Kuwait, UAE Iran's military announced that it carried out missile and drone attacks on US bases in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates on the morning of September 3. In a statement, the military said it had attacked and hit the US military's satellite communication systems, equipment depots, and fighter aircraft hangars at the Ahmed Al-Jaber base in Kuwait with missiles and drones. The same statement reported a missile and drone attack on the US military's force deployment location and radar systems at the Al-Minhad base in the UAE. The UAE has not yet confirmed any new attacks on the country, but the Kuwaiti Army confirmed on September 3 that it had been targeted by Iranian missile and drone attacks. Kuwait's Foreign Ministry also issued a statement strongly condemning Iran's new attacks, calling them "a direct threat to the security, stability, and safety of Kuwait's citizens and residents" and "a flagrant violation of international law." It said it reserved the right to take all necessary measures "to preserve sovereignty, ensure security, and defend its territory and vital facilities against any aggression or threat." Iran Moves To Tighten Grip On The Internet With New Bill Iranian lawmakers have drafted a new draft bill designed to intensify online censorship and limit Internet access in the country. The Cyberspace Regulation Plan is a revised version of an earlier draft bill that was abandoned after triggering fierce criticism in the country of some 90 million people. The new proposed legislation excludes some of the most controversial provisions in the earlier bill, called the Cyberspace Protection Bill, but critics say the goal remains the same. The new bill was presented to lawmakers on August 26, although it is unclear when it will be voted on. The new bill would tighten state control over the Internet and give command of the country's Internet gateways to the Supreme Cyberspace Council, which is tasked with monitoring and filtering the Internet in Iran and whose members are handpicked by the country's supreme leader. "The Supreme Cyberspace Council is simultaneously the rule-maker, legislator, regulator and, in a sense, judge," Slovenia-based Iranian cybersecurity expert Puyesh Azizeddin told RFE/RL's Radio Farda. "The plan has concentrated all of these powers in the council." To read the full report by RFE/RL's Kian Sharifi and Radio Farda, click here. Kuwait Says Air Defenses Intercept Missile, Drone Attacks Kuwait’s military said the country’s air defenses were responding to incoming missile and drone attacks. In a social media post early on September 3, it blamed the attacks on Iran, urging residents to follow security and safety instructions issued by the authorities. The military said explosions heard over Kuwait were the result of air defense systems intercepting incoming targets. The development came after the United States targeted Iran in its latest military strikes on September 1, with Tehran retaliating by targeting US allies in the Gulf, including Jordan and Kuwait.

Washington, August 22 — U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that he does not believe Iran is ready to strike the “right deal,” and that Washington is watching “what is happening” in the conflict. Subscription registration here. - In response to a question about whether U.S. military options with Iran are limited, Trump told reporters, “That simply means we are watching what is happening.” - Washington last week threatened the toughest financial sanctions ever aimed at toppling the Iranian leadership. - Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he would announce on Monday details of the planned sanctions after Trump warned of economic consequences for any country that provides “any form of vital support to Iran.” - Trump said on Friday, “We have complete control over the entire region with respect to the Hormuz Strait, and that means our control over vast land areas. So they are very eager to strike a deal, but they are not ready to strike the right deal, in my view.” - Before the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, the Hormuz Strait carried about a fifth of global oil and natural gas supplies. - As six months pass since the outbreak of the war, disruptions in energy flows through the waterway persist, with Iran maintaining sufficient missile and drone capabilities to disrupt tanker movements in the strait. - Tehran’s response to the war’s initial attacks included strikes on Israel and on Gulf states that host American bases. The U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran and Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed thousands and displaced millions. Prepared by Amira Zahran for the Arabic News Desk. Our standards: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Iran Attacks Targets in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates as the Tehran-Washington Escalation Intensifies - Tehran has responded to U.S. attacks by bombing its allies in the Middle East - The United States says that 15 million barrels of oil crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday The war against Iran, launched by the United States and Israel in February, has intensified after a month without open clashes and with occasional incidents. This Thursday, Iran attacked targets in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates with missiles and drones, one day after reporting bombings against U.S. bases in the region (in Jordan, Bahrain, and Iraq) in response to those launched the day before by American forces, which left at least 18 people dead. The Iranian Army said it had struck U.S. bases in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates with missiles and drones on Thursday. In Kuwait, the targets were satellite communication systems, equipment depots, and hangars for combat aircraft at Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base, according to a military statement carried by Iranian state television and reported by AFP. In the Emirates, Iran hit a radar site at Al-Minhad Air Base, according to the same source. Kuwaiti authorities admitted that their air defenses responded during the early hours of Thursday to a missile- and drone-attack, with no reported material or human casualties. On Wednesday, Iran launched attacks against U.S. bases in Jordan, Bahrain, and Iraq, in response to the new offensive launched on Tuesday by the U.S., the second in 48 hours, allegedly against “targets of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.” The American attacks left at least 18 dead and over 100 wounded, including four people who died while attending a wedding off the Strait of Hormuz coast, an attack Tehran has called a “war crime.” The semi-official Tasnim agency also reported that at least three members of the armed forces died. Separately, sources cited by Reuters say Iran has warned the U.S. that it will respond forcefully to any Israeli strike against a Lebanon region where Iranian forces are allegedly hidden alongside Hizballah militias. This area lies along the Ali al-Taher mountain chain in southern Lebanon, a predominantly Shiite area. Hizballah has not confirmed whether Iranian forces are actually in Lebanon, while the White House has stated that information about the alleged Iranian warning “is not accurate.” Israel, for the moment, has not participated alongside the U.S. in the latest rounds of attacks on Iran. U.S. to investigate possible civilian victims U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance stated that the government is already investigating possible civilian casualties in the recent attacks on Iran, acknowledging that “unfortunately, sometimes things happen.” Tehran has denounced the impact of projectiles on the place where a wedding was taking place. Donald Trump’s deputy has clearly stated that “the United States never attacks civilians in combat,” something he says distinguishes Washington from Tehran. There is “a big difference” between the two countries, Vance added during a White House press briefing, where he said the United States will not negotiate with Iran while it persists in its belligerent actions. He also reiterated that the United States continues to monitor traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for international commercial navigation, and said that on Wednesday a volume of crude equal to 15 million barrels crossed this passage. Although the figure remains below pre-conflict levels, he believes that the pace has “almost” returned to what it was before. Earlier, the American network CNN had reported that the U.S. fleet helped 40 freighters traverse the Strait of Hormuz last Tuesday amid the exchange of attacks. In total, the ships carried 18 million barrels of oil. This would be the largest amount of crude that has passed through the Strait since the start of the conflict on February 28. About 20 million barrels of oil passed through the Strait daily before the war. According to CNN’s account, U.S. forces used air, sea, and space-based means to attack Iranian positions threatening the Strait while simultaneously repelling drone and missile attacks during the convoy’s escort mission. On Wednesday, only six freighters crossed Hormuz, below the previous weeks’ average of 10 ships, according to navigational data cited by Reuters, though many ships switch off their location transmitters during transit, making them hard to locate. The United States and Israel conducted a surprise attack on Iran on February 28. Since then, thousands have died in Iran, including civilians, and at least 18 U.S. soldiers. The war and the blockade of Hormuz have had negative consequences for the global economy and have driven up fuel prices.

