Day 144 | US launches new strikes as Iran expands regional attacks

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Read more: Day 145 | Trump threatens strike on Iran's Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it redirected eight commercial vessels and disabled one as part of efforts to "fully enforce" the US naval blockade of Iran.

In a statement, CENTCOM said the blockade remains a central element of US military operations in the region.

"Every operational success in the Middle East begins and ends with service members focused on their missions, including the US blockade against Iran," the command said.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed it has "decommissioned" an early warning radar and a tactical radar complex near Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, as well as another radar system on Bubiyan Island.

In a statement, the IRGC said its attacks had successfully destroyed the radar systems and put them out of operation.

"The operation to punish the aggressor continues," the statement said.

New UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has approved the United States' use of British military bases for what the UK describes as defensive strikes against Iran, according to Bloomberg.

The reported decision allows US forces to use military facilities in the UK as part of operations linked to the ongoing confrontation with Iran.

According to Bloomberg, the authorization reflects continued military coordination between London and Washington as tensions in the region persist.

British officials have characterized the operations as defensive in nature, though no additional details were immediately released regarding the scope of the authorization or the specific bases involved.

The Lebanese army has deployed troops in a designated "pilot zone" following an agreement with ‘Israel’, marking the start of a phased security arrangement aimed at stabilizing the border area.

Iranian state-run Fars News Agency claimed the United States has relocated part of its military infrastructure, including aerial refueling tanker aircraft, to southern 'Israel' following Iranian retaliatory strikes across the Gulf.

According to the report, satellite images show at least 24 US tanker aircraft stationed at Ramon Airport in southern 'Israel', with the aircraft collectively valued at about $1.5 billion.

Fars claimed the airport had previously been targeted by Iran during the war and said the aircraft stationed there were "within Iran's reach."

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned what he described as the "unconventional and unprofessional" actions of two French diplomats in Tehran during a phone call with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot.

According to a message shared on Araghchi's Telegram channel, he objected to what he called the "unconventional and undiplomatic actions" of the two French officials, stressing that foreign missions must respect the laws of the host country and diplomatic norms.

US President Donald Trump warns Iran of stronger military strikes, as the pair continue trading blows over the Strait of Hormuz.

“We’ve been nice [so far],” Trump says in the Oval Office with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun beside him.

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he would "take care of" the Houthis if the Iran-backed group follows through on its threatened blockade of Saudi ports.

"If something like that happens, we take care of it," Trump told reporters during a White House meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.

"You know, we've done that with the Houthis before, and we haven't heard from them in a while since we did what we did originally."

Satellite images captured on Saturday showed plumes of black smoke rising from locations in Kuwait following reported Iranian drone and missile attacks.

The images showed smoke near a power and desalination plant in the Subiya area, as well as near an oil facility in the Ahmadi region.

Kuwaiti authorities said power and desalination plants were struck for a fourth consecutive day, with the attacks causing fires and damage to critical infrastructure.

The strikes have raised concerns in the country, where around 90% of drinking water comes from desalination plants, making the facilities essential to daily life.

Tehran has claimed the attacks targeted US bases in Kuwait, while Kuwaiti authorities have not provided further details on the full extent of the damage.

US President Donald Trump said Iran may have moved nuclear material to a site near Natanz known as Pickaxe Mountain, but said Washington has not confirmed the reports.

Asked about reports that Iran relocated its enriched uranium stockpile during the ongoing conflict, Trump said the move would not be significant without the material itself.

"I think that they may have. We don't have it on record," Trump said. "It doesn't mean anything unless they have the material."

Trump added that the US could target the area soon, saying: "We'll be hitting that area very probably pretty soon, and there's not a thing they can do about it."

 

 

 

 

 

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On a road leading to the coastal Lebanese town of Naqura, an ‘Israeli’ flag flies alongside the deep blue sea, a few metres from a yellow gate marking ‘Israel's’ so-called "security zone" in southern Lebanon.

‘Israeli’ soldiers at the checkpoint turn back a convoy of journalists and Christian charity workers attempting to reach inhabited Lebanese Christian villages in the occupied area.

The convoy, organised by the charity L'Oeuvre d'Orient, had received the required permits from United Nations peacekeepers.

US President Donald Trump said 'Israeli' troops are in the process of redeploying from parts of southern Lebanon but did not provide a timeline for a full withdrawal.

Speaking at the White House ahead of talks with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Trump said the redeployment was already underway.

"They're in the process of doing that," Trump said. "They are in the process of redeploying into other sections. Again, they get along very well."

Asked about potential US support for the Lebanese army as it expands its presence in southern Lebanon, Trump said the issue would be discussed during his meeting with Aoun.

"We have some very concrete plans already in store for that, with others going in and helping," Trump said, adding that Lebanon is also "becoming much more self-sufficient."

US President Donald Trump said the United States would "take care of it" if Yemen's Houthi movement follows through on its announcement of a naval blockade targeting Saudi Arabia.

Responding to a reporter's question at the White House, Trump said the blockade had not yet materialized but warned the US would act if it did.

"So far, it hasn't happened," Trump said. "It might happen, but we take care of things. If something like that happens, we take care of it."

He added that the US has had "no problem with the Houthis" for an extended period, including during the current conflict.

US President Donald Trump said the United States will help Lebanon "a lot" and work to resolve ongoing challenges in the country ahead of talks with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the White House.

Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump said the US had already made progress on some issues and pointed to Hezbollah as a major challenge.

"We are going to solve problems. We've already solved some of them," Trump said. "As you know, there's a Hezbollah problem, but we've done some things that I think the world will take notice of."

Trump added that Lebanon "has been a very badly treated place and country" and said the US wants to see it "treated with the respect that it deserves."

The US military has identified Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, of Fayetteville, as the soldier killed while disarming an Iranian drone at an air base in Irbil, Iraq, on Saturday.

Swinton was assigned to the 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade. The Army said he will be posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, and Combat Action Badge, and will be promoted to staff sergeant. His death remains under investigation.

Separately, the US Army released a photo of Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Hawaii, who was killed alongside Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Texas, during what the military described as an enemy attack on July 17 at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan.

Kuwait's Foreign Ministry summoned Iran's ambassador on Tuesday and handed him a formal protest note over the reported targeting of a Kuwaiti tanker in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday.

The ministry condemned the incident and expressed Kuwait's protest over what it described as the targeting of one of its tankers in the strategic waterway.

Bahrain's Defense Force announced that its air defense systems intercepted and destroyed several Iranian aerial attacks on Tuesday.

In a statement, the military accused Iran of continuing what it described as a "systematic hostile approach" through attacks targeting civilians in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Kuwaiti air defense systems are currently engaging incoming missile and drone attacks, while Bahrain has sounded public air raid sirens instructing citizens and residents to seek immediate shelter as regional strikes escalate.

France has summoned Iran's chargé d'affaires in Paris after two employees of the French Embassy in Tehran were detained by Iranian authorities, the French Foreign Ministry announced.

The move comes after Paris on Monday condemned what it described as an "extremely serious act of intimidation" by Iranian security services. French officials said the two embassy employees were detained for several hours without explanation, questioned by Iranian authorities, and that one of them was physically assaulted.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said the incident took place late Sunday and described it as a "blatant violation of diplomatic immunity." He added that both employees were eventually allowed to return to the French Embassy in Tehran.