US and Iranian strikes extended into Sunday, with Washington saying it was punishing Tehran for the deaths of two US servicemen in Jordan and Gulf states announcing responses to Iranian attacks.
The deaths raised the confirmed number of US military fatalities to 16 since the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iranian targets on February 28.
Iranian supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei vowed to teach the Americans an “unforgettable lesson” in a statement carried by state TV on Saturday. Major General Mohsen Rezaei, a senior military adviser to Khamenei, warned that Tehran would resume “full-scale offensive operations” if US strikes continued in the coming days.
And Iran’s central military commander, Ali Abdollahi, warned that any further US aggression would face a “decisive and devastating response.”
Here are the latest developments:
Rubio meets the Lebanese president
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in Washington, commending him for efforts “to reclaim Lebanon’s sovereignty, disarm Hezbollah and dismantle its terrorist infrastructure, and move towards peace,” the State Department said.
Following the latest round of talks last week, Israel and Lebanon agreed on the structure and guidelines for implementing the pilot zones, according to the United States.
Rubio said Washington was committed “to supporting the successful implementation of the Trilateral Framework and to backing the Government of Lebanon’s efforts to deliver peace, economic recovery, and a better future for the Lebanese people.”
IAEA calls for restraint
The UN’s nuclear watchdog called for restraint after Iranian authorities said the United States had attacked an under-construction nuclear power plant in the country’s southwest, in Darkhovin.
The head of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, said in a statement on X that no nuclear material had been stored at the site and the incident was “not believed to pose any radiological risk”.
Israel warns Iran
Israel’s defense minister said his country would respond powerfully to any attack by Iran, after Israeli and Jordanian forces intercepted an Iranian missile launched towards the Jordanian city of Aqaba.
“If Iran fires missiles at Israel, we will attack them with full force,” Israel Katz said.
Missile reported intercepted
Israeli and Jordanian forces intercepted an Iranian missile aimed at the Jordanian city of Aqaba on Sunday, the Israeli military told AFP.
When asked by AFP about reports of explosions near the Israeli city of Eilat, a military spokeswoman said both Israeli and Jordanian forces had intercepted a projectile.
The Jordanian military said it had downed “three Iranian missiles that targeted the kingdom’s territory”, without specifying where.
Kuwait and Bahrain attacked
Kuwait said Iran hit a power and water plant, causing a fire, while Bahrain also accused Tehran of targeting civilian infrastructure.
It was the third attack in as many days on a power and water facility in Kuwait, according to authorities, who als said an oil facility had been hit on Saturday.
Iran says ships ‘stopped’
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said four ships attempted to transit the Strait of Hormuz without their permission and two “had an accident and were stopped in place”.
The other two abandoned their journey, they said.
US strikes on Iran
The US military command for the region, CENTCOM, said its latest round of strikes on Iran was partly to “punish” Iran for a Friday attack on a base in Jordan which killed two US soldiers and left another missing in action.
The strikes were also to “degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz”, CENTCOM said.
By Agence France-Presse
