Iran targets US allies' civilian infrastructure while US strikes around strategic port city
Iranian missile strikes target water desalination plants in Kuwait following America's sixth straight day of strikes on Iranian military targets
Iran targets Kuwaiti desalination plants in major war escalation
Iran targeted a water desalination plant in Kuwait during Thursday missile strikes, expanding its attacks to the civilian infrastructure of US allies in the Gulf — marking a major escalation in the ongoing war.
Additional Iranian attacks came against other U.S. allies in the region, with missile strikes targeting Qatar, Jordan and the Kurdish population in Iraq.
Iran's escalation follows the U.S. expansion of targets in Iran to bridges and electrical infrastructure.
As a result of U.S. strikes, Iran's Energy Ministry asked citizens to consume less power.
The Associated Press contributed to this post.
At least eight killed in Iranian strikes on U.S. ally
Iran killed at least eight people in attacks on America's Kurdish allies in Iraq, the region's president reported.
Nechirvan Barzani, the president of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, condemned the strikes.
"Targeting the region and the resumption of violence are a serious escalation and a blatant violation of Iraq’s sovereignty," he said in a statement.
Iraqi air defenses shot down Iranian drones over Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, the Times of Israel reported.
Unidentified military boards merchant vessel off coast of Oman, UK claims
An unidentified military force boarded a merchant vessel off the coast of Oman, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) alerted Friday.
"UKMTO has received a report of an incident involving a merchant vessel and military forces approximately 100NM east of Duqm, Oman. Reports indicate that the tanker was subject to interaction as part of ongoing military activity in the region. Authorities are aware and relevant investigations remain ongoing," UKMTO wrote in a Friday advisory.
The incident reportedly occurred far outside the contentious Strait of Hormuz, instead taking place in the open waters of the Arabian Sea, according to UKMTO.
I've studied military strategy. Trump now faces Iran's oldest battlefield trick
War is not checkers. It is chess, a game that began in India and was refined and carried through Persia, where "shah" meant king and "shah mat" meant the king was helpless. The language matters because strategy, whether in chess or war, is not only about placing an opponent in check. It is about knowing how to finish the game.
President Donald Trump holds the stronger pieces, and Tehran knows it. That is why Iran is not trying to match America move for move. It is trying to widen the board before Washington decides how to close the game.
Tehran's counter-move
The pattern is now familiar. Trump strikes Iranian military targets. Iran pressures commercial shipping. Trump tightens the maritime noose. Iran threatens new energy routes. Each American move is answered not by matching American firepower, but by shifting the pressure somewhere else: at sea, in oil markets, across Gulf capitals and inside Washington's political debate.
This is an excerpt from a story by Lt. Col. Robert Maginnis (ret.)
Air raid sirens heard in Bahrain after Iran claims attack on US airbase
Air raid sirens have been activated in Bahrain after Iran’s army reportedly claimed it had targeted U.S. helicopters and reconnaissance aircraft at Sakhir airbase in Bahrain.
"The alarm siren has been activated," Bahrain's Interior Ministry said on X.
"We urge citizens and residents to remain calm, head to the nearest safe location, and follow updates through official channels," the ministry added.
Bahraini and U.S. officials did not immediately confirm that the airbase had been struck.
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