Bahrain, Kuwait targeted by Iranian drones and missiles following US strikes

 

Bahrain, Kuwait targeted by Iranian drones and missiles following US strikes

Bahrain and Kuwait came under attack from missiles and drones on Thursday, their respective militaries said, as the Iranian military said it had launched attacks targeting U.S. bases in both countries.

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps said the aerial attacks were a retaliation for U.S. strikes against Iran, according to a statement published by Iranian state media outlets.

The military in Bahrain said that "Iran is persisting in its systematic hostile approach through heinous attacks involving missiles and drones targeting civilians in the Kingdom of Bahrain."

The country’s air defense systems destroyed "a number" of Iranian aerial attacks, the Bahrain Defence Force said in a social media post.

Kuwait earlier on Thursday said its air defense systems were "confronting hostile missile and drone attacks," but stopped short of identifying where those attacks were coming from.

"The General Staff of the Army notes that if explosion sounds are heard, they are the result of air defense systems intercepting the hostile attacks," the Kuwait Army said on social media.

US forces complete 2nd round of strikes, striking 90 military targets: CENTCOM

U.S. forces have completed an additional round of strikes against Iran, striking roughly 90 military targets, U.S. Central Command said in an update late Wednesday.

CENTCOM said the targets included air defense systems, coastal surveillance assets, missile and drone storage sites, naval capabilities and military logistics infrastructure along Iran’s coastline.

The strikes "further degrade Iran's ability to attack commercial shipping and innocent civilian mariners in the Strait of Hormuz."

The night before, CENTCOM said U.S. forces hit approximately 80 Iranian military targets.

Strait of Hormuz will only open with 'Iranian arrangement,' lead negotiator says

In a social media post, lead Iranian negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said the Strait of Hormuz would only open with "Iranian arrangements."

"America still hasn’t learned that bullying and breaking promises are no longer cost-free," Ghalibaf said in the post, originally in Persian. " Let me put it plainly: if you strike, you’ll get hit. Don’t flail around pointlessly, or you’ll sink even deeper: the Strait of Hormuz will only open with 'Iranian arrangements,' not American threats

Trump says strikes 'retribution' for Strait of Hormuz attacks

President Donald Trump emphasized that today's additional strikes on Iran were conducted as "retribution" after Iran attacked three commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

"This is in retribution for yesterday's bombing of ships by Iran," he said in a new social media post.

Trump issued another stark warning to Iran, saying, "If it happens again, it will get much worse!"

Trump's post included an image purportedly showing explosions in Iran that had been posted on a different social media account.

That image appears to be from a June incident in Tehran and was likely altered using AI. ABC News has reached out to the White House for comment on the image.

-ABC News' Emily Chang

Jul 08, 2026, 3:13 PM CST

Latest US strikes bigger in scope than last night's: US official

The U.S. latest airstrikes on Iran are bigger in scope than last night's strikes, which hit more than 80 targets, according to a U.S. official.

Tonight's targets include coastal radar sites and anti-ship missile locations, according to the official.

-ABC News' Luis Martinez

Jul 08, 2026, 2:20 PM CST

CENTCOM says it launched additional strikes against Iran

U.S. Central Command announced it has begun launching "additional strikes against Iran to further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz" on Wednesday.

"The United States is holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews freely navigating a vital international waterway," CENTCOM said in a statement on X.

Jul 08, 2026, 2:20 PM CST

Some explosions reported in Iran

Local sources have reported hearing several explosions near Bandar Abbas and Sirik, according to State Media ISNA.

The coastal defenses of Bandar Abbas and Qeshm are confronting hostile target, Iranian state media FARS said Wednesday.

Jul 08, 2026, 2:10 PM CST

Iran has shot down at least 30 Reaper drones

Since the start of the war, Iran has managed to shoot down roughly 30 U.S. MQ-9 Reaper unmanned drones, according to a U.S. official.

Reapers, initially introduced in the Air Force in 2007, can be armed with a various missiles and bombs and is emblematic of the increasing reliance on drone warfare in the Middle East and other war zones.

The drones cost roughly $30 million each.

-ABC News' Steven Beynon

Jul 08, 2026, 1:48 PM CST

Vance vows US will 'punch back harder than ever' if Iran continues attacks

During remarks in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Vice President JD Vance doubled down on the president’s criticism of Iran’s recent escalation in the Strait of Hormuz, vowing that the U.S. will “punch back harder than ever before" -- though he declined to elaborate on whether the U.S. will be striking on Wednesday.

“The basic deal that we cut was we’ll lift our blockade if you stop shooting at ships. But if you shoot at ships, we are going to punch back and we're going to punch back harder than ever before,” Vance said.

The vice president also criticized Iran for going back on its word, saying it was only “well-behaved for about a week.”

“They said they would stop shooting at ships, and what happened 24 hours ago? They start shooting at ships again,” Vance said. “Now they were good, they were well-behaved for about a week, but then they start shooting at ships.”

“So the deal is very simple: if they shoot at ships, we're going to knock the hell out of them, and it's that simple, and that’s the basic way it’s gonna work,” he added.

Despite this setback, Vance maintained that the U.S. holds the power in negotiations with “maximum leverage and maximum strength.”

Jul 08, 2026, 1:43 PM CST

8 Iranian army members killed

Eight members of the Iranian ‌army were killed in U.S. attacks on southern parts of Iran early on Wednesday, Iranian state media reported.

The victims belonged to the air force and ‌navy and died due to strikes in Bandar Abbas and Bushehr, it added.

Jul 08, 2026, 12:47 PM CST

Iranian minister says Tehran will respond 'with action' after Trump's 'scum' remarks

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran does not respond to "vulgarity with vulgarity," but rather "with action: fearlessly and with great valor," in a post on X Wednesday.

While Araghchi did not directly mention President Donald Trump's comments to reporters, the post came after his remarks about Iranian leaders, describing them as "scum" on Tuesday evening and again on Wednesday.

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei also said the U.S. has challenged a clause in the Memorandum of Understanding between the two countries that "emphasizes the Islamic Republic of Iran's responsibility in determining arrangements for the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz," in another post on X.

Baqaei added that the MoU "was not established on the basis of trust, but rather on the clear mechanism of commitment for commitment," and that Iran will "steadfastly pursue the protection of its national interests and the exercise of its sovereignty."

Jul 08, 2026, 12:00 PM CST

Trump says he is 'No. 1 one on the kill list' for Iran as he leaves Turkey on old Air Force One

President Donald Trump was pressed on his plans to leave Turkey in the old Air Force One after he repeatedly emphasized on Wednesday that Iran desired to assassinate him.

Asked if security concerns caused the change in flight plans, Trump said, "I'm No. 1 on the kill list for Iran."

"So, I don’t know, I can’t really tell you that. But I don't really care because I'm doing my job and I'm doing it, I hope, better than anybody has ever done it," Trump added.