Jordan, a staunch U.S. ally that hosts American forces in the Mideast, has paid a price for its relationship with Washington, which has made the kingdom’s military bases a target of repeat Iranian strikes. Hundreds of drone and missile attacks have added to other strains on Jordan that include a slumping economy and volatility in the neighboring West Bank, where Israeli settlers have ramped up attacks on Palestinians. Despite the risk of more strikes, Jordanian leaders say they are committed to maintaining the relationship after decades of courting deeper security ties with American officials and offering to be a reliable partner with the West in a region rocked by conflict. Analysts say the alliance offers Jordan a way to guard against Iran’s attempts to destabilize its neighbors. King Abdullah II of Jordan seemed to acknowledge the need for such alliances last year, when he warned that destabilization fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and multiple Israeli military campaigns in the Middle East could trigger chaos far beyond the region. “We are living through wave after wave of disruption, without pause,” he told European lawmakers. “There is no telling where the boundaries of this battleground will end. That, my friends, is a threat to people everywhere.” Jordan embraces Washington to weather stormy Middle East The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is a puzzle-piece-shaped nation bordering Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Israel and the West Bank. More than 11 million Jordanians live between the Jordan River, the Red Sea and eastern deserts strewn with ruins. Besides the threat from Iran, Jordan faces other challenges, such as an economy that has buckled under millions of refugees fleeing regional conflicts. Soaring energy prices and inflation have added to the burden as the tourism sector struggles to draw visitors to landscapes lionized in Hollywood by Peter O’Toole, Harrison Ford and Matt Damon. And next door, growing Israeli settler violence in the West Bank is deeply unsettling to Jordanians who fear instability could drive many of the 2.8 million Palestinians there to flee into the kingdom, said Sean Yom, a professor at Temple University and author of a 2025 book titled “Jordan: Politics in an Accidental Crucible.” Since taking the reins from his father, King Hussein, in 1999, Abdullah has forged ever-stronger links with Washington. The monarch — a fluent English speaker whose dynasty claims to be descended from the Prophet Muhammad — enjoys widespread support among world leaders and Democratic and Republican lawmakers in the U.S. U.S. President Donald Trump once called the king “one of the true great leaders of the world.” Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, also praised his leadership. First lady Jill Biden was a guest at the wedding of Abdullah’s son Hussein to a Saudi aristocrat in 2023. Pope Leo welcomed Abdullah to the Vatican in 2025. As part of its partnership with the West, Jordan provided logistical help and intelligence for the U.S.-led 2003 invasion of Iraq, and it contributed to the fight against Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq. Amer Sabaileh, an independent Jordanian political analyst, said Jordan’s alliance with the U.S. is central to Abdullah’s yearslong campaign to secure his kingdom against danger, including from Iran. Jordanian elites see Iran’s support of Shiite militias in Iraq, armed Palestinian groups and Syrian drug traffickers as direct threats to the royal court, Yom said. “Very few people in Jordan think the Islamic Republic is good for the Middle East,” he said. US military operations rely on a dozen sites in Jordan Amman and Washington signed a defense-cooperation agreement in 2021 that granted U.S. forces and contractors access to 12 military installations across the kingdom. The NATO military alliance opened its first liaison office in the region in Jordan in 2025. In the run-up to the Iran war, Jordan’s sprawling Muwaffaq Salti Air Base became “a key logistics hub” for U.S. C-17 transport planes and about 60 combat aircraft, said David Schenker, a fellow at the Washington Institute. “Jordan provides great strategic depth,” he said, calling the kingdom’s position “essential” to the U.S. campaign against Iran. “This makes Jordan a target, not just targeting U.S. forces but also targeting the king.” About 50,000 U.S. troops are currently deployed across the Middle East, with an unknown number in Jordan. Schenker estimates that at least 8%, or $1.47 billion, of the kingdom’s annual budget comes directly from U.S. grants. Adm. Charles Bradford, commander of the Pentagon department covering the Middle East, said in May that the U.S. military had relocated personnel and assets from its mission against the Islamic State from Iraq to Jordan. The shift was part of a broader, long-running strategy to put more distance between American forces and Iranian missiles. Those troops were enough to draw fire to Jordan from the Islamic Republic. Most of the incoming missiles and drones were knocked down by U.S. air defenses. Speaking Thursday in Vienna, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi defended his country’s right to make its own decisions. “Iran has been attacking us and many other countries in the region long before even this war started,” he said, referring to Iranian “meddling in internal affairs” and other clandestine efforts. “So we do not buy their argument. We are a sovereign country. We were not a party to this war.” Associated Press video journalist Philipp-Moritz Jenne contributed to this report.

