Sirens sound in Gulf states as US-Iran strikes intensify
What's the story
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has claimed responsibility for missile strikes on Gulf states, claiming to have targeted two US military bases in Bahrain and another two in Kuwait. The strikes were in retaliation for American attacks on southern Iran earlier on Thursday. Sirens were heard twice in Bahrain and once in Kuwait as air defenses responded to rocket and drone attacks. The defense ministry of Kuwait confirmed that its air defenses were engaged against these threats.
Security alert
Qatar issued an elevated security warning
Meanwhile, Qatar issued an elevated security warning on mobile phones but quickly sent an all-clear message within 10 minutes after noting that "a threat had been eliminated." Iranian Parliament Speaker Muhammad Bagher Ghalibaf has warned the United States against its actions, saying "if you strike, you'll get hit." He also emphasized that "the Strait of Hormuz will only open with 'Iranian arrangements,' not American threats."
Nuclear negotiations
Tensions between US and Iran escalate
The strikes come amid heightened tensions between the United States and Iran after the US renewed attacks on Iran. On Tuesday, the US Central Command (Centcom) said that American forces hit over 80 targets with precision munitions as an immediate response to Iran's latest attacks on commercial vessels transiting Hormuz. Less than a day later, it said it had carried out "an additional round of strikes against Iran."
Retaliatory actions
Trump warned of more strikes
The US strikes targeted eastern Iranian cities, including Iranshahr, Bandar Abbas, Konarak, and Chabahar, which lies on the Gulf of Oman, outside the narrow Strait of Hormuz. It is Iran's only deep-water oceanic port and serves as one of its most important gateways to the Indian Ocean. The fresh attack came after President Donald Trump warned of more strikes on Iran after declaring that a ceasefire with Tehran was over.