Trump warns Iran strikes could be the largest yet after Gulf attacks
Trump told Axios he is weighing a larger attack on Iran after Tehran struck US allies in the Gulf and Houthis hit Saudi tankers.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
3 min read
President Donald Trump said he may order the largest US attack on Iran so far, escalating the Trump Iran strikes confrontation after Tehran launched new retaliatory attacks across the Gulf. His warning matters because the conflict is now hitting US allies, regional infrastructure and major energy routes.
Trump told Axios on Thursday that he was “considering a massive attack” and said it would be “bigger than ever before”. He added that he was “close to making a decision” and that US forces were prepared, according to Axios.
Al Jazeera and AFP reported that the US has attacked Iran for 12 consecutive nights. Iranian media said those attacks have included strikes on bridges and tunnels.
What did Iran attack in the Gulf?
Iran responded to another night of US attacks with missile and drone strikes on Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait on Thursday, according to Al Jazeera and AFP. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the strikes in Jordan and Kuwait were aimed at US military assets.
The IRGC also said it hit a telecommunications tower in Kuwait. It described that strike as retaliation for US attacks on Iranian telecommunications towers, and told Kuwaiti citizens that Washington, rather than Tehran, had violated Kuwait’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Kuwait later said its Abdali border crossing with Iraq was attacked by “hostile drones,” according to Al Jazeera and AFP. Iranian army spokesperson Mohammad Akraminia said Iran’s retaliatory attacks would continue while US strikes on Iranian infrastructure and coastal areas continued.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned Wednesday that Tehran would answer future attacks, including attacks on infrastructure, with “an eye for an eye”. The latest exchanges have further damaged an interim peace deal signed by the US and Iran last month, Al Jazeera reported.
How have the Houthis widened the conflict?
Yemen’s Houthi rebels entered the day’s escalation by firing at two Saudi tankers in the Red Sea on Thursday, according to Al Jazeera and AFP. The attack drew international condemnation and came as global oil prices climbed.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council that the situation was “getting out of control” and was “teetering on the edge of the unimaginable”. He said one crisis was feeding the next as the fighting spread.
The Houthis have announced a blockade of Saudi ports, putting pressure on the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a key shipping route. Al Jazeera reported that the Strait of Hormuz has been effectively shut since the US and Israel launched the war on Iran in late February.
Al Jazeera’s Yousef Mawry, reporting from Sanaa, cited Houthi sources as saying Saudi Aramco facilities could become future targets if Riyadh does not lift its blockade on Houthi-controlled ports.
What does it mean for oil prices?
Brent crude rose above $100 a barrel on Thursday, a level Al Jazeera said it had not reached since May. Analysts cited by Al Jazeera said a prolonged disruption could have wider consequences for the global economy.
Janiv Shah, vice president at Rystad Energy, said much of the world’s spare production capacity has already been used and that oil inventories are lower than when the war began. He said those conditions leave the market with fewer buffers if supply disruptions last.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.