Iran targets US bases in Kuwait despite warnings from Trump Iran launches missiles and drones at Gulf neighour following US strikes that killed at least 19 Iran attacked US military bases in Kuwait on Thursday, despite US President Donald Trump threatening further strikes in a fresh flare-up six months into the war. Trump said his military was prepared to attack Iran “any time we want” after extensive US bombardment of sites across the country left at least 19 Iranians dead. Tehran retaliated by hitting US military targets across the Middle East, including in Kuwait, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region. The clashes deepen the ongoing impasse in the war, as Iran maintains a stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz oil export route and the US presses its counter-blockade of Iranian ports. Security chief Mohsen Rezaei warned the United States that Iran had adopted a “new strategy” in the war that “will shatter your foundations”. Kuwait’s army said Thursday it was intercepting a missile and drone attack from Iran, with Iranian state TV confirming that Tehran was targeting US bases in the Gulf state “in response to America’s crimes against the Iranian people”.

Kuwait's air defenses intercepted a new Iranian attack with missiles and drones in the early hours of this Thursday, marking a new round of escalation between Tehran and Washington that has extended to Gulf states hosting American bases and troops. The Kuwaiti army said the air defense systems repelled Iranian missile and drone assaults, with sirens sounding nationwide and authorities urging residents to follow security instructions and stay away from exposed areas. In turn, the Iranian army announced carrying out missile and drone strikes on American military sites in Kuwait, stating that among the targets were locations inside the Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Air Base, including, according to its account, satellite communications systems, equipment depots, and aircraft hangars for American military planes. Neither Kuwait nor the United States has yet announced human losses from the new attack, nor has there been independent confirmation of the casualties or damages cited by Tehran. Reuters reported that Kuwaiti defenses intercepted missiles and drones during the assault. The attack comes a day after a broad round of Iranian strikes targeting American sites and bases in several regional countries, including Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Iraq, and Qatar, in response to American strikes that hit Iranian military sites along Iran’s southern coast. American forces had launched on Tuesday one of the widest waves of bombardment on Iran in recent weeks, with U.S. Central Command saying the strikes targeted air-defense sites, radars, and naval capabilities, as well as facilities connected to mine-laying and communications, in response to Iranian attacks that targeted shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran subsequently said it would continue to target the American military presence in the region and accused the countries hosting American forces of contributing to the operations against it, while U.S. President Donald Trump warned Tehran that any Iranian response would be met with harsher strikes. Since the outbreak of the US-Iranian confrontation in February, Kuwait has endured a string of Iranian missile and drone attacks. In June, an Iranian attack targeted civilian and critical facilities, including Kuwait International Airport, killing one person and injuring others, according to Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry, before attacks on Kuwaiti territory recurred in the following months. Kuwait’s military significance in the current confrontation stems from the presence of American facilities and troops on its soil, including bases used by U.S. forces in regional operations, making it among the targets Iran says it is striking in response to U.S. military actions. The new attack rekindles fears of a widening Gulf crisis after weeks of relative calm, especially as the reciprocal strikes coincide with tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s key energy corridors, and rising oil prices amid fears of disrupted navigation and supply chains.

Has the US lost the war against Iran and its bases in the Middle East? Here’s how Tehran’s Kheibar Shekan ‘Castle Breaker’ missiles are raining down on American forces Synopsis Iran's Kheibar Shekan missile is challenging US military bases across the Middle East. These attacks follow US strikes on Iranian targets near the Strait of Hormuz. The missile's range and maneuverability complicate air defense interception efforts. This raises questions about the security of America's vast regional military installations. Iran's growing missile capability may alter US strategic advantages in the Persian Gulf. These attacks have once again raised questions about the vulnerability of America's vast network of military bases in the Middle East. Until now, these installations have formed the backbone of Washington's ability to project military power across the Persian Gulf and maintain its grip in the whole Middle East. But repeated Iranian missile and drone attacks are now testing whether those fixed bases can remain secure and operational, in a war where Tehran can strike them from hundreds of miles away. Defense experts in America are questioning whether Tehran's ability to threaten American bases throughout the Middle East is undermining one of the United States' key strategic advantages in the region. Known as the “Castle Breaker,” the solid-fuel ballistic missile has reportedly been used repeatedly against US military targets during the six-month conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran. Iranian forces have allegedly altered their flight paths, speeds and trajectories during attacks, complicating efforts by American and allied air-defense systems to intercept them. Iran says Kheibar Shekan missiles used in latest attacks An Iranian state-run outlet also confirmed the use of Kheibar Shekan missiles in attacks targeting Muwaffaq Salti Air Base and King Hussein Air Base in Jordan. Tehran said the attacks came in response to a US military operation against Iran's strategic Larak Island the previous night. Iran has fielded a new generation of ballistic missiles capable of striking targets across the Middle East with greater precision, while presenting a difficult challenge for air-defense systems. The Kheibar Shekan is a highly mobile ballistic missile with an estimated range of about 900 miles and a maneuverable warhead. Has Iran’s missile campaign changed America’s position in the Persian Gulf? The growing missile threat has prompted a public debate about whether Iran's attacks have permanently altered the United States' ability to maintain and operate its network of military bases in the Persian Gulf. Retired four-star Army Gen. Barry McCaffrey, who served for 32 years in service added fuel to that debate in an August 23 post on X, saying the United States had “probably permanently lost access to 15 Persian Gulf bases” because of Iranian missile and drone strikes. McCaffrey's post drew millions of views and sparked broader discussion about the war's direction and the strategic consequences of Iran's counterattacks. The installation serves as a major anchor for US naval power in the region and provides logistical, supply and operational support to American and coalition ships, aircraft and personnel across the Middle East. As a result of the counterattack and other Iranian strikes, McCaffrey wrote, “Iran now poised to control access the Gulf States. US will have to negotiate new access in western Saudi Arabia, Israel, southern Europe.” What is Iran’s Kheibar Shekan ballistic missile? Iran unveiled the Kheibar Shekan ballistic missile in 2022. The weapon has an estimated range of about 900 miles, or a little over 1,400 kilometers, putting much of the Middle East, including Israel, within striking distance. The missile's name refers to the Battle of Khaybar in 628 AD, when the forces of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad conquered the fortified oasis of Khaybar, located about 150 kilometers northwest of Medina, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. Iran’s missile factories and solid-fuel facilities could become major targets The growing importance of Kheibar Shekan missiles also makes Iran's ability to manufacture and maintain solid-fuel systems a major strategic concern. After Iran fired 181 ballistic missiles at Israel in October 2024 following the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and IRGC Commander Abbas Nilforoushan, Israel launched extensive airstrikes against military targets inside Iran. Among the targets were facilities associated with the manufacturing and storage of solid propellant used for missiles such as the Kheibar Shekan. Iran manufactures solid rocket fuel and missile components at several key industrial sites, including complexes in Khojir and Parchin, near Tehran, and in Shahroud, roughly 220 miles northeast of the Iranian capital. Storage and final assembly are also believed to occur within dispersed underground tunnel networks and hardened military facilities operated by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The Khojir Complex, located in rugged terrain east of Tehran, is considered an important industrial hub associated with solid-propellant production and rocket-motor manufacturing. The Parchin Facility is a long-established military-industrial complex near Tehran associated with defense research, chemical production and missile-component testing.

