Bahrain and Kuwait face Iranian fire as U.S. airstrikes expand to target more bridges
Bahrain and Kuwait faced incoming Iranian fire early on Friday (July 17, 2026) as U.S. airstrikes expanded to target more bridges in the Islamic Republic
Bahrain and Kuwait faced incoming Iranian fire early on Friday (July 17, 2026) as U.S. airstrikes expanded to target more bridges in the Islamic Republic. Both countries, which host U.S. forces, have faced repeated rounds of fire in recent days as an interim deal to try to end the Iran war has collapsed over fighting sparked by activity in the Strait of Hormuz. In Iran, the state-run IRNA news agency reported on Friday (July 17) that at least three people had been killed in U.S. airstrikes targeting bridges in southern Hormozgan province. On Thursday (July 16), the United States intensified its strikes against Iran on, hitting targets farther north and firing into a ship the U.S. accused of trying to break its naval blockade on the Islamic Republic. Iran retaliated by launching missiles and drones at U.S. allies in the region. The interim ceasefire agreed to last month has collapsed, and the region has endured days of back-and-forth attacks by the U.S. and Iran as they battle for control of the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian officials say U.S. strikes have killed more than 35 people and wounded over 300 others. For the first time in this latest round of violence, strikes also reached into areas around Iran's capital, Tehran, showing a widening set of targets for the Americans.
The U.S. launched a second wave of strikes late on Thursday (July 15), saying it was aiming to “further degrade” Iran's military capabilities. When the U.S. and Israel launched the war on Iran on February 28, Tehran effectively closed the strait to shipping traffic, a move that sent the price of oil soaring and gave Iran major leverage in negotiations. Col. Ebrahim Zolfaghari, a spokesperson for the Iranian military's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, threatened that Iran could launch widespread attacks on “all the infrastructure in the region” if the US acts on President Donald Trump 's repeated warnings that America could hit Iranian bridges and power plants. “Under no circumstances and in no way will we allow America, as a foreign and extraregional country, to interfere in the Strait of Hormuz,” he added. “This is Iran's invincible red line.” U.S., Iran launch attacks as blockade is reimposed Iranian state media said the U.S. strikes on Thursday (July 16) hit around Tehran and Semnan province, home to Iran's ballistic missile production and space program. State media also reported strikes around the provinces of Hamedan, Hormozgan, Khuzestan, Lorestan, Markazi, and Sistan and Baluchestan, as well as on Iran's Qeshm island, near the Strait of Hormuz. Seven people were wounded in a U.S. strike that hit the Allah-Akbar Hill residential neighbourhood in the port city of Bandar Abbas, according to Iranian state media.
The BriefWire