Kuwait says air defenses intercept drone attacks after Iranian strikes

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday that Iraq must assert its sovereignty and disarm Iran-aligned militias that he blamed for more than 600 attacks on US personnel this spring.

“I hosted Iraqi PM Ali al-Zaidi at the Pentagon today. To deepen our partnership, Iraq must assert its sovereignty and disarm the Iran-aligned militias responsible for 600+ attacks on US personnel this spring,” Hegseth posted on X.

“The US is also looking to the Iraqi Security Forces, including the Peshmerga and other Iraqi Kurdistan Region security forces, to lead in D-ISIS efforts as the OIR military missions winds down. A secure Iraq opens the door to strong commercial and defense cooperation,” he added.

CENTCOM said its forces began another round of strikes at 3 p.m. ET against Iranian military assets it said had been used to attack commercial shipping in the strait. It added that US forces were preparing to resume the blockade of Iranian ports and coastal areas at 4 p.m. ET.

The IRGC responded by explicitly threatening regional energy exports, saying that as long as US “evil actions” continued, “not a single drop of oil and gas” would leave the region. It added that further US attacks would delay any reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

Washington says the strikes are intended to protect commercial shipping and restrict Iranian maritime activity, while Tehran portrays control of the strait as a sovereign right and links its reopening to broader political and military conditions.

The latest operation followed a five-hour wave of US strikes on military sites in Bushehr, Chabahar, Jask, Konarak, Abu Musa and Bandar Abbas, according to CENTCOM.

Iranian media later reported explosions across southern Iran, including Bandar Abbas, Sirik, Ahvaz and Qeshm, while authorities said part of a power plant on Kish Island had been damaged.

At least three people were killed in a US strike in Hormozgan province, according to local officials after an environmental protection post and a fodder warehouse were hit.

As US strikes expanded along Iran’s coastline, Iranian attacks spread across the Persian Gulf.

Kuwait said an Iranian strike hit one of its naval vessels, injuring four service members. Its armed forces also reported intercepting one ballistic missile, five cruise missiles and 33 drones, while falling debris damaged civilian and critical infrastructure.

Bahrain sounded warning sirens after its air defenses intercepted Iranian aerial attacks. The IRGC claimed it had struck US military infrastructure in Bahrain and Kuwait and said it had also targeted a US air base in Jordan with ballistic missiles.

The maritime front widened in parallel. Two crude tankers operated by ADNOC Logistics and Services were hit by projectiles while transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

One Indian crew member was killed and several others were injured, prompting India to summon Iran’s deputy ambassador and lodge a formal protest.

A separate tanker reported being hit by a missile off Oman, while Stolt Tankers said one of its vessels was struck by an unidentified external device, causing a fire in its engine room.

Iranian leaders reinforced the military message with competing claims over the strait. Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref said it was natural for Iran to administer Hormuz while other countries retained the right to use it.

An army spokesperson said the waterway would reopen only under arrangements acceptable to Iran’s armed forces.

Washington, meanwhile, framed the blockade and strikes as measures to keep Hormuz open to non-Iranian shipping.

President Donald Trump said no country or entity should charge vessels for passage and declared the strait open to all traffic except ships traveling to or from Iranian ports or carrying Iranian cargo.

The growing confrontation triggered diplomatic and economic alarm.

Oman called for respect for international law and freedom of navigation, while India and New Zealand summoned senior Iranian diplomats. The Gulf Cooperation Council and several Arab states condemned attacks on commercial vessels and regional countries.

Oil prices climbed as markets assessed the risk of prolonged disruption through the waterway, which carries a significant share of global energy exports. Major shipping companies also rejected proposals for transit fees or restrictions in international waters.

The war that began over Iran’s nuclear program is increasingly being fought over control of the world’s most important shipping lane.

US Central Command said on Tuesday that Iran targeted seven commercial ships over the past week, resulting in nearly a dozen civilian crew members being killed, missing, or injured.

In a post on X, CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper said Iranian forces also launched dozens of missiles and drones toward neighboring Persian Gulf countries, adding that US forces were holding Iran accountable for what he described as “unwarranted aggression” that endangers civilians.

The US Treasury froze more than $130 million in cryptocurrency wallets linked to Iran’s central bank as part of efforts to disrupt Tehran’s illicit financial activities, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Tuesday.

“US Treasury is committed to disrupting and degrading Iran’s illicit financial activities, including its abuse of digital assets. Today, Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned multiple wallets tied to the Central Bank of Iran, resulting in the freeze of over $130 million,” he posted on X. “We will continue to aggressively follow the money and deny the Iranian regime access to the proceeds of its illicit revenue schemes.”

Iran will not be the first side to request negotiations with Washington after US actions disrupted the US-Iran memorandum of understanding, Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on state-run television on Tuesday.

Gharibabadi said he told a European foreign ministry official in a phone call that Iran had not left the negotiating table and that it was the US that disrupted the process through its actions.

“Any assumption that increased pressure or military action could force Iran to seek talks was a mistake, as Tehran would not change its position on the Strait of Hormuz or ease restrictions it has imposed there,” Gharibabadi said. "We will never request negotiations with the US.”