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Middle East crisis latest: US carries out strikes across Iran as Tehran targets American bases in region
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Original article by Lucy Campbell (now) and Mabel Banfield-Nwachi (earlier)
As we put the blog on pause for the time being, here is our full report on the latest attacks the US has launched against Iran and Donald Trump’s warning to Tehran:
The day so far
US missiles struck targets across Iran on Friday after Donald Trump vowed “major military punishment” for Tehran and its Houthi allies in Yemen for extending the Middle East war to a second major shipping chokepoint, the mouth of the Red Sea. US Central Command said it targeted Iranian military command centres, communication networks, drone storage facilities, coastal surveillance sites and maritime capabilities.
Iranian armed forces responded by firing a wave of retaliatory attacks on at US bases in neighbouring Arab countries and warning people there that they may strike non-military buildings used by US personnel. The Iranian army said it used drones to target facilities in Bahrain and Jordan, with attacks also reported in Kuwait and Iraq. The IRGC warned civilians in the Middle East to stay away from US forces, state media reported.
The head of Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya central military command, Ali Abdollahi, threatened US military personnel in the region on Friday, saying Iran had “prepared free, one-way tickets to hell for you”. “For every proud citizen of the Islamic Republic of Iran who is martyred, one American service member will be sent to hell,” he was quoted as saying by the state broadcaster.
Iran pushed back on a New York Times (paywall) report from Thursday that Tehran had rejected a US ceasefire deal presented by the Iraqi prime minister, calling the report “completely diversionary and misleading,” according to state media IRNA. The NYT reported that the proposal was the only one on the table, and Tehran was not interested in a temporary deal which left the question of control of the strait of Hormuz unresolved, citing Iranian officials. Baghdad has also denied the NYT report.
Trump said that in recent meetings with Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, both leaders assured the US president separately that they would not sell weapons to Iran. The US president added: “Two major countries that people speak of often in terms of Iran are, in my opinion, not participating. If they did, it would be very bad for them – certainly not in their best interests.”
As we reported earlier, Iran’s military said on Friday that it carried out attacks targeting US military assets in Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait in retaliation for Washington’s latest strikes on the Islamic republic.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corp, meanwhile, said they had targeted a data centre in Bahrain belonging to Amazon, according to state media, though neither the US tech giant nor Bahrain have commented on the claim.
There was also no confirmation from the US of any targeting of its facilities or personnel.
“This morning, the fuel tanks, large equipment warehouses and silos, and the barracks of the US terrorist army forces at the Isa Air Base in Bahrain were targeted by Arash kamikaze drones,” the Iranian army said in a statement carried by state TV.
An AFP journalist in Bahrain reported an explosion and warning sirens Friday, though it was not immediately clear if the two events were linked.
Bahrain later said it intercepted and destroyed “a number of Iranian aerial aggressions”, accusing Tehran of targeting civilians.
The Iranian army also claimed drone attacks against Jordan, targeting “aircraft hangars, aviation maintenance hangars and a barracks” at Al-Azraq base.
Jordan’s military said it intercepted seven missiles and six drones launched by Iran on Friday, adding the operation “resulted in no casualties or material damage”.
In a separate statement, the Iranian army said it had also launched drones at US equipment warehouses at Camp Udairi and the site of American military personnel at Camp Doha and Camp Arifjan in Kuwait.
The IRGC said they had targeted the Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, claiming to have destroyed an ammunition depot and inflicted casualties among US personnel.
They also claimed attacks on equipment storage silos at Camp Udairi in Kuwait, as well as a US Fifth Fleet watchtower in Bahrain.
Head of Iran's top joint military command says it will kill one member of US forces for every Iranian killed
The head of Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya central military command, Ali Abdollahi, threatened US military personnel in the region on Friday, saying Iran had “prepared free, one-way tickets to hell for you”.
“For every proud citizen of the Islamic Republic of Iran who is martyred, one American service member will be sent to hell,” he was quoted as saying by the state broadcaster.
Trump says China and Russia gave assurances they would not sell weapons to Iran
Donald Trump said that in recent meetings with Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, both leaders assured the US president separately that they would not sell weapons to Iran.
“Considering our relationship, I take him at his word,” Trump said of the Chinese leader. Meanwhile, the US president said that the Kremlin made the same guarantees, despite the ongoing war in Ukraine. Putin understands that the US does not sell weapons to Ukraine, “but to Nato countries”, Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Friday. “They pay full price, and how those weapons are distributed, I have no idea.”
The US president added: “Two major countries that people speak of often in terms of Iran are, in my opinion, not participating. If they did, it would be very bad for them – certainly not in their best interests.”
