Gulf countries under attack after US retaliatory strikes
Iran live updates: Gulf countries under attack after US completes 3rd round of retaliatory strikes
The U.S. strikes came after a cargo ship was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz.
President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting military, government and infrastructure sites.
Delegations from the U.S. and Iran entered negotiations last month aimed at a war-ending deal based on a memorandum of understanding signed by both countries.
The U.S. and Iran nonetheless exchanged limited strikes in late June despite the signing of the memorandum and amid the continuation of peace talks.
Key Headlines
- 23 minutes ago
- 2 hours and 8 minutes ago
- 5:23 PM PDT
- 4:54 PM PDT
- 4:09 PM PDT
Qatar intercepts missiles, Kuwait defends against 'hostile' targets in airspace
The Ministry of Defense in Qatar said early on Sunday that the country's armed forces intercepted "a number" of ballistic missile attacks, as the Kuwait Army said it confronted "hostile aerial targets" within its airspace.
Those attacks followed renewed U.S. strikes on Iranian targets, although neither Qatar nor Kuwait detailed where the strikes originated from. Air raid sirens also blared in Bahrain early on Sunday.
"The General Staff of the Army notes that any explosion sounds heard are the result of air defense systems intercepting hostile attacks," the Kuwait Army said in an update.
Kuwaiti forces urged residents to "adhere to security and safety instructions."
Bahrain did not detail a specific threat, but said its air raid sirens were activated.
"The siren has been sounded," Bahrain's Interior Ministry said in a social media post. "Citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place."
US hits 140 military targets in 3rd round of strikes: CENTCOM
U.S. forces completed a third round of strikes on Iran, hitting 140 military targets in retaliation for the attack on a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz earlier Saturday, U.S. Central Command said.
The U.S. struck using "precision munitions" launched by land- and sea-based fighter aircraft, drones and naval vessels, CENTCOM said in a statement posted on social media.
Targets included Iranian missile and drone sites, naval capabilities, ammunition storage facilities, communication networks and coastal surveillance locations, CENTCOM said.
Overall, the U.S. has struck over 300 targets in Iran in three rounds of airstrikes this week, in an effort to "degrade Iran’s ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial vessels freely transiting the strait," CENTCOM said.
Hegseth: 'Iran made a poor choice. Now they pay.'
In a post on social media in response to U.S. Central Command announcing a third round of strikes on Iran, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote: "Iran made a poor choice. Now they pay."
US launches new strikes on Iran
The U.S. military launched another set of strikes in Iran Saturday night, U.S. Central Command said in a statement.
The U.S. strikes came after Iranian forces "blatantly attacked M/V GFS Galaxy, a Cyprus-flagged container ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz," CENTCOM said in a statement posted on X.
"A civilian crew member is missing and the vessel is unable to continue the journey due to an onboard fire and significant engineroom damage," CENTCOM said.
"Iran was provided yet another opportunity to demonstrate adherence to the Memorandum of Understanding after being held accountable for earlier attacks on commercial vessels but has again failed," it added.
Iran says the ship was moving through the strait in an "unapproved route" and was hit by a "warning shot."
-ABC News' Shannon Kingston
IRGC says Strait of Hormuz closed, ship struck by missile
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' navy has announced that the Strait of Hormuz will be closed until further notice and claimed a commercial vessel transiting the waterway was hit and "halted" by a "warning shot" it fired, according to Iranian media.
The statement also said that any U.S. or allied response would be met by "severe" retaliation.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement that was read on state run TV Saturday several ships reportedly used unapproved routes and ignored warnings from the IRGC navy.
-ABC News' Shannon Kingston
Oman talks wind down with no breakthrough
As talks in Oman wind down, the key delegations are departing without any signs of an immediate breakthrough -- but there’s still a chance that could change in the coming hours, according to a U.S. official and another source familiar.
Public statements from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his Omani counterpart indicate only that navigation through the Strait of Hormuz was discussed during the meeting -- obviously falling well short of the Trump administration’s demand for a public statement from Iran declaring the Strait of Hormuz is fully open and vessels transiting through it are safe from attacks.
However, the sources said Araghchi is returning to Iran with an Omani proposal for managing the Strait of Hormuz that would see the southern lane of the waterway operate unimpeded, but require ships traveling in the northern lane, which runs through Iran’s territorial waters, to receive approval from -- but not pay a toll to -- Tehran.
Other proposals for dividing the waterway were also considered, the sources added.
At this point, it’s unclear if the Omani plan has the full support of the Trump administration or if it can win approval from Iranian leadership. But it was always expected that the Iranian delegation in Oman would need to return to their country to consult top levels of leadership before moving forward or even issuing a more substantial statement, leaving the door open for now.
-ABC News' Shannon K. Kingston
Huckabee confirms 'very specific plot' to kill Trump
Israeli intelligence "tipped off" the U.S. to "a very specific plot" to assassinate President Donald Trump, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said on Fox News Saturday.
