President Trump says attack on Iran will continue ‘until I say enough is enough’
President Donald Trump said in an interview with FOX News Channel’s Trey Yingst that attacks on Iran will continue.
A week after the ceasefire collapsed, and on the seventh night of U.S. attacks on Iranian military targets, including logistics hubs, Iran launched further attacks against the U.S. Gulf ally on July 18, escalating the war.
Kuwait has been under continuous attack due to repeated missile and drone threats, including an attack on a desalination plant and the suspension of operations at Kuwait International Airport.
President Trump has not commented personally on social media about the attack. He plans to go to the Gold Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, on Saturday.
Here’s what you need to know:
Were there any injuries or fatalities?
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps announced that it had attacked a US military support center at Camp Arifjan and destroyed a radar facility at Ali al-Salem Air Base.
Both are in Kuwait.
Kuwait Oil Corporation later announced that one of its oil facilities had been attacked in “repeated attacks by Iran,” causing significant damage and injuries, according to state news agency.
The Kuwaiti Armed Forces said it intercepted an Iranian ballistic missile and a drone early Saturday, adding that a number of firefighters and oil sector employees were injured while responding to the attack.
Attacks on civilian infrastructure
Iran was responding to U.S. attacks that targeted bridges, power facilities and other infrastructure.
“In the absence of an international body to stop the brutality of the U.S. military, we have no other path forward than the Quran’s command: ‘Whoever attacks you, attack in the same manner,'” the Revolutionary Guards said in a statement, warning U.S. allies in the region to expect further attacks.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres is concerned about the escalation of the situation, particularly “attacks against Iran and civilian infrastructure across the region,” a spokesman said on Friday.
Iranian media reported early Saturday morning airstrikes in Hormozgan province in the Strait of Hormuz. State television said three people were killed, eight others were injured and two bridges and a road tunnel were damaged.
A day earlier, Iranian state media reported that at least five bridges in the south had been hit by US strikes. A bridge at Bandar Hamir port was attacked, and a train station was also attacked, with seven people reported dead. Further east, an attack was reported on an airport in Iranshahr.
Iranian media reported on Saturday that multiple missiles struck a power plant and desalination pumps in the southern city of Jask, citing local officials. According to the Tasnim news agency, about 10,000 people in 20 villages were left without water. Governor Jask later said emergency water deliveries to affected villages had begun.
A power generation and desalination facility in Kuwait was attacked by Iran, the country’s Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy announced in a statement. This was the second attack on a desalination plant in Kuwait in two days.
Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry said Iran’s targeting of critical infrastructure endangers civilians and violates international law, adding that Iran bears full responsibility for the attack.
What does that mean for oil prices?
Oil prices rose more than 4% on Friday to their highest in more than a month, increasing political pressure on U.S. President Donald Trump as Republicans seek to retain power in November’s midterm elections.
The United States and Iran have been testing the limits of escalation since a cease-fire agreement collapsed last week, raising the possibility of a return to full-scale war.
On July 17, the two countries took aim at shipping traffic, with the United States saying it was implementing a naval blockade and Iran saying it was targeting ships that violated rules when navigating the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway responsible for a fifth of the world’s oil supplies.
Which other countries were affected?
Iran launched its first attack on Saudi Arabia in nearly three months, setting off early warning alerts in al-Khalj east of the capital Riyadh and Yanbu on the kingdom’s Red Sea coast, two people familiar with the matter said.
Officials said one attack targeted the Prince Sultan Air Base in al-Khalji, where U.S. forces are stationed.
Saudi state media did not elaborate on what triggered the early warning, and the government media office did not respond to requests for comment. The Revolutionary Guards did not mention attacks on Saudi Arabia.
Contributed by: Reuters