The US embassy in Amman has warned Americans that US military bases in Jordan should be avoided and asked Americans to follow local government and embassy travel advisories and guidance. It comes after three US service members were killed last week after Iran targeted a military base in Jordan.
In a statement on X the embassy in the Jordanian capital added: “Due to heightened tensions in the Middle East, the security environment remains complex with the potential for unforeseen escalation.
“US diplomatic facilities, including outside the Middle East, have been targeted. Iran and groups supportive of Iran may target other US interests overseas or at locations associated with the United States and Americans throughout the world, including US businesses and other institutions.”
It urged Americans to reconsider travelling to and through the Middle East, and to “exercise caution and heightened vigilance and should be prepared for flight cancellations, periodic airspace closures, and potential travel disruptions”.
Updated
An Omani delegation has arrived in Iran to discuss a framework “to establish appropriate mechanisms for managing ship traffic in the strait of Hormuz,” Iranian state news agency IRNA reports.
Tehran has maintained that it’s open to managing the strait in coordination with Oman, though the US and Gulf states have rejected the idea.
Benjamin Netanyahu will meet Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday, the Israeli prime minister’s office said.
“As part of the visit, the prime minister will meet with President Trump at the White House on Tuesday and attend the funeral service for Senator Lindsey Graham, a friend of Israel,” Netanyahu’s office said, adding that he will depart for Washington on Monday.
Netanyahu’s visit comes at a time when tensions have mounted between the two leaders over the handling of the war with Iran and as Trump threatens to escalate US military action.
Since Trump’s return to the White House last year, the two have already met six times, but this will be the first such meeting in five months. At the last one in February, Netanyahu made the case for the joint offensive against Iran that Trump launched with him weeks later.
Iran pushes back on report that it rejected US ceasefire proposal sent via Iraq
Iran has pushed back on a New York Times (paywall) report from Thursday that Tehran had rejected a US ceasefire deal presented by the Iraqi prime minister, calling the report “completely diversionary and misleading,” according to state media IRNA.
The NYT reported that the proposal was the only one on the table, and Tehran was not interested in a temporary deal which left the question of control of the strait of Hormuz unresolved, citing Iranian officials.
The IRNA report claimed the proposal was for a “temporary 10-day ceasefire”. Full details of the proposal have not been published.
“Iran has always regarded diplomacy as having intrinsic value,” an unnamed Iranian official said, according to IRNA. “The problem of the escalation of conflict in the region stems exclusively from the United States’ breach of its promises and violation of the commitments contained in the June 18 memorandum of understanding.”
Baghdad has also denied the NYT report. Ali al-Zaidi’s trip to Iran followed his recent visit to the White House where he met with Donald Trump.
The Iraqi prime minister’s media office said the “claims” in the report were “completely baseless and had no connection to reality”, according to a statement published by the Iraqi News Agency (INA).
The office urged media outlets “to verify information, rely on official sources and refrain from circulating unsubstantiated reports or claims attributed to anonymous sources”.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps warned civilians in the Middle East on Friday to stay away from US forces, state media reported.
In an interview carried out by state TV, the IRGC said:
We warn the general public in countries where American soldiers are stationed to immediately stay out of a radius of 500 metres from the places where American soldiers are hiding, in order to be safe.
Jordan’s military said it intercepted seven missiles and six drones launched by Iran on Friday.
The military said the interceptions, performed by air defence systems and air force planes, “resulted in no casualties or material damage,” according to AFP.
Earlier on Friday, the Iranian army said it had launched drone attacks targeting US military personnel and military targets in Bahrain and Jordan after the US carried out its 13th consecutive night of strikes against Iran.
Updated
US carries out strikes across Iran as Tehran targets American bases in region
US missiles struck targets across Iran on Friday after Donald Trump vowed “major military punishment” for Tehran and its Houthi allies in Yemen for extending the Middle East war to a second major shipping chokepoint, the mouth of the Red Sea.
The US Central Command said it targeted Iranian military command centres, communication networks, drone storage facilities, coastal surveillance sites and maritime capabilities.
Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported that explosions were reported in Khondab, Khorramabad, Konarak and Jask.
Meanwhile, as Reuters reports, Iranian armed forces responded by firing a wave of retaliatory attacks on at US bases in neighbouring Arab countries and warning people there that they may strike non-military buildings used by US personnel.
The Iranian army said it used drones to target facilities in Bahrain and Jordan, with attacks also reported in Kuwait and Iraq.
It said Trump’s threats only strengthened its resolve.
Updated