Iran has continued to demonstrate an ability to target bases in the Gulf used by the US despite six months of war and a new sanctions regime described by the Trump administration as an “economic D-day”. As Iran’s military targeted US bases in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, despite threats of further strikes by the US president, Israel’s defence chief warned that economic pressures from the sanctions could lead Tehran to escalate to more “extreme measures”. “This morning, the army hit the satellite communication systems, equipment depots and fighter aircraft hangars of the terrorist US army at the Ahmad al-Jaber air base in Kuwait with missiles and drones,” the Iranian military said on Thursday in a statement carried by state television. The “location of forces and radar systems of the child-killing US army at the Al Minhad air base in the UAE were also attacked by missiles and drones of the army”, it added. In a post on X, Kuwait’s ministry of defence said its air defences had intercepted missile and drone attacks during a “blatant Iranian aggression”. The Kuwaiti statement came after the US allies Bahrain and Jordan said their air defence systems intercepted several Iranian air attacks on Wednesday. Fighting between the US and Iran has increased this week after the US hit Iranian rocket launchers on an island in the strait of Hormuz on Sunday, claiming that Iran was planning to use them to shoot mines into the waterway. The latest flare-up in the conflict comes amid little evidence that the Trump administration is succeeding in advancing its nebulous war aims either on the battlefield or via mediation, despite the US president’s repeated claims to have opened the strait of Hormuz to oil traffic. Instead, traffic through the key maritime passageway remains far below prewar levels, with oil prices remaining stubbornly elevated ahead of US midterm elections. Oil prices jumped again on Thursday after the Iranian strikes. Among the weapons Iran has used this week is its Kheibar Shekan medium-range ballistic missile system. The cheap and accurate missile can be launched within minutes and has become a staple of Iranian strikes. The rocket’s solid fuel motor means it does not require lengthy fuelling. It can be deployed very quickly to avoid detection and can be armed with a powered and steerable final stage to help beat anti-missile systems. Despite claims by the Trump administration that Tehran is running out of rockets, Iran continues to fire missiles that are considerably cheaper to produce than the US interceptors used to shoot them down. Iran has claimed as recently as the end of August that it maintained both missiles stockpiles and the ability to manufacture them. “Initially, some believed that Iran had only a limited number of missiles and that its stockpiles would eventually be depleted as the war continued,” the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesperson Brig Gen Hossein Mohebbi said. “However, that assumption proved incorrect, as Iran’s missile capability has remained sustained and its missile production has continued.” Mohebbi’s characterisation of Iranian missile stockpiles could not be verified. The continued strikes came as Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, said that while the new US economic sanctions appeared to be effective, the increased pressure could lead Tehran into extreme measures. “We see signs indicating that the heavy economic pressure they are under, and the fear of an uprising and the collapse of the regime, may push them to desperate steps,” Katz said at a ceremony for defence ministry employees. The hawkish minister reiterated the threats against the Islamic Republic that he has made in recent months. “An Iranian attack on Israel will free Israel from any existing constraint,” he said. “We will strike all of Iran’s national military and civilian infrastructure – including energy infrastructure – and push Iran deep back into the stone age.”

