TARGETING US MILITARY IN QATAR, KUWAIT, BAHRAIN
Iran’s army said in a statement released by state media that it had launched attacks at US Patriot systems with drones in Kuwait, an early warning site in Qatar (satellite antenna) and a fuel storage of the US army in Bahrain.
Kuwait said its armed forces had engaged with a cruise missile, three ballistic missiles and 10 drones in its airspace, and that one person had been injured from falling shrapnel.
Sirens also sounded in Jordan on Thursday after missiles launched from Iran were detected in Jordanian airspace, the state news agency reported, citing the government spokesperson. Eight missiles were intercepted, with no injuries or damage reported, the news agency said.
Qatar, which hosts the largest US military base in the region and has often mediated between Washington and its adversaries including Tehran, called for a return to diplomacy.
In a phone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani also condemned attacks against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
While Iran has not claimed responsibility for the ship attacks, analysts say Tehran uses such actions to gain leverage in negotiations.
The Strait of Hormuz handled about a fifth of global oil supplies before the war erupted on Feb 28 with US and Israeli strikes against Iran.
Tehran has since taken effective control of the strait, allowing it to force a stalemate in its confrontation with the world’s most powerful military.
“The US has yet to learn that bullying and breaking its commitments no longer come without a cost. Let me be clear: If you strike, you will be struck back,” Iran’s top negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, wrote on X.
“The Strait of Hormuz will be reopened only under Iranian arrangements, not through US threats.”