(AFP) – The United States struck Iran and Tehran hit back at US allies in the Gulf, as the foes battled over the vital Strait of Hormuz in the renewed Middle East war. Here are the latest developments on Friday:
“Punish the aggressor”
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said that they had targeted US radar systems and military aircraft in Qatar to “punish the aggressor and the child-killing US military” following the overnight US strikes. The Guards earlier said they had also struck US military aircraft stationed in Jordan.
Syrian denial
A Syrian military source denied to AFP that Iran had bombed the Al-Tanf base near Syria’s southeastern borders with Jordan and Iraq, after Tehran’s Revolutionary Guards said they targeted the facility in response to US strikes. “We deny any Iranian bombardment targeting the Al-Tanf area,” the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. US forces said they withdrew from the base earlier this year after troops were stationed there as part of a US-led anti-jihadist coalition.
Iran urges no AC
Iran’s energy ministry called on citizens to reduce electricity use after the power grid came under strain following the US strikes on energy infrastructure in the south. The ministry in a statement urged people to switch off air conditioners in peak hours “to help ensure a stable electricity supply in the southern provinces, which are currently facing extreme heat and attacks on electricity supply facilities.” Kuwait also called on people to ration electricity consumption after reporting an Iranian attack on a power and water plant.
Iran targets Gulf states
Along with Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar also said they had intercepted missiles. An AFP journalist in Manama, Bahrain’s capital, reported hearing several explosions overnight after warning sirens were triggered. In Qatar, the defense ministry said the army intercepted a missile attack, with AFP journalists in the capital Doha hearing several blasts. The interior ministry later reported a child injured by debris.
Tanker hit
A tanker was hit overnight by an “unknown projectile” off the coast of Oman, the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency said, as Iran and the United States exchanged new fire over control of the Strait of Hormuz. The tanker sustained “minor structural damage,” but all crew are safe, the agency said.
Iran reports 38 killed
Iran’s health ministry said 38 people had been killed and more than 400 injured in US strikes since June 22. The latest overnight strikes killed eight people and wounded 20, the IRNA news agency reported. Iranian Kurdish rebels killed
Strikes in Iraq’s Kurdistan region killed eight members of an Iranian Kurdish armed opposition group, the exiled party said, blaming the attack on Iran.
China, Pakistan appeal
China’s and Pakistan’s foreign ministers called on the United States and Iran to end fighting and return to the negotiating table, after meeting in Shanghai.
US radar sites ‘destroyed’
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had “targeted and destroyed” two radar sites belonging to the United States in Oman, one used for maritime surveillance and one for air surveillance.
US forces board ship
American forces boarded a ship in the Gulf of Oman as part of Washington’s renewed blockade of Iranian ports, the US military said. US Central Command also said it had “redirected” three vessels trying to circumvent the blockade since it went back into effect amid renewed fighting.
Iran says infrastructure targeted
Iranian state TV reported two explosions in the city of Bushehr, home to Iran’s only civilian nuclear plant. Iranian state media also reported US strikes on an airport, a railway station in the port city of Bandar Abbas, and two bridges in southern Iran near the Strait of Hormuz.
© 2024 AFP