byFinya Swai09/02/26 08:03 AM ET Iran launched missiles and drones at U.S. allies and military bases across the Middle East early Wednesday, in retaliation for the renewed wave ofU.S. strikes targeting Iranlate Tuesday as the war stretches into its seventh month. Tehran said it targeted U.S. assets in Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan and Iraq, just hours after the U.S. military struck Iranian Revolutionary Guard sites along Iran’s southern coast, including hitting a wedding that left several dead. The Guard noted in a statement reported by Iranian state media that the U.S. airstrike hit a residential home in Sirik, leaving at least four civilians dead and injuring dozens more. The fresh U.S. attacks on Tuesday were themselves in retaliation for the Islamic Republic’s strikesU.S. military bases in Jordanearlier this week and military action in the Strait of Hormuz, according to U.S. Central Command (Centcom). Centcom said U.S. forces struck Guard air defense sites, radar and communications systems, maritime assets and mine-laying capabilities. Iran responded early Wednesday with another round of attacks across the region. The Revolutionary Guard said it launched missiles and drones at Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, claiming it destroyed a command post, drone facilities and several other drones. Kuwaiti authorities separately said an Iranian drone struck a residential complex early Wednesday, sparking a fire and causing damage but reported no casualties. Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, said it intercepted incoming Iranian fire.Reuters reportedthat officials in Qatar, which has the largest U.S. airbase in the Gulf, are holding “the Islamic Republic of Iran fully legally responsible for these attacks and their repercussions and consequences.” President Trump warned Tehran before itslatest round of retaliatory strikesthat further attacks would draw a stronger American response. “If the failed Nation of Iran retaliates for this very justified attack, they will be hit again at a much harder and higher level, but it will not be the biggest attack of them all, that is waiting in the wings and, when it is over, there will be very little left of the Islamic Republic of Iran!” hewrote Tuesdayon Truth Social.

Kuwaiti air defenses are confronting hostile missile and drone attacks from Iran, the Kuwait Armed Forces confirmed in a post on X/Twitter on Thursday morning. "Everyone is requested to adhere to the security and safety instructions issued by the competent authorities," the post added. The Iranian attack on Kuwait targeted US military bases in the country, Iranian state media IRIB reported. Local sources told IRIB that a US base in Kuwait had been struck, claiming that smoke was rising from the site. Neither the US nor Kuwait have confirmed such reports. The Kuwait Armed Forces said in their post on X, "If explosion sounds are heard, they are the result of air defense systems intercepting the hostile attacks." Iranian military spokesperson threatens Bahrain, Kuwait Shortly after the US strikes began on Tuesday night, Iranian military spokesperson Ebrahim Zolfaghari stated that Iran “will no longer exercise restraint regarding Bahrain and Kuwait” in a post on X/Twitter. “Gifts are on the way,” Zolfaghari warned. Iran launched retaliatory strikes on US bases in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain, overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday, following the US's renewal of strikes against Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets in Iran on Tuesday. Sirens sounded in Kuwait as the country's air defenses confronted attacks by hostile drones, "following the sinful Iranian aggression," Kuwait's army said in a post on X on Wednesday morning. Sirens also sounded in Bahrain on Wednesday morning following the Iranian threats, with the Bahraini Interior Ministry announcing "an alert of potential threat" in the country. Local sources also told IRIB that at least four consecutive explosions were heard.

Repeatedly attacked by Iran, Jordan pays a price for its strong bond with the US Kingdom has faced hundreds of drone and missile attacks from the Islamic Republic, amid soaring energy prices and concerns about West Bank instability, but relationship seems solid AP — Jordan, a staunch US ally that hosts American forces in the Middle East, has paid a price for its relationship with Washington, which has made the kingdom’s military bases a target of repeated Iranian strikes. Hundreds of drone and missile attacks have added to other strains on Jordan that include a slumping economy and volatility in the neighboring West Bank, where extremist Israeli settlers have ramped up attacks on Palestinians. Despite the risk of more strikes, Jordanian leaders say they are committed to maintaining the relationship after decades of courting deeper security ties with American officials and offering to be a reliable partner with the West in a region rocked by conflict. Analysts say the alliance offers Jordan a way to guard against Iran’s attempts to destabilize its neighbors. King Abdullah II of Jordan seemed to acknowledge the need for such alliances last year, when he warned that destabilization fueled by the COVID-19 crisis, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the multi-front war Israel has been fighting with Iran and its terror proxies could trigger chaos far beyond the region. “We are living through wave after wave of disruption, without pause,” he told European lawmakers. “There is no telling where the boundaries of this battleground will end. That, my friends, is a threat to people everywhere.” The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is a puzzle-piece-shaped nation bordering Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Israel and the West Bank. More than 11 million Jordanians live between the Jordan River, the Red Sea and eastern deserts strewn with ruins. Besides the threat from Iran, Jordan faces other challenges, such as an economy that has buckled under millions of refugees fleeing regional conflicts. Soaring energy prices and inflation have added to the burden as the tourism sector struggles to draw visitors to landscapes lionized in Hollywood by Peter O’Toole, Harrison Ford and Matt Damon. And next door, growing settler violence in the West Bank is deeply unsettling to Jordanians who fear instability could drive many of the 2.8 million Palestinians there to flee into the kingdom, said Sean Yom, a professor at Temple University and author of a 2025 book titled “Jordan: Politics in an Accidental Crucible.” Since taking the reins from his father, King Hussein, in 1999, Abdullah has forged ever-stronger links between his capital, Amman, and Washington. The monarch — a fluent English speaker whose dynasty claims to be descended from the Prophet Muhammad — enjoys widespread support among world leaders and Democratic and Republican lawmakers in the US. US President Donald Trump once called the king “one of the true great leaders of the world.” Joe Biden also praised his leadership. First Lady Jill Biden was a guest at the wedding of Abdullah’s son Hussein to a Saudi aristocrat in 2023. Pope Leo welcomed Abdullah to the Vatican in 2025. As part of its partnership with the West, Jordan provided logistical help and intelligence for the US-led 2003 invasion of Iraq, and it contributed to the fight against Islamic State jihadists in Syria and Iraq. Amer Sabaileh, an independent Jordanian political analyst, said Jordan’s alliance with the US is central to Abdullah’s years-long campaign to secure his kingdom against danger, including from Iran. Jordanian elites see Iran’s support of Shiite militias in Iraq, armed Palestinian terror groups and Syrian drug traffickers as direct threats to the royal court, Yom said. “Very few people in Jordan think the Islamic Republic is good for the Middle East,” he said. US military relies on a dozen sites in Jordan Amman and Washington signed a defense cooperation agreement in 2021 that granted US forces and contractors access to 12 military installations across the kingdom. The NATO military alliance opened its first liaison office in the region in Jordan in 2025. In the run-up to the Iran war, Jordan’s sprawling Muwaffaq Salti Air Base became “a key logistics hub” for US C-17 transport planes and about 60 combat aircraft, said David Schenker, a fellow at the Washington Institute. “Jordan provides great strategic depth,” he said, calling the kingdom’s position “essential” to the US campaign against Iran. “This makes Jordan a target, not just targeting US forces but also targeting the king.” About 50,000 US troops are currently deployed across the Middle East, with an unknown number in Jordan. Schenker estimates that at least 8%, or $1.47 billion, of the kingdom’s annual budget comes directly from US grants. Adm. Charles Bradford, commander of the Pentagon department covering the Middle East, said in May that the US military had relocated personnel and assets from its mission against the Islamic State group from Iraq to Jordan. The shift was part of a broader, long-running strategy to put more distance between American forces and Iranian missiles. Those troops were enough to draw fire to Jordan from the Islamic Republic. Most of the incoming missiles and drones were knocked down by US air defenses. Speaking Thursday in Vienna, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi defended his country’s right to make its own decisions. “Iran has been attacking us and many other countries in the region long before even this war started,” he said, referring to Iranian “meddling in internal affairs” and other clandestine efforts. “So we do not buy their argument. We are a sovereign country. We were not a party to this war.” The Times of Israel Community.

