Trump says US strikes on Iran will continue as Gulf attacks spread
Al Jazeera reported fresh Iranian attacks in Bahrain and Kuwait as Trump said US operations against Iran would continue until he orders a stop.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
3 min read
US President Donald Trump said American attacks on Iran will continue until he decides to halt them, according to Al Jazeera, as fighting widened across the Gulf. Iranian state media said Tehran targeted US-linked bases in Bahrain, while Kuwait’s Defence Ministry reported an Iranian attack on one of its naval vessels.
Al Jazeera reported that sirens sounded in Bahrain after Iran launched missiles and drones. Iranian state media said the targets included a US naval support base in Bahrain’s capital and Sheikh Isa Air Base off the kingdom’s southern coast.
The reported strikes followed another day of escalating exchanges between Washington and Tehran. Al Jazeera said the United States renewed its blockade of Iranian ports after developments that appeared to end an interim peace deal between the two sides.
Trump also said he had reversed his decision on a proposed 20-percent tariff announcement after broad economic concerns, according to Al Jazeera. On Iran, he said US attacks would continue and added that he would “save the energy targets for last,” Al Jazeera reported.
Regional targets reported
US Central Command accused Iran of targeting civilians in the region after attacks on seven commercial ships, according to Al Jazeera. The report did not give further details on the ships or casualties from those attacks.
Kuwait’s Defence Ministry said Iranian attacks hit a Kuwaiti Naval Force vessel and wounded four personnel, Al Jazeera reported. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it destroyed US weapons in Kuwait and Bahrain, according to the same report.
Iranian official Kazem Gharibabadi said a memorandum of understanding with the United States was no longer valid, Al Jazeera reported. The report did not provide further terms of the agreement or say when it had been signed.
Al Jazeera described the developments as part of the United States’ and Israel’s war on Iran, alongside Israel’s attacks on Gaza and Lebanon. The broadcaster also said Tehran had announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz on July 12 and had launched missiles and drones at Gulf neighbors after new US strikes that followed an Iranian attack on a merchant vessel.
Israel files move on separate fronts
Al Jazeera reported that Israel’s security cabinet approved a budget of $434m, or 1.3 billion shekels, to establish 34 new settlements in the occupied West Bank. The report did not include details on the locations or timing of those settlements.
Israel also said it was ready to proceed with two pilot zones in Lebanon during talks in Italy, according to Al Jazeera. Lebanon’s deputy prime minister told the broadcaster that the framework agreement with Israel does not include a withdrawal timeline.
Al Jazeera reported that Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 73,233 Palestinians since October 7, 2023, and wounded at least 173,707 others. The report did not identify the authority that provided those casualty figures.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.