US-Iran war latest update: Trump accuses Tehran of ‘terrorist behaviour’, vessels in Hormuz Strait still being hit
US President Donald Trump has threatened more strikes on Iran as the United States, amid attacks on its bases in West Asia/Middle East, presses for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Hours later on Saturday, Kuwait, which houses US bases, said it responded to a new round of drone attacks from Iran.
In the strait, meanwhile, another tanker was struck on Saturday.
On another front, Israel heavily struck the Gaza Strip even as the Palestinian militant group Hamas agreed to disarm.
Here are the most important developments in the region
US threatens new strikes in the conflict with Iran
Speaking to reporters on Friday during a Cabinet meeting at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland, Trump said the US was determined to “win” in Iran and indicated military operations would continue. He added that the US would hit Iran “very hard” until it “can’t take it anymore.”
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Later in the day, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reiterated the administration’s frustration, saying Tehran had signed a memorandum of understanding with the US on a truce last month but soon “broke it, shot at commercial ships, and killed American soldiers.”
“President Trump is not going to stand by and allow this terrorist behavior to occur,” Leavitt said in a statement on Friday evening. “Iran will continue to pay until they come to the table in, what President Trump deems, a meaningful way.”
Iran military accusing US of fuelling tensions in West Asia
Iran’s military accused the United States of fuelling tensions in West Asia on Saturday, cautioning countries in the region against working with Washington as the conflict continues.
“The United States is rapidly moving down the path of escalating tensions in the region. Any country serving as a defensive shield for criminal and aggressive America will be engulfed by the flames of war,” Ali Abdollahi, head of Iran’s military central command, said in a statement read on state television.
The remarks came after US President Donald Trump reiterated threats to hit Iran “very hard”.
US media reported he was considering renewed heavy attacks as soon as this weekend, including against energy infrastructure targets.
New attacks on Kuwait and on shipping
Kuwait’s military said on Saturday that its forces were responding to drone attacks, which were part of Iran’s assaults on the country. In a statement, Major General Saud Abdulaziz Al-Otaibi, spokesman for Kuwait’s defence ministry, said the drones hit “a number of vital facilities”, including a government structure in the country’s north. He said there were no casualties.
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The British Navy said a tanker was hit and another explosion took place near a separate vessel in the Strait of Hormuz off Oman on Saturday. It added that neither incident resulted in any casualties.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Organisation said an unidentified projectile hit a vessel on Friday, 11 nautical miles northeast of Lima, Oman, causing damage to its engine room. On Saturday, it reported a large splash and an explosion near another tanker 21 nautical miles northwest of Khasab.
Iran has repeatedly attacked vessels attempting to transit through the Strait of Hormuz without its authorisation as part of its ongoing conflict with the US
Israel strikes Gaza after Hamas says it will disarm
At least two people were killed and dozens injured in central Gaza after intense Israeli strikes on Friday night, according to local health officials.
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The strikes came after Hamas confirmed on Friday that it will disarm in a potential breakthrough for ending the war in Gaza, though major obstacles remain.
Israel has not officially commented on the Hamas deal, which is part of a US-brokered ceasefire announced last October. That agreement called for Hamas to disarm and hand over power to an independent Palestinian administration. Israel was to withdraw and an International Stabilization Force was to be deployed.
In a post on X on Friday, Israeli far-right lawmaker Itamar Ben-Gvir called the deal “unacceptable” and said the killings in Gaza must continue. “
“Israel must win,” he said.
Elsewhere in the region: The other strait and beyond
- Houthi rebels forced eight Saudi ships to reroute from the Bab el-Mandeb strait after the Iranian-backed rebels announced a blockade on Saudi shipping in the chokepoint. Brig Gen Yahya Saree, the military spokesman for the Houthis, said in a statement on Friday that the vessels changed route to the Cape of Good Hope around Africa to avert the blockade.
- In southern Lebanon, Israeli forces set off explosions to destroy an underground tunnel network under the Crusader-built Beaufort Castle that Israel says had been used by Hezbollah militants as a command center. The 12th-century castle, also known as Al-Shaqif, was seized by Israeli forces in May. It was recently added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List despite Israel’s objections.
- Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun said the Israeli operation sent “negative messages” ahead of upcoming talks in Rome. Israeli and Lebanese negotiating teams are set to meet again there to continue hammering out a plan under which Israel would withdraw from southern Lebanon in exchange for Hezbollah’s disarmament.
(With inputs from AP and AFP)