Democracy Dies in Darkness By Rachel Chason , Lior Soroka , Suzan Haidamous and Mohamad El Chamaa DUBAI — Iran targeted Kuwait in a missile and drone attack early Thursday, the Kuwaiti military said, the latest in a string of airstrikes in the region after combat between Iran and the United States restarted following a month-long lull. What readers are saying The comments reflect a strong criticism of the Trump administration's handling of the conflict with Iran, with accusations of war crimes and ineffective leadership. There is skepticism about the administration's intentions and capabilities, with some commenters suggesting... Show more This summary is AI-generated. AI can make mistakes and this summary is not a replacement for reading the comments. Comments 102 Most Read Ariana Eunjung Cha The ‘Gen Z stare’ — and the decline of saying things out loud Earlier today Emily Langer Gloria Steinem, lodestar of the modern women’s movement, dies at 92 Earlier today Andrea Sachs One-star reviews of airports: ‘Feels like psychological torture’ Earlier today ColumnJen Chaney The 10 best TV shows to watch this fall Earlier today Amy B Wang and Violet Jira Longtime host Maria Bartiromo abruptly departs Fox News 1 hour ago * OpinionDavid Ignatius America’s absence is inviting the war Europe fears most 2 hours ago View 3 more storiesView 3 more stories !pixel

What happened Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday told Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian at a summit in Kyrgyzstan that Moscow will continue supplying “the assistance you need” and “the necessary goods” during “this difficult period.” Since President Donald Trump “launched his war against Iran” in February, Russia “has backed the Iranians with intelligence, including on U.S. assets in the Persian Gulf,” and “drone components,” said The New York Times. Moscow has also been secretly helping Iran develop advanced supersonic cruise missiles, the Financial Times reported. The U.S. and Iran traded airstrikes last night, in their “first serious combat since July,” Reuters said. Who said what Russia’s transfer of the “strategically important military technology” to build supersonic missiles “would require political approval from Russia’s top leadership,” Conflict Armament Research analyst Fabian Hinz told the Financial Times. Such missiles would be a “qualitatively new strategic weapons system capable of threatening U.S. Navy ships,” former CIA military analyst Jim Lamson told the Financial Times. Iran has already done considerable damage to U.S. military bases in the Middle East with a new ballistic missile it calls “the Kheibar Shekan, or ‘Castle Breaker,’” USA Today said. The missile, likely developed “with the help of Chinese and Russian technology,” can “evade American air defenses and strike with far greater precision.” What next? Tehran vowed to respond to last night’s airstrikes with more “crushing and devastating blows” and claimed its own counterstrikes killed several U.S. personnel in Jordan and Iraq. Join 275,000+ subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening, and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles. Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.

Kuwaiti air defences have engaged hostile missile and drone attacks originating from Iran, the military announced, as regional clashes escalate across the Gulf. "Kuwaiti air defences are currently engaging hostile missile and drone attacks following the heinous Iranian aggression," the General Staff of the Kuwaiti Armed Forces stated in a post on X. The military leadership confirmed that loud explosions heard across parts of the country are the result of air defence batteries actively intercepting incoming hostile targets, urging citizens and residents to strictly observe security and safety directives issued by the competent authorities. Base security The Iranian IRIB news agency claimed US military bases in Kuwait were struck during the operation. It reported one of the American bases was hit, sending plumes of smoke rising. The aerial assault unfolds amid heightened military hostilities across the Gulf region, where the United States and Iran have been trading strikes since February. Kuwait has repeatedly found itself within range of Iranian attacks. It remains unclear whether Kuwaiti armed forces or domestic infrastructure sustained damage or casualties during the aerial barrage.

Jordan, one of Washington’s closest allies in the Middle East and a host of US military forces, has found itself increasingly exposed to Iranian attacks because of its close security ties with the United States. Hundreds of Iranian drone and missile attacks have targeted the kingdom, adding pressure to a country already struggling with a weak economy, rising costs and growing instability in the neighbouring West Bank. Despite the risks, Jordanian leaders remain committed to their long-standing partnership with Washington. Analysts say the alliance is seen as crucial to protecting the kingdom from regional threats, including Iran’s efforts to expand its influence through armed groups and other allies. Jordan also faces economic difficulties after hosting millions of refugees fleeing conflicts across the region. High energy prices, inflation and a struggling tourism sector have added to the pressure. Tensions in the neighbouring West Bank are another major concern. Growing violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians has raised fears in Jordan that further instability could force more Palestinians to flee into the kingdom. Since becoming king in 1999, King Abdullah II has worked to strengthen ties between Amman and Washington. Jordan supported US-led operations in Iraq and has also taken part in efforts against Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq. A defence cooperation agreement signed in 2021 gave US forces and contractors access to 12 military sites across Jordan. The country’s strategic location has also made it an important base for US military operations in the region. However, that role has made Jordan a potential target. In recent months, Iranian missiles and drones have been launched toward the kingdom, although US air defences intercepted most of them. Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said his country has the right to make its own sovereign decisions and rejected Iran’s claims that Jordan was involved in the conflict. “Iran has been attacking us and many other countries in the region long before even this war started,” Safadi said, adding that Jordan was not a party to the war.

