Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it targeted US airbase in Kuwait

Iranian supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, said on Thursday that the US and Israel were seeking to destabilise the Islamic Republic in a written message read on state television.

“The enemy’s blind plan, after the imposed war, the economic pressure, and the political and propaganda siege, is to create divisions and disintegration to compensate for military defeats and bring the nation to its knees,” said Khamenei, who has not appeared in public since before he took office in March.

In his message, which marked the anniversary of the founding of the Islamic Republic’s national legislature, he further called for unity and “cohesion” among Iranians.

Tehran condemns US strike in southern Iran, warns against ceasefire violations

Iran strongly condemned what it described as a US military strike near Bandar Abbas in southern Iran on Thursday, accusing Washington of repeatedly violating the ceasefire and threatening regional countries, according to the Iranian Foreign Ministry on Thursday.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the US attack near Bandar Abbas, carried out in the early hours of Thursday, constituted a “flagrant violation” of international law and the UN Charter.

Baghaei said the UN Security Council was obligated to fulfil its legal responsibility by holding the US accountable for what he described as aggression against Iran’s territorial integrity and national sovereignty.

He also accused Washington of continuously violating the ceasefire that took effect on April 8, citing attacks on commercial shipping in the Gulf region and international waters, as well as recent aerial strikes on southern Iran.

The spokesperson stressed Iran’s determination to take “all necessary measures” to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter.

Baghaei also condemned what he described as threatening rhetoric by US officials against Iran and several regional countries, while expressing solidarity with Oman.

He said threats of the “destruction” of a UN member state, such as Oman, which has played a constructive and responsible role in regional peace and diplomatic mediation efforts, represented a dangerous normalisation of “lawlessness and bullying” in international relations.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it targeted US airbase in Kuwait

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said early on Thursday that it targeted a US airbase in Kuwait in response to an American aerial strike near Bandar Abbas Airport in southern Iran.

According to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency, the IRGC said the retaliatory strike came at 4:50 am, hours after what it described as a US assault on a point near the port city’s airport using aerial projectiles.

“This response is a serious warning so that the enemy knows that aggression will not go unanswered, and if repeated, our response will be more decisive,” it said.

The US military responded saying that Kuwaiti forces had “successfully intercepted” a ballistic missile.

Earlier in the day, a US official told Anadolu that US forces shot down four Iranian drones that posed a threat near the Strait of Hormuz and struck an Iranian ground control station in Bandar Abbas that was preparing to launch a fifth drone.

“These actions were measured, purely defensive, and intended to maintain the ceasefire,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The latest strikes came after US Central Command (CENTCOM) earlier this week confirmed a previous round of strikes on southern Iran targeting missile launch sites and Iranian boats allegedly attempting to lay mines. Iran condemned those strikes as a “grave violation of the ceasefire.”

Earlier, commenting on the state of the negotiations to end the war on Iran, US President Donald Trump said he is “not satisfied with it, but we will be. Either that, or we’ll have to just finish the job.”

The Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement on X condemning and denouncing “the criminal Iranian attacks that targeted the territory of the State of Kuwait with missiles and drones, in a dangerous escalation and flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the State of Kuwait, its security, and the integrity of its lands, and a direct threat to the lives of civilians and vital facilities.”

EU’s Kallas says Strait of Hormuz in ‘strange state’ between war and peace

The EU foreign policy chief said on Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz remains in a “strange state” between war and peace, as no official agreement has yet been reached between the parties, stressing that freedom of navigation is in everyone’s interest.

Speaking at the doorstep of an informal EU Foreign Ministers meeting in Limassol, the Greek Cypriot Administration, Kaja Kallas noted that the situation in the Middle East and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war are the talks’ top agenda items.

Kallas cited expectations that the parties could reach an agreement over the strait, adding that it has not happened so far.

“I mean, Strait of Hormuz is in a strange state between war and peace,” the bloc’s foreign policy chief noted.

“It is really in everybody’s interest that the freedom of navigation is respected in the Strait of Hormuz, because everybody’s paying a very high price for this,” she stressed.

Kallas said the ministers will also discuss other aspects of the Middle East situation, how it impacts them, and how they can cooperate on these issues.

Three tankers reportedly attacked by drones in Black Sea, shipping agency says

Drone attacks were reported on three tankers in the Black Sea ​on Thursday near Turkey’s northern coast, ‌shipping agency Tribeca said.

The tanker James II, sailing under the Palau flag and in ​ballast, was some 50 miles (80 km) ​north of the Turkeli Area in the ⁠Black Sea when the incident occurred, ​the agency said.

