TEHRAN(National Times-)Iran attacked US military bases in Kuwait on Thursday, despite US President Donald Trump threatening further strikes in a fresh flare-up six months into the war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The new clashes, which began with US raids on Sunday, deepen the ongoing impasse in the war, as Iran maintains a stranglehold on the strategic Strait of Hormuz and the United States presses its counter-blockade of Iranian ports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump said his military was prepared to attack Iran \u201cany time we want\u201d after extensive US bombardment of sites across the country left at least 19 Iranians dead between Tuesday and Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tehran has once again retaliated with strikes across the Middle East this week, saying it targeted US bases and forces in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan and Iraq\u2019s Kurdistan region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Iran\u2019s security chief Mohsen Rezaei warned the US on Wednesday that Iran had adopted a \u201cnew strategy\u201d in the war that \u201cwill shatter your foundations\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Iran\u2019s pummelling of US military targets across the region came after a US attack that hit a wedding in the country\u2019s south, prompting fury from Tehran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Iranian Red Crescent said shrapnel from the missile attack in the coastal town of Kuhestak killed four people, including a child, and wounded more than 50.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The US military did not address the attack directly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
US Central Command (Centcom) spokesman Tim Hawkins claimed \u201cthe US military never targets civilians, unlike the IRGC\u201d, referring to Iran\u2019s Revolutionary Guards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kuwait\u2019s army on Thursday said it was intercepting a missile and drone attack from Iran, with the Iranian army saying it hit \u201cthe Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base in Kuwait with missiles and drones\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Iran\u2019s army also said it struck Al Minhad Air Base in the United Arab Emirates, but the Gulf country reported no such attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Maximum pressure\u2019
Kuwait called the attacks \u201ca direct threat to its security and stability, and the safety of its citizens and residents on its territory, and a grave breach of the rules of international law\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aside from military action, Washington has vowed to choke Iran\u2019s economy, threatening to slap sanctions on its trade partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Energy Secretary Chris Wright pledged on Wednesday that a US plan for expanded sanctions targeting the Islamic republic\u2019s economic partners would deliver \u201cabsolutely maximum pressure\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump also suggested on Wednesday renaming the Strait of Hormuz, a major shipping lane that Tehran has effectively shut for six months, as \u201cTrump Strait\u201d \u2014 although he implied later that he wasn\u2019t serious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNow that we have it under USA control, should we change the name Hormuz Strait to TRUMP STRAIT???\u201d the US president wrote on Truth Social.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Acts like Satan\u2019
Iran\u2019s top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf lashed out at Washington over the wedding attack, calling the United States \u201cSatan\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf a power acts like Satan, picks targets like Satan, and kills like Satan, it\u2019s Satan,\u201d he posted on X.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Iranians meanwhile expressed dismay over the return to hostilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The war erupted on February 28 with US-Israeli attacks on Iran that killed its supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A fragile ceasefire collapsed in July after attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of world oil supplies previously flowed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Israel\u2019s defence minister meanwhile said his country was prepared to respond \u201cwith great force\u201d if attacked by Iran over the Jewish high holiday season, which begins in mid-September.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFor now, they are striking throughout the region except us,\u201d Israel Katz said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
TEHRAN(National Times-)Iran attacked US military bases in Kuwait on Thursday, despite US President Donald Trump threatening further strikes in a fresh flare-up six months into the war. The new clashes, which began with US raids on Sunday, deepen the ongoing impasse in the war, as Iran maintains a stranglehold on the strategic Strait of Hormuz […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":132458,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-132457","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest_news","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n