The Iranian army said on Thursday that it had struck American bases in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, despite threats from the U.S. president, Donald Trump, to launch new attacks. "This morning, the army attacked with missiles and drones the satellite communications systems, equipment depots, and fighter jet hangars of the American terrorist army at Ahmad al Jaber Air Base in Kuwait," the Iranian army stated in a release broadcast by state television. "The American army’s radar systems, a killer of children, at Al Minhad Air Base in the United Arab Emirates were also attacked with missiles and drones," it added. The Iranian army said on Thursday that it had hit American bases in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, despite threats from the U.S. president, Donald Trump, to launch new attacks. "This morning, the army attacked with missiles and drones the satellite communication systems, equipment depots, and fighter jet hangars of the American terrorist army at Ahmad al Jaber Air Base in Kuwait," the Iranian army stated in a release broadcast by state television. "The American army’s radar systems, a killer of children, at Al Minhad Air Base in the United Arab Emirates were also attacked with missiles and drones," it added.

Earlier, the U.S. Central Command stated that the operation targeted the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) air-defense systems, radars, and naval facilities, as well as its capabilities to plant mines and communications sites. Shortly thereafter, Iran launched counterattacks from multiple directions. Iran is escalating its retaliatory actions targeting American bases. Iran expanded its retaliatory campaign, targeting American forces or facilities in Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Iraq, following a new wave of airstrikes conducted by Washington against the IRGC. In Jordan, the IRGC claimed the use of heavy ballistic missiles to attack an American base, causing significant casualties. Two American officials said preliminary assessments indicated no casualties. The Jordanian Armed Forces confirmed that 13 ballistic missiles penetrated its airspace, 10 were intercepted, while the remaining three landed in remote areas. No information on substantial ground damage was reported. Another attack targeted Ali al-Salem Air Base in Kuwait, where the IRGC claimed to have used missiles and drones to strike the home of a U.S. commander and drone-enabled facilities. Kuwaiti civil-defense officials said a drone from Iran caused a fire in a residential area of the capital, resulting in material damage without casualties. In Bahrain, Iran announced attacks on radars and gatherings of American forces at Sheikh Isa Air Base, while Bahrain said its defense systems intercepted and destroyed Iranian drones. The IRGC also claimed to have coordinated attacks on American bases in Erbil, northern Iraq, resulting in the destruction of several technical facilities and injuries among American soldiers. Iraq and the United States did not confirm these reports. After the attacks, the Iranian Joint Military Command warned that countries supporting the United States would face a stronger, broader, and more destructive response. Qatar said the Iranian strikes hindered de-escalation efforts, and Tehran was legally accountable for the attacks and their consequences. Iran announced that the retaliatory campaign comes in response to civilian casualties from American airstrikes. The Iranian Red Crescent reported five people killed and 50 wounded at a wedding near Sirik, while IRNA said the number of injuries reached 68. The deputy governor of Khuzestan said seven more were killed and eight injured in attacks targeting three sites. The United States did not comment on these reports. Separately, President Donald Trump warned that Washington might strike more forcefully if Iran continued its retaliation. These statements came from both sides after weeks of relative quiet, as the scope of the attacks expanded to include multiple locations housing American forces in the region.

