Kuwait City, Kuwait. Iran launched renewed attacks on U.S. Gulf allies on Saturday following a seventh consecutive night of U.S. strikes on Iranian military sites, including logistics infrastructure. The escalation came one week after a fragile ceasefire agreement collapsed.
Attacks in Kuwait and Bahrain
Kuwait faced sustained attacks, with a desalination plant hit and Kuwait International Airport suspending operations because of repeated missile and drone threats.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they struck a U.S. military support centre at Camp Arifjan and destroyed a radar facility at Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait.
Iranian state media reported that the Revolutionary Guards also targeted a site where U.S. combat aircraft were gathered at Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain, as well as an intelligence data centre. Reuters was unable to verify the reports.
Warning to regional allies
The Revolutionary Guards said U.S. allies in the region should expect further strikes.
“Since there is no international institution to prevent the savagery of the U.S. military, we have no path before us except the Quranic command: ‘Whoever attacks you, attack it in the same manner’,” the Guards said in a statement.
Shipping and oil markets
On Friday, the United States and Iran both targeted shipping traffic. Washington said it was enforcing a naval blockade, while Iran said it had targeted vessels that violated its rules for navigating the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that carries one-fifth of global oil supply.
Oil prices rose more than 4% on Friday to their highest level in more than a month, increasing political pressure on U.S. President Donald Trump as his Republican Party seeks to retain power in November congressional elections.
Escalating conflict
Washington and Tehran have tested the limits of escalation since the ceasefire agreement collapsed last week, raising the prospect of a return to all-out war.
Civilian infrastructure has increasingly been subjected to attack despite concerns about potential war crimes.