The tankers Altura and ​Velora, sailing under the Sierra Leone flag and in ballast, were reportedly attacked in a nearby ​area while doing a ship-to-ship operation, ​the agency also said.

Coastal safety boats were sent to ‌the ⁠scene for assistance, and all crew members in the tankers were reported in good condition, the agency said.

The Turkish transport ministry was ⁠not ​immediately available for comment ​on the incidents due to the Muslim Eid holiday.

Iranian national security official demands release of US-seized assets

Ali Bagheri Kani, the deputy secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, has said Tehran is seeking the release of all frozen Iranian assets from the US, describing them as the “legal right” of the Iranian people.

All of Iran’s assets must be returned without conditions, he said in comments published by the Tasnim news agency. He described it as the legal right of the Iranian nation.

Iran and US trade air strikes after Trump dismisses report of Hormuz deal

The IRGC said on Thursday it targeted a US airbase after the US military carried out what a Washington official said were strikes targeting an Iranian drone operation near the Strait of Hormuz, hours after President Donald Trump rejected a report he was close to a compromise deal with Tehran.

The escalation in hostilities highlighted threats to the tenuous ceasefire between the US and Iran that took effect in early April, dampening hopes for a peace deal and sending oil prices surging again.

Read: Trump says US not satisfied yet on deal with Iran

The US official, who requested anonymity to speak candidly about military operations, told Reuters the military shot down four Iranian attack drones and struck a ground control station in the port city of Bandar Abbas that was about to launch a fifth drone.

“These actions were measured, purely defensive and intended to maintain the ceasefire,” the official said.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it targeted a US base in response to what it described as an early morning US attack near Bandar Abbas airport, Tasnim news agency reported. The IRGC said they targeted the US airbase from which the attack on the control station near Bandar Abbas was launched.

Kuwait – which hosts a large US base – said it was responding to missile and drone attacks without saying where the attacks were coming from.

Israel, which has been fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon, also reported sounding sirens regarding hostile aircraft activity in northern Israel.

Oil prices, having fallen more than 5% on Wednesday, rebounded after reports of the escalation in hostilities. US crude futures gained more than 3%, while stocks fell and the dollar rose.

Iran will not yield on uranium, Hormuz red lines under Trump pressure: senior lawmaker

Iran will not retreat from its “red lines” under pressure from US President Donald Trump’s rhetoric, a senior Iranian lawmaker said late on Wednesday.

Ibrahim Azizi, chairman of the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, said Iran’s red lines include the right to enrich uranium, possession of enriched uranium, authority over the Strait of Hormuz and the removal of sanctions.

In a post on the US social media platform X, Azizi stressed that Trump’s rhetoric would not push Iran back from its red lines.

He added that Trump, “seeking a way out of this strategic deadlock,” alternates between issuing threats and appealing for an agreement.

US sanctions Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority

The US Treasury Department sanctioned Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority, accusing it of acting as an extortion arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) by forcing commercial vessels to pay tolls for passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

The department said in a statement on Wednesday that the body forces vessels to pay “illegitimate tolls” and submit “sensitive” information in exchange for safe passage through the strait, with funds funnelled directly to the IRGC.

“The Iranian military’s latest attempt to extort global maritime trade is proof that (Operation) Economic Fury has left the regime desperate for cash,” said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

Treasury warned that any person or entity cooperating with the authority — including through toll payments made via fiat currency, digital assets, offsets, informal swaps, or other in-kind payments — may be exposed to US sanctions risk.

Iran says IRGC navy turned back US tanker near Strait of Hormuz

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy forced a US tanker to turn back near the Strait of Hormuz after it attempted to cross the strategic waterway with its radar system switched off, the semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported early on Thursday.

Citing an informed military source, Tasnim said IRGC naval forces responded quickly to the vessel and fired warning shots toward it, forcing it to retreat.

Tasnim linked the incident to explosions heard earlier near the southern port city of Bandar Abbsameas, where Iranian media reported that air defences had been activated.

The agency said the incident caused no casualties or material damage.

The report comes as a US official confirmed to Anadolu that the United States conducted another round of airstrikes in southern Iran, shooting down four Iranian one-way attack drones that posed a threat near the Strait of Hormuz.

“US forces also struck an Iranian ground control station in Bandar Abbas that was about to launch a fifth drone,” the official, on condition of anonymity, said on Wednesday.

“These actions were measured, purely defensive, and intended to maintain the ceasefire,” the official added.