WKTV/Canva WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. job market rebounded in August as employers added a surprising 162,000 jobs. The unemployment stayed at 4.1%. Revisions added 55,000 jobs to June and July payrolls. The jobs report, issued by the Labor Department Friday, could be good news for President Donald Trump two months before midterm elections in which the health of the economy is weighing on voters’ minds. Hiring far exceeded the 65,000 forecasters had expected. Labor Department revisions also looked good, adding 55,000 to June and July payrolls. Employers created 21,000 jobs in July; the Labor Department had originally reported that they’d cut 23,000. CHICAGO (AP) — Diesel has hit a record price in the U.S., soaring to an average of $5.85 a gallon for the first time. The record comes as the six-month war with Iran disrupts the world’s flow of fuel. Because diesel is used for many freight and delivery networks, higher diesel prices mean higher transportation costs for a long list of everyday goods. More expensive fuel is increasing bills for businesses across sectors. Some have already passed on costs to consumers in the form of added fees on online orders and packages in the mail. Jordan, a staunch U.S. ally that hosts American forces in the Mideast, has paid a price for its relationship with Washington. The alliance has made the kingdom’s military bases a target of repeat Iranian strikes. Despite the risk of more strikes, Jordanian leaders say they are committed to maintaining the relationship after decades of courting deeper security ties with American officials and offering to be a reliable partner with the West in a region rocked by conflict. The Iranian drone and missile strikes have added to other strains on Jordan. Those include a slumping economy and volatility in the neighboring West Bank. WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President JD Vance says he wouldn't call the U.S. conflict with Iran a “war,” despite recent escalations. On Thursday, Iran fired at U.S. ally Kuwait in retaliation for U.S. strikes. But Vance on Thursday emphasized the U.S. responsibility to act against Iran's targeting of commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and said he “wouldn’t call” the conflict “a war.” The conflict has impacted oil prices, which remain high. The U.S. Navy is reporting great success escorting oil-carrying vessels through the strait, but traffic is well below prewar levels. President Donald Trump's focus is increasingly on economic pressure, aiming to maintain control without returning to the full-throttle bombardment of Iran. KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian drone and missile attacks in Kyiv have intensified, disrupting daily life with constant air-raid sirens. Previously, these attacks occurred mostly at night. But now they happen day and night. Since last week, residents have faced exhaustion from the relentless alerts. People rush to shelters, interrupting daily activities like shopping and commuting. Even weddings and funerals are affected. Some are considering leaving the city due to the frequent alarms. The constant threat has left many wondering how long they can endure this new normal. KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Rescuers in Nepal have pulled two workers alive from an underground tunnel at a hydropower plant. That is raising hopes of reaching dozens of others believed to be trapped there nine days after deadly floods swept away villages and submerged the Himalayan region in mud and debris. Search teams first heard voices from inside the tunnel Friday morning. Nepalese lawmaker Shri Ram Neupane said that allowed the rescuers to locate the men. Images showed a rescuer carrying one of the workers, covered in mud, on his back. Army spokesperson  Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet said one of those rescued said more people are alive inside the tunnel. KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian attacks have killed at least three people in Ukraine, according to local officials. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he expects U.S. envoys in Kyiv soon as part of efforts to end the war. The air war between Russia and Ukraine has intensified with attacks now occurring during the day. The front line in eastern and southern Ukraine remains deadlocked. Zelenskyy says preliminary dates are set for meetings in Moscow and Kyiv. Meanwhile, a massive Russian attack on the Odesa region killed one person and injured at least five others. Ukrainian drone strikes have targeted Russian oil depots, causing fires and economic pressure. PLYMOUTH, Mass. (AP) — The deadlocked jury in the Lindsay Clancy trial has started a seventh day of deliberations. Friday's proceedings resumed a day after the jury’s foreperson told the judge a single juror won’t follow the court’s instructions about reasonable doubt. The extraordinary disclosure made in the form of a note delivered to the judge Thursday offered the clearest glimpse yet of what may be keeping jurors from reaching a verdict on whether the Massachusetts mother is criminally responsible for killing her three children. The jury has twice told Judge William Sullivan that it is unable to agree on a verdict. It was the fight for abortion rights that launched Gloria Steinem into feminism. The idea that women couldn’t reach equality without the ability to decide whether or when to have children was central to the feminist movement of the late 1960s, which Steinem came to embody until her death at age 92 on Wednesday. The victories of that movement dramatically transformed American culture and family life. But Steinem lived to see the rise of a powerful backlash against her vision of feminism, with reproductive rights, motherhood, childbearing and gender roles once again at the center of the country’s cultural wars. NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are mostly lower in the early going on Wall Street and Treasury yields are higher after a surprisingly strong report on the job market appeared to increase chances that the U.S. central bank could raise interest rates later this month. The S&P 500 fell 0.1% early Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 71 points, or 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite edged up 0.1%. The government reported that U.S. employers added 162,000 jobs to their payrolls last month, far more than expected. That could give the Federal Reserve leeway to raise its benchmark short-term rate to fight inflation. Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Gloria Steinem, a potent voice of US feminism and co-founder of Ms. Magazine, dies at 92 Gloria Steinem, a potent voice of US feminism and co-founder of Ms. Magazine, dies at 92

The Iranian army announced, at dawn today, that it targeted American military bases in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait with missiles and drones, in the latest escalation of military tensions between Tehran and Washington in the region. The Iranian announcement comes in tandem with statements by U.S. President Donald Trump, who said that the United States is achieving “very good results” in its confrontation with Iran, confirming that Washington currently controls the Strait of Hormuz, and vowing to continue actions to keep the situation this way. Trump said, during an event at the White House on Wednesday, in response to a question about how long the renewed military campaign against Iran might last, that he believes it “won’t be very long,” adding that the United States is prepared to launch new attacks on Iran at times it deems appropriate. In the same vein, Trump claimed that American forces destroyed during the latest round of strikes 28 ships belonging to the Islamic Republic, saying: “Last night, we destroyed 28 craft, 28 ships.” The United States had carried out, on Wednesday night, a wide-ranging barrage of strikes against targets inside Iran. According to data from the U.S. Central Command, the strikes targeted facilities of the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps), including air defense systems, radar stations, maritime assets, and communications facilities. In contrast, sources cited in the report said Iran responded by launching missiles and drones toward American military targets in several Middle Eastern countries, while the Iranian army announced it had targeted American bases in the UAE and Kuwait. On the naval front, the U.S. Central Command announced that “the U.S. Navy continues to impose the American blockade on Iran with vigor,” adding that by September 2 American forces had redirected the paths of 86 commercial ships, disrupted 3 ships, and boarded two ships “to ensure compliance.” In the Gulf, the Qatari Foreign Ministry condemned in the strongest terms what it described as renewed Iranian aggression against Kuwait, considering it a flagrant violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and a clear breach of international law, the UN Charter, and the principles of good neighborliness. The ministry warned that the continued aggressions constitute a dangerous escalation that could complicate efforts to contain tension and undermine political and diplomatic endeavors aimed at achieving security and stability in the region. Qatar held Iran fully legally responsible for the aggressions and their consequences, reaffirming its full solidarity with Kuwait and confirming its support for all legitimate measures Kuwait takes to preserve its sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity. In the United States, Senator Bernie Sanders responded to a post by President Donald Trump, opposing the idea of renaming the Hormuz Strait after Trump. Sanders said the American people do not want the strait renamed after the president; they want him to end what he described as “his illegal war in Iran.” He added that the war has raised diesel prices to $5.69 per gallon and gasoline to $4.12, addressing Trump directly: “You are the president, not a crazy king, so act accordingly.”