US strikes Iran, Gulf states face missile threats as war risks spread

Jordan's ministry of foreign affairs said Sunday that it summoned Iran's charge d'affaires in Amman in order to demand an immediate end to Iranian attacks.

In a statement, the ministry said it had delivered a "message of strong protest against the continuation of brutal and unjustified Iranian acts of aggression targeting the Kingdom's territory".

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in Washington on Sunday, hailing the country for its "move towards peace" after the latest round of Lebanon-Israel talks.

Rubio "commended the courage of the Government of Lebanon, under President Aoun's leadership, for their determined effort to reclaim Lebanon's sovereignty, disarm Hezbollah and dismantle its terrorist infrastructure, and move towards peace," the State Department said.

The UN's nuclear watchdog called for restraint on Sunday after Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation said the US had attacked an under-construction nuclear power plant in the country's southwest.

Tehran's Atomic Energy Organisation said US forces "in an aggressive and brutal act contrary to international law, attacked the under-construction Darkhovin nuclear power plant... with a number of projectiles on Sunday", according to a statement carried by state TV.

The UN's International Atomic Energy Agency said it was looking into the reports, noting the plant "is in the very early stages of construction and contained no nuclear material when last visited by the IAEA".

While the incident "is not believed to pose any radiological risk", IAEA director Rafael Grossi reiterated his "call for military restraint in the vicinity of all nuclear-related sites", the agency said, in a post on X.

Israel's defence minister said Sunday that 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 files missiles at Israel, we will attack them with full force," Israel Katz said during a visit to a rescue service facility. "If the United States changes its policy, which is also something that could happen, we are prepared for both defensive and offensive" action against Tehran, he added.

The UAE has condemned in the strongest terms the renewed hostile attacks by Iran targeting the Kingdom of Bahrain, the State of Kuwait, and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan with missiles and drones.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) affirmed that these hostile attacks constitute a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the brotherly nations and a threat to their security and stability.

The Ministry reiterated the UAE’s full solidarity with the Kingdom of Bahrain, the State of Kuwait, and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and its support for all measures aimed at safeguarding their security and stability.

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.

Sirens sounded in the Jordanian capital Amman on Sunday, an AFP correspondent said, as the United States and Iran exchanged drone and missile attacks.

Jordan's state-run Al-Mamlaka channel also reported that "sirens have been activated in different parts of the kingdom".

The Israeli military said Sunday it had idenfied missiles launched from Iran towards Aqaba in Jordan, after Jordan's government denied the city's airport and seaport were evacuated over a threat.

"A short while ago, the IDF identified the launch of missiles from Iran toward the city of Aqaba in Jordan, adjacent to Israeli territory," the military said. "It is possible that as a result of the fire, there will be spillover into Israeli territory."

Jordan's government denied on Sunday that authorities had ordered the evacuation of the airport and seaport in the coastal city of Aqaba, after the US embassy in Amman said the transport hubs had been evacuated over a threat.

Jordanian government spokesman Mohammad Al Momani told AFP that "authorities have not issued any decisions to evacuate Aqaba Airport or the seaport, and both are operating normally", adding that no "potential threats" had been detected.

The US embassy in Amman had said earlier that Jordanian authorities evacuated the airport and the seaport in Aqaba, citing an unspecified threat.

An Iranian attack on a power and water plant in Kuwait caused a fire for the second day in a row on Sunday, Kuwaiti authorities said, as Tehran retaliates to US strikes with attacks across the Gulf region.

"As a result of the heinous Iranian agression on Kuwait, a power and water distillation plant, for the second time in two days, has been subjected to an attack that caused a fire in some facilities of the station," the Kuwaiti ministry of electricity, water and renewable energy said in a statement on X, adding that firefighters were working to extinguish the blaze.

Iran's judiciary announced that two men were hanged on Sunday over charges relating to anti-government protests that peaked in January, having begun a month earlier over economic grievances.

The two men, Erfan Esfandiari and Gol-Mohammad Mohammadi, were found guilty of "tying police officers to a road sign with ropes, injuring them with stones, dousing them with gasoline, and setting them on fire", said the judiciary, without giving their ages.

Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation on Sunday said the United States attacked an under-construction nuclear power plant in the country's southwest, as tensions between Tehran and Washington escalate.

US forces "in an aggressive and brutal act contrary to international law, attacked the under-construction Darkhovin nuclear power plant... with a number of projectiles on Sunday," the organisation said in a statement carried by state TV.

Jordanian authorities said no potential threats have been recorded by the relevant security agencies during the past several hours.

The statement comes after heightened regional security concerns, with authorities continuing to monitor developments and assess any potential risks.

Iran said on Sunday that it stopped two ships trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz without authorisation, as tensions escalate between Tehran and Washington over control of the crucial waterway.