Israeli soldier killed in northern Israel, 7 troops wounded in Hezbollah attacks

An Israeli soldier was killed and seven troops were wounded on Thursday in explosive drone and anti-tank attacks launched by Hezbollah in northern Israel and southern Lebanon, according to the Israeli army and media.

The Israeli army said in a statement that soldier Rotem Yanai from the Givati Brigade was killed in an explosive drone blast during a military operation near the Shomera settlement in northern Israel.

The statement added that a reserve soldier was seriously wounded and another moderately injured in the attack.

Israel’s public broadcaster KAN said the drone targeted an Israeli military site near Shomera in the western Galilee close to the Lebanese border.

KAN added that the number of Israeli fatalities since the Lebanon ceasefire took effect in mid-April had risen to 12, including eight killed in Hezbollah explosive drone attacks.

According to the broadcaster, the Lebanese group Hezbollah launched three drones toward Shomera, one of which exploded and caused a fire before two additional drones exploded at the same site.

Three other soldiers were reportedly lightly wounded.

In a separate incident, two Golani Brigade soldiers sustained minor injuries in an anti-tank missile attack during military activity in southern Lebanon.

Israel continues daily violations of the ceasefire agreement announced on April 17 and extended until early July.

Hezbollah has responded to the violations with rocket and drone attacks targeting Israeli troops and military vehicles in southern Lebanon and northern Israel.

Hezbollah says it carried out 37 attacks targeting Israeli forces, Iron Dome launcher

Hezbollah announced on Thursday that it carried out 37 attacks targeting Israeli forces and military positions in southern Lebanon and northern Israel over the past 24 hours, saying the operations were conducted in defence of Lebanon and in response to Israeli ceasefire violations.

The attacks included explosive drone strikes, rocket barrages and anti-tank missile fire targeting Israeli troop gatherings, military vehicles and military sites in southern Lebanon and northern Israel.

The Lebanese group said it targeted an Iron Dome platform at the Jal al-Allam military site in northern Israel with explosive drones and struck several Merkava tanks and military engineering vehicles.

The group also said its fighters engaged Israeli forces at close range in Zawtar al-Sharqiya, forcing them to retreat before Israeli forces launched heavy bombardment in the area.

Hezbollah added that one drone attack targeted Israeli soldiers at the Galilee Forest camp in northern Israel, while another struck a tent housing Israeli troops in Naqoura.

2 Israeli soldiers injured by anti-tank fire in southern Lebanon

The Israeli army said two soldiers were injured on Wednesday during an operation in southern Lebanon.

The soldiers sustained light injuries after an anti-tank missile struck an armoured personnel carrier, the army said on the US social media platform X.

The troops were evacuated to a hospital for treatment, and their families were notified, it added.

Earlier Wednesday, the Hezbollah group said it carried out several drone attacks targeting Israeli troop gatherings and military vehicles as well as an Iron Dome platform at the Jal al-Allam military site in northern Israel.

Hezbollah’s explosive drones have become a growing concern for Israel in recent months, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously describing them as a “major threat.”

Israeli army turns to US after Hezbollah drones strike military sites: Report

The Israeli army is turning to the US for additional systems and technologies to counter Hezbollah drones after several unmanned aircraft struck military sites in northern Israel on Wednesday, according to Israel’s public broadcaster.

KAN said the Lebanese group launched at least six drones toward northern Israel, with some exploding at military positions.

It said Ground Forces Commander Maj. Gen. Nadav Lotan is expected to travel to the United States in the coming days to oversee purchases related to the growing drone threat.

Senior army officials quoted by KAN without identification said there were “no budget restrictions” on efforts to confront the attacks.

KAN added that the military was making major efforts to improve warning systems against explosive drones targeting soldiers, including a newly developed detection system designed to provide alerts similar to anti-tank missile warning systems.

The broadcaster said that Hezbollah continued launching explosive drones over the past 24 hours toward Israeli forces in southern Lebanon as well as troops stationed inside Israel, with some striking military sites.

It said the army still lacks an effective response to the attacks, despite repeated Israeli claims of advances in detecting and intercepting Hezbollah drones.

KAN also reported that several members of a security team in a northern Israeli settlement were injured after a Hezbollah explosive drone struck while they were attempting to assist Israeli soldiers targeted minutes earlier in a similar attack.

It said Hezbollah had increasingly adopted a tactic of targeting troops first and then launching additional drones toward rescue or evacuation teams arriving afterwards.

Earlier on Wednesday, Hezbollah said it carried out several drone attacks targeting Israeli troop gatherings and military vehicles, including an Iron Dome platform at the Jal al-Allam military site in northern Israel.