Iran yesterday launched new attacks at Israel and Gulf Arab countries as it kept up pressure on the Middle East in a war started by Israel and the US that has rattled world markets and shows no signs of a letup.
In Bahrain, authorities said an Iranian attack hit a residential building in the capital, Manama, killing a 29-year-old woman and wounding eight people.
Saudi Arabia said it destroyed two drones over its oil-rich eastern region and Kuwait’s National Guard said it shot down six drones.
Photo: EPA
In the United Arab Emirates, firefighters battled a blaze in the industrial city of Ruwais — home to petrochemical plants — after an Iranian drone strike, officials said. No injuries were reported.
Sirens also sounded in Jerusalem, and sounds of explosions could be heard in Tel Aviv, as Israel’s defense systems worked to intercept barrages from Iran.
At the Pentagon, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth warned that yesterday would “be yet again our most intense day of strikes inside Iran: The most fighters, the most bombers, the most strikes, intelligence more refined and better than ever.”
Photo: EPA
Shortly before the statement, he said “the last 24 hours have seen Iran fire the lowest amount of missiles they have fired yet.”
US General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said US forces hit more than 5,000 targets, and that their three objectives included destruction of Iranian ballistic missile and drone capability; hitting Iran’s navy to allow movement through the Strait of Hormuz; and hitting “deeper into Iran’s military and industrial base.”
The rhetoric was equally sharp from Tehran. Iranian Speaker of the Parliament Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf wrote on X that Tehran was “definitely not looking for a ceasefire.”
Photo: AP / Bahrain Ministry of the Interior
“We believe that the aggressor should be punched in the mouth so that he learns a lesson so that he will never think of attacking our beloved Iran again,” he wrote.
Another top Iranian security official, Ali Larijani, appeared to threaten US President Donald Trump himself, writing on X: “Iran doesn’t fear your empty threats. Even those bigger than you couldn’t eliminate Iran. Be careful not to get eliminated yourself.”
Witnesses reported hearing several explosions in Tehran in the afternoon as Israel commenced a new wave of airstrikes.
Along with firing missiles and drones at Israel and at US bases in the region, Iran has also been targeting energy infrastructure and traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for traded oil, sending oil prices soaring.
The attacks appear aimed at generating enough global economic pain to pressure the US and Israel to end their strikes.
Brent crude, the international standard, spiked to nearly US$120 on Monday before falling back, but was still at about US$90 a barrel yesterday, nearly 24 percent higher than when the war started on Feb. 28.
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One person was killed and another seven injured today when a tourist shuttle bus plunged 30m to 40m down a ravine in Nantou County, the Tourism Administration said. The bus is suspected to have suddenly accelerated out of control near the flower center of the Sun-Link-Sea Forest Recreation Area, a popular attraction during cherry blossom season. Of the eight onboard, a 66-year-old man was killed, four were seriously injured and three sustained minor injuries, including the driver. The Nantou County Police Department said it received a report of the incident at 12:15pm and dispatched seven teams to assist. All surviving passengers have been transferred
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