"This week Israeli intelligence tipped off our side to -- the president and our officials -- that there was a very specific plot that was designed to take out President Trump," Huckabee told a Fox News anchor, who asked him how the U.S. could negotiate with a country that wants to kill the president.
Huckabee said that while the issue was "pretty serious," it was important to note Iran has long threatened the U.S.
His answer on Fox News contradicted Trump, who told the New York Post that "Israel came up with nothing" when asked about the plot, first reported by the Wall Street Journal.
Huckabee said he couldn't say whether the president took a different plane specifically because of the plot when departing Ankara.
US teams not present in Oman for Iran talks
U.S. negotiators are not present in Oman for talks with Iran, a U.S. official told ABC News Saturday.
"US technical teams will not be present in Oman but will be in touch with the Omanis and Qataris as developments occur," the official said.
On Friday, a senior U.S. official had said that negotiations would resume in Oman, but did not say if U.S. teams would be physically present. Another U.S. official said they expected Iran to publicly say they’ll stop attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz after those talks, but according to the statement from Iran’s official news agency IRNA, no such commitment was made.
Iran’s official news agency IRNA said Omani and Iranian officials discussed “mechanisms for the safe passage of ships” and stressed Oman’s position on “the use of diplomacy to prevent the escalation of tension in the region.”
-ABC News' Selina Wang
Mojtaba Khamenei vows revenge for his father's death
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said on Saturday that avenging his slain predecessor and father was "the demand of the nation" and "must certainly" take place, according to a message released by state television.
Khamenei issued the message on the occasion of funeral ceremonies for his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, held months after he was killed in the U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on February 28.
"We pledge to avenge the blood of the martyred leader and all the martyrs of these two wars from the criminal and disgraced killers," Khamenei said in the message.
-ABC News' Rashid Haddou
Trump says '1000 Missiles are Locked and Loaded' if Iran attempts to assassinate him
President Donald Trump said "1000 Missiles are Locked and Loaded and aimed at Iran," should the government attempt to assassinate him.
In a post on his social media platform, Trump said the U.S. military is "ready, willing, and able, for a one year period of time, subject to extension, to completely decimate and destroy all areas of Iran."
US official: 'We want the dust'
A U.S. official said that the question of nuclear dust "still very much is on the table" -- using a phrase to describe Iran's highly enriched uranium that remains covered in rubble after U.S. airstrikes.
"Either they're going to give us the nuclear dust or we have very low-cost military options to ensure that it remains buried underground forever," one U.S. official said.
The U.S. official later added that the nuclear materials are key to the deal.
"We have a lot of options if they resist giving the dust. There are continued military, diplomatic, economic leverage points. That's my point there, is that the United States fundamentally has the cards. We want the dust," the U.S. official said.
"But I want to be clear here that if we don't get the dust, we do not have a deal with Iran," the U.S. official said.
-ABC News' Michelle Stoddart
US demands Iran issue public statement that acknowledges Strait of Hormuz is open
Senior U.S. officials say that the U.S. is demanding that Iran issue a public statement that "acknowledges all channels of the Strait of Hormuz are open and they're not shooting at ships anymore."
A U.S. official said that one of the key results they're expecting out of talks set for Saturday is that Iran will agree that the Strait of Hormuz will be open in the same way it was before the conflict.
"And we are expecting that as a result of the meeting in Oman tomorrow, that that will be their position. And if it's not their position, then it's not going to be a great day for them," the official later added.
-ABC News' Michelle Stoddard
US officials say negotiations with Iran to resume
Senior U.S. officials say negotiations between the U.S. and Iran are set to continue after Iranian officials privately acknowledged firing on ships in the Strait of Hormuz was a "mistake."
"They have come back to us and asked for further talks to try to settle some of the issues," the official said. "We are hoping to get to a place where they publicly say that they will stop shooting at ships and sort of explicitly or at least implicitly acknowledging that they screwed up. We're working on that now."
The senior U.S. official later added, "So they came back to the table and said, 'We screwed up. We made a mistake. Let's keep talking.'"
The U.S. official added that Trump "has directed" teams to talk but added if Iran "keep on shooting at ships or if they engage in any other hostile act, then we're going to hit them back."
The other U.S. official also offered insight into those strikes on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, saying it came from "an errant part" of the Iranian system that "was trying to undermine the deal."
Another official noted that the strikes illustrated the fractured Iranian political system.
"We have a lot of options if the hardliners get the upper hand. But we continue to have some confidence that the rational people in their system will be able to rein in those hardliners. You never know. You can't predict the future," the U.S. official said.
Despite those increased hostilities, a different senior U.S. official said that they think, "Iran is showing a lot of signs of wanting to make this deal."
-ABC News' Michelle Stoddart
Editor's note: This post has been updated
Treasury slaps fresh sanctions on Iranian financier following attacks in Strait of Hormuz
In response to Iran launching missiles at ships in the Strait of Hormuz, the Trump administration is increasing its financial pressure on Iran, slapping new sanctions on an individual that it claims is responsible for amassing Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei's fortune.
