Iran accuses Washington of attacking under-construction nuclear plant and retaliates against countries around region as conflict escalates
Tehran on Sunday launched attacks on US allies across the Gulf after Washington conducted another night of strikes in response to the deaths of two of its soldiers in Jordan.
US Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, said on Saturday that the troops had been killed while defending against Iranian ballistic missile and drone strikes.
Centcom said its strikes, which started on Saturday evening US time and lasted into Sunday morning, were meant to “swiftly punish Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces” for the attack that killed the Americans, while further degrading “Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz”.
US forces hit Iranian military facilities and missile and drone storage sites among other targets, Centcom said after the attacks ended.
The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran said the US had fired several projectiles at the under-construction Darkhovin nuclear power plant in Khuzestan province early on Sunday. It did not elaborate on the extent of damage to the site.
The fighting comes at a tense moment in the Middle East, with the regional conflict intensifying in the wake of the collapse of a fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran. The price of oil has risen 20 per cent so far in July, while global inventories remain at critically low levels. The US state department, meanwhile, has warned of the “potential for unforeseen escalation”.
Tehran has stepped up attacks across the Gulf in recent days, including striking Saudi Arabia for the first time in nearly four months.
The Kuwaiti army said on Sunday morning that its air-defence systems had been activated to intercept missiles and drones from Iran.
The Gulf state has been intensely targeted over the past 48 hours, including with multiple attacks on power generation and water desalination plants — critical infrastructure on which it relies for fresh water.
Kuwait Airways also said over the weekend that it had to reschedule most of its flights after its airspace was temporarily closed.
In neighbouring Bahrain, which alongside Kuwait has borne the brunt of many recent Iranian attacks, sirens were sounded on Sunday as the interior ministry urged the public to seek shelter. The army said on Sunday that it had intercepted and destroyed another wave of Iranian aerial attacks.
The Israel Defense Forces too on Sunday warned of “spillover into Israeli territory” from Iranian missiles fired at the city of Aqaba in Jordan, though there were no impacts reported inside Israel.
The country, which in February launched the war against Iran alongside the US, has not been involved in the latest round of strikes. The missile fire on Aqaba came after the US embassy in Amman earlier in the day warned of a “specific and credible threat” to the city’s international airport and seaport. Jordanian authorities reportedly denied that both facilities had been evacuated, and there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
US President Donald Trump, who is confronting record-low approval ratings as a growing share of voters sour on his handling of the conflict, reimposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports this week.
The US president had lifted the blockade last month after the warring parties signed a memorandum of understanding that extended an April ceasefire by 60 days and was supposed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The deaths of more US troops are likely to pile further political pressure on the president, while the tit-for-tat strikes raise the risk of a return to full-scale war and have undermined diplomatic efforts to reopen the vital waterway.
The Revolutionary Guards’ naval forces said on Sunday that they blocked two vessels involved in an “incident” while attempting to exit the strait with what they claimed was US support.
Iranian state media said on Saturday that the Islamic republic targeted Prince Sultan Air Base in the Saudi city of al-Kharj, which hosts American forces.
Saudi Arabia’s civil defence issued a warning on Saturday for a threat over Al-Kharj, 85km south-east of the capital Riyadh, as well as Yanbu, a Red Sea port with a refinery and a crude export terminal. However, it was not clear whether Yanbu was targeted.
The kingdom has shifted the majority of its oil exports to the Red Sea using an east-west pipeline after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
The foreign ministries of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates condemned the attacks on the Gulf. The UAE said it was deeply concerned about the recent escalation and called for “an immediate end to hostilities and a swift return to negotiations”.
The guards warned regional states that host US military forces to prepare for a “corresponding response and activate their civilian defence units to protect the lives of citizens by keeping them away from potential targets”.
In a written statement, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei criticised what he said was the US’s “bullying, hegemonic ambitions and brutality”. Khamenei said Iran would have “unforgettable lessons” for the US.
Additional reporting by Neri Zilber in Tel Aviv
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