Iran strikes Kuwait after US bombardments, Gulf tensions escalate

Iran fired at Kuwait on Thursday as part of its retaliation for United States (US) bombardments earlier in the week.  Sirens sounded in Kuwait, where air defences intercepted missiles and drones during a “blatant Iranian aggression,” the Defence Ministry said on X. 

US allies Bahrain and Jordan said their air defence systems also intercepted several Iranian air attacks Wednesday.

Fighting between the US and Iran has increased this week after the US hit Iranian rocket launchers on an island in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, saying Iran was planning to use them to shoot mines into the waterway.

 Ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains well below pre-war levels.The decline is in sharp contrast to the unhindered navigation before the war.Last week there were 102 transits and 126 the week before, according to shipping data company Lloyd’s List Intelligence. That compares with 130 or more per day before the war.

 

 Before the war, some 15 million barrels per day (mbpd) went through the strait. 

 Over the past 28 days, 5 mbpd have exited the strait on average, according to TankerTrackers.com.

 Israel indicated that it was prepared to return to the fighting if necessary, adding to worries that a hot war could widen. Defence Minister Israel Katz said that an Iranian attack on the Jewish state would free Israel from any existing restrictions in a respsonse against the regime in Tehran. “We would strike all national, military and civilian infrastructure — including energy infrastructure — and return Iran deep into the Stone Age,” Katz warned.