The Treasury Department said it is taking action against Ali Ansari, who allegedly helped Khamenei divert public funds into his own wealth and wealth for Iranian regime "elite."
In its press release about the move, the Treasury said the action comes after "Iran’s resumption of attacks on international shipping in the Strait of Hormuz."
The Treasury Department said Ansari used his position as the director of a now-sanctioned bank to "overextend loans and embezzle billions of dollars from the Iranian people until the Iranian government forced the bank’s dissolution in mid-October 2025." The administration also alleged that Ansari "was using his publicly funded wealth to simultaneously expand an overseas business empire on behalf of Mojtaba Khamenei."
The administration also took action against Iranian currency exchange houses and their leaders who they say facilitated billions of dollars' worth of transactions of foreign currency on behalf of sanctioned Iranian banks.
“The so-called Supreme Leader is hiding in seclusion while his regime crumbles. Treasury will continue using every tool at its disposal to isolate him and other regime elites from the global financial system. We will preserve these assets for the Iranian people," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.
-ABC News' Michelle Stoddart
Trump agrees to continue talks with Iran, but says ceasefire is 'OVER'
President Donald Trump said that he has agreed to Iran’s request to continue talks, but he maintained, "Cease Fire is OVER!"
"The Islamic Republic of Iran has asked us to continue 'talks.' We have agreed to do so, but the United States has stated to them, in no uncertain terms, that the Cease Fire is OVER!," Trump said in a social media post Friday.
Qatari mediators visit Iran in push for de-escalation
Qatari mediators travelled to Iran in an effort to get negotiations between the U.S. and Iran back on track and encourage deescalation form both sides, aources told ABC News.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that a Qatari delegation had visited Iran on Friday. Flight data indicates that the Qatari delegation has now left Iran after spending several hours on the ground.
After a call between the Egyptian and Qatari foreign ministers, Qatar’s foreign ministry released a statement which stressed “the need for all parties to commit to dialogue and diplomacy, and to implement what was agreed upon within the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding between the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran, including ensuring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.”
-ABC News' Shannon K. Kingston
Technical talks between Iran and U.S. continue: U.S. official
The U.S. and Iran continue to engage in technical negotiations on nuclear issues, a U.S. official said Thursday, following two days of retaliatory strikes against Tehran this week.
"The United States is still committed to finding a resolution, and technical talks continue. Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon, the official said.
The 60-day ceasefire and memorandum of understanding, the official added, are "performance-based" and Iran’s actions "constitute failed performance at an unacceptable level."
"Iran’s attacks on these innocent vessels are acts of terrorism" the official added.
-ABC News' Mariam Khan
Iran says damaged railway line rebuilt within 15 hours after US strikes
The head of Iran's railway company said Thursday that one of Mashhad railway lines that was damaged in the overnight U.S. strikes has already been reconstructed "in less than 15 hours" after it was hit, and train traffic has resumed on the line.
According to Iranian state TV, the head of the railway company added that the second damaged line will be reconstructed within the next few hours.
Netanyahu says Israel will remain in Lebanon 'as long as necessary'
Israeli Prime Minister Benajmin Netanyhau said the country will remain in southern Lebanon for "as long as necessary to ensure the security of our communities in the north."
"If we had not acted at the time we did, and with the intensity with which we did – Iran would have armed itself with nuclear weapons to destroy Israel, that is their plan, and the citizens of Israel would have been in danger of mass death," Netanyahu said while speaking at a pilots' graduation ceremony on Thursday.
"That is why we embarked on these operations with our American friends – to ward off the threat of immediate annihilation, and also a great danger to the entire Western world," Netanyahu said.
14 killed in attacks across Iran in last 2 days
Fourteen people were killed in attacks on Iran on Wednesday and Thursday, Hossein Kermanpour, head of public relations at Iran's Health Ministry, wrote in a post on X.
Another 78 people were injured in the attacks, of whom 47 remain hospitalized, Kermanpour said.
Ship fleet executive says company doesn't 'feel secure' moving ships
A ship fleet company executive who has a ship waiting to cross the Strait told ABC News the company doesn't "feel secure" moving ships amid the uncertainty around the Strait of Hormuz.
"The situation is very sensitive right now," the executive said.
The executive said the company used the shipping route approved by U.S. Central Command, which Iran said it is opposed to.
"With the U.S. cover we are more certain so we take the Omani route that hugs the coast," the executive said.
But, several ships using that route have now been struck with Iran pushing for ships to use its route.
"It's more uncertain now and we don't know if we should take the [U.S. route or the] other route. We don't feel secure enough for it," the executive said.
"Especially today, at this moment we are asking -- do we have a ceasefire or not,? its very tough to go via the Iranian route and registering with them, so far we are working with the Omanis to take that route," the executive said Thursday.
"Its
a day by day situation. We aren't working in a vacuum; we speak with
U.S. naval forces and security agencies that are giving us guidance, we
make a call based on that," the executive said.
-ABC News' Desiree Adib
No comments:
Post a Comment