"Four violating ships, with the mischief and support of American terrorists... intended to disrupt and exit the Strait of Hormuz via an unsafe route, two of which had an accident and were stopped in place," Iran's Revolutionary Guards said in a statement, adding the two other ships abandoned their journey.

The US Embassy in Amman on Sunday issued a security alert, saying Jordanian authorities had evacuated Aqaba’s international airport and seaport due to a 'specific and credible threat'.

The embassy advised US citizens to avoid travelling to either facility and urged them to continue following all security instructions issued by Jordanian authorities.

It also reiterated its advisory for Americans to avoid travel to military bases in Jordan.

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Kuwait’s Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah on Sunday visited people injured in the Iranian attack on civilian and vital facilities who are receiving treatment at Al Adan Hospital.

Accompanied by Health Minister Dr Ahmad Al Awadhi, the Prime Minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to supporting the injured until their recovery.

He directed authorities to provide all necessary medical and technical resources to ensure they receive the required care, while offering prayers for their speedy recovery.

Air raid sirens sounded in the tiny Gulf kingdom of Bahrain on Sunday as Iran and the United States traded fresh strikes over control of the vital Strait of Hormuz.

"The siren has been sounded. Citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place," the interior ministry said in a statement, while an AFP journalist confirmed sirens had rung out in Bahrain's capital Manama.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed it shot down a US MQ-9 Reaper drone over Ahvaz in Khuzestan province. The claim has not been independently verified.

The MQ-9 Reaper is a remotely piloted unmanned aerial vehicle used primarily for intelligence gathering, surveillance, reconnaissance missions and precision strikes, according to the US Air Force.

The reported incident comes as the US said it had completed an eighth consecutive night of strikes against Iran, launched after two American service members were killed in an Iranian attack on a base in Jordan.

A senior Iranian lawmaker warned US troops on Sunday referring to a written message from Mojtaba Khamenei, saying that American soldiers would flee if they understood what the new supreme leader meant by "unforgettable lessons."

"If American soldiers knew what the Leader meant by 'unforgettable lessons' for them, they would not waste even a second before fleeing," Ebrahim Azizi, chairman of parliament's National Security Committee, wrote on X.

Mojtaba Khamenei, the Islamic Republic's third supreme leader, said in a written message on Saturday that "the Iranian nation has unforgettable lessons for the American enemy."

Kuwait’s armed forces said its air defence systems are intercepting incoming Iranian missiles and drones.

In a statement, the army said any explosions heard were the result of air defence systems responding to hostile attacks, and urged residents to follow safety and security instructions.

The US military has carried out another round of strikes against Iran, marking the eighth consecutive night of operations, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said.

CENTCOM said the strikes targeted Iranian coastal surveillance and air defence facilities, maritime capabilities, and missile and drone storage sites to degrade Tehran’s military capabilities. US forces also targeted Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) elements linked to attacks on American service members in Jordan.

The US State Department has advised Americans worldwide to exercise increased caution amid heightened tensions in the Middle East and warned of the potential for further escalation.

In a travel advisory, the department said the security environment remains complex and urged US citizens in the region to stay alert, monitor breaking developments and follow guidance issued by the nearest US embassy or consulate.

The advisory also warned of possible travel disruptions caused by flight cancellations and temporary airspace closures, adding that US diplomatic facilities and American interests overseas have been targeted.

Iran's army said on Sunday it had targeted two US bases in Kuwait with drones in response to American attacks on Iranian territory.

The Islamic republic's army said it carried out "large-scale attacks with kamikaze drones against the U.S. military's ammunition depot at Camp Udairi and the Patriot radar system and air surveillance radar at Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait", according to a statement carried by the state broadcaster.

The US military said it launched fresh airstrikes against Iran at 6 pm ET on the orders of the commander in chief, targeting what it described as Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces.

In a statement posted by US Central Command (CENTCOM), the military said the strikes were intended to "further degrade" Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and to "swiftly punish" IRGC forces following attacks on American service members in Jordan the previous night.

The UAE expresses its deep concern over the developments that the region has witnessed over the past few days, and has called for an immediate halt to the escalation and to avoid exacerbating tensions and instability in the region.

The UAE called for exercising the utmost restraint in order to avoid dangerous repercussions, and the region being pulled into new levels of violence and instability.

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US‑Israel war on Iran: Recent developments

Day 139: Two US troops killed, one missing in Jordan

Day 138: Gulf faces fresh attacks as Trump signals diplomacy

Day 137: Dubai rebuts false explosion reports

Day 137: Iran says it is no longer bound by parts of US ceasefire deal

Day 136: 2 UAE tankers hit, US to resume Iran blockade

Day 135: US military launches another round of Iran strikes

Day 134: Strait of Hormuz tensions flare after ship attack

Day 133: US swaps strikes with Iran while keeping nuclear talks alive

Day 132: Israel vows stronger military action against Iran

Day 131: Trump tempers fury to end NATO summit on high note

Day 130: Iran reports explosions on sites around Hormuz Strait