Iran renews attacks on Gulf states after another night of US strikes
Escalation of Conflict in the Gulf Region
By Jana Choukeir and Eman Abouhassira
DUBAI, July 18 (Reuters) - Iran launched more attacks on Washington's Gulf allies and Jordan on Saturday after a seventh straight night of U.S. strikes on Iranian military targets, including logistics hubs, escalating the war one week after a ceasefire collapsed.
Attacks on Kuwait and Regional Infrastructure
Kuwait came under sustained attack, with a desalination plant hit and operations at Kuwait International Airport suspended due to repeated missile and drone threats.
Impact on Military and Oil Facilities
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had struck a U.S. military support centre at Camp Arifjan and destroyed a radar facility at Ali Al Salem Air Base. Kuwait Petroleum Corporation later said one of its oil facilities had been hit in "repeated Iranian attacks", causing significant damage and some injuries, according to the state news agency.
Kuwait's armed forces said they had intercepted Iranian ballistic missiles and drones early on Saturday, adding that a number of firefighters and oil sector workers had been injured while responding to the attacks.
Iran was responding to U.S. strikes targeting bridges, power facilities and other infrastructure.
IRGC Statement and Warnings
"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 them in the same manner'," the IRGC said in a statement warning U.S. allies in the region to expect more strikes.
The IRGC targeted a site in Bahrain where U.S. combat aircraft were gathered at Sheikh Isa Air Base and an intelligence data centre, Iranian state media reported.
The Guards said they had also destroyed at least two U.S. fighter aircraft and three other aircraft during a missile and drone attack early on Saturday on the U.S. base in Al Azraq, Jordan, according to Iranian state TV.
Reuters was not able to verify the reports.
Saudi Arabia Attacked
SAUDI ARABIA ATTACKED
Iran launched attacks on Saudi Arabia for the first time in about three months, according to two people familiar with the matter, triggering early warning alarms in Al-Kharj, east of the capital Riyadh, and at Yanbu on the kingdom's Red Sea coast.
Targeting of Prince Sultan Airbase
The people said one attack had targeted the Prince Sultan Airbase in Al-Kharj, which hosts U.S. forces.
Saudi state media did not elaborate on what triggered the early warnings and the government media office did not respond to a request for comment. The IRGC made no mention of any attack on Saudi Arabia.
Oil Prices at Highest in More Than a Month
OIL PRICES AT HIGHEST IN MORE THAN A MONTH
Oil prices climbed more than 4% on Friday to their highest level in more than a month, adding to political pressure on U.S. President Donald Trump as his Republican Party tries to hold on to power in November congressional elections.
Washington and Tehran have been testing the limits of escalation since their ceasefire agreement fell apart last week, raising the prospect of a return to all-out war.
Impact on Shipping and Energy Supplies
On Friday, both sides took aim at shipping traffic, with the U.S. saying it was enforcing a naval blockade while Iran said it targeted vessels that violated its rules on navigating the Strait of Hormuz, the vital waterway for one-fifth of the world's oil supply.
Iranian media reported that several missiles had struck power facilities and desalination pumps in the southern city of Jask on Saturday, citing a local official.
Some 10,000 people in 20 villages were without water, Tasnim news agency reported. The governor of Jask later said emergency water deliveries had begun to the affected villages.
A power generation and water desalination plant in Kuwait was hit in an Iranian attack, the country's Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy Ministry said in a statement. It was the second attack on Kuwaiti water desalination sites in two days.
Kuwait's Foreign Ministry said Iran's targeting of vital infrastructure endangered civilians and violated international law, adding it held Tehran fully responsible for the attacks.
The U.S. military's Central Command said earlier it concluded its seventh consecutive day of strikes by hitting Iranian surveillance sites, military logistics infrastructure, underground weapons storage and maritime capabilities.
Infrastructure Strikes Kill Civilians in Iran
INFRASTRUCTURE STRIKES KILL CIVILIANS IN IRAN
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was concerned about the escalation, particularly "attacks on civilian infrastructure in Iran and across the region", his spokesperson said on Friday.
Casualties and Damage in Iran
Iranian media reported strikes early on Saturday in Hormozgan Province on the Strait of Hormuz. State TV said three people were killed and eight wounded while two bridges and a road tunnel were damaged.
A day earlier, Iranian state media said U.S. strikes hit at least five bridges in the south. Seven people were reported killed in attacks on bridges in the port of Bandar Khamir, where a train station was also hit. An airport was reported hit further east in Iranshahr.
U.S. Threats and Regional Risks
Trump has threatened to launch broad-based airstrikes on Iran's infrastructure and has also declined to rule out a ground assault on Iran's coast or islands. U.S. officials have said attacks on southern Iran are designed in part to give Trump options.
Such moves risk provoking Iran to mount further attacks on the vital infrastructure of Gulf states, or renewed efforts by Tehran's allies in Yemen to disrupt global energy supplies by targeting Red Sea shipping.
(Reporting by Reuters bureaux; Writing by Stephen Coates and Gareth Jones; Editing by Sam Holmes, Alison Williams, Ros Russell)
