- The American army reports the first deaths since the resumption of hostilities.
- Iran accuses the United States of destroying electrical and water facilities.
- Tehran says it no longer limits responses to reprisals.
Iran’s Supreme Leader pledged on Saturday to teach the United States “unforgettable lessons”, as Washington announced its first military deaths since the resumption of hostilities with the Islamic Republic.
A month after the foes signed a preliminary, now-abandoned deal to end their war, Tehran struck infrastructure around the Gulf in retaliation for a week of intensifying U.S. attacks, which Iran said had hit an airport, train station and bridges.
Iran struck an oil facility in Kuwait as well as a power and water plant, authorities in the Gulf state said, while in Bahrain the military said air defenses had repelled a wave of Iranian attacks.
Tehran also launched new strikes in Jordan, where the US military’s Central Command said two service members were killed Friday while “defending against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks.” He said another soldier was still missing.
This brings to 16 the confirmed number of US military deaths since the start of the conflict on February 28.
Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his father after his death in the first salvo of US-Israeli strikes, said the ongoing attacks on his country “have once again demonstrated to everyone the uselessness of the US president’s signature.”
“Now that the American enemy seeks to incite war and bear the gravest consequences, it must know that the dear Iranian nation and the axis of resistance have unforgettable lessons to offer it,” he added in a statement carried by state television.
Major General Mohsen Rezaei, Khamenei’s senior military adviser, warned that Tehran would resume “large-scale offensive operations” if US strikes continued in the coming days.
“Iran will no longer limit itself to similar retaliations,” Mohsen said, according to state media.
The latest bout of violence was sparked by Iranian attacks on ships in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route for Gulf energy exports that Tehran seeks to control.
Iran closed the strait after the outbreak of war, and control of the route has become leverage in negotiations with Washington, which recently reimposed its own blockade of Iranian ports.
The Health Ministry said Friday that 50 people had been killed since the fighting began and more than 500 injured.
Kuwait has accused Tehran of targeting civilian sites and vital infrastructure, with residents expressing fears that the resumption of hostilities could drag on.
“Demand for water and canned goods has increased since this morning amid fears that services or supply chains may be affected,” Hassan Rayan, 61, a Kuwait resident, said on Saturday.
Ali Mahmoud, 46, another resident, noted that “the streets and beaches were almost empty, even though it is a public holiday.”
The Iranian military said it had targeted an air base used by the United States in Bahrain, another US ally in the Gulf, according to state television.
And in Jordan, Iranian state television reported that fuel tanks at the US base at Al-Azraq had been targeted. The day before, the Revolutionary Guards had claimed to have attacked American planes stationed in the country with missiles and drones.
The Jordanian army said it shot down 10 missiles on Saturday, and at least three the day before.
Hope for a political settlement to the war was abandoned, although mediators attempted to bring both sides back to the negotiating table.
US President Donald Trump this week threatened to strike Iranian infrastructure, although Washington has since had no confirmation that US forces have started doing so.
“America has violated and terminated all its commitments under this memorandum of understanding, and we have also terminated all our commitments,” Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on state television on Saturday.
Iranian State News Agency Irna reported on Saturday that US attacks killed three people and injured eight in the southern province of Hormozgan.
In Khuzestan province, the deputy provincial governor said eight people had been killed in the past 10 days, according to the Iranian Foreign Ministry. Tasnim press agency.
Iran also said drinking water supplies to several southern villages had been cut off, accusing the United States of hitting power facilities and desalination plants in the village of Bonji, according to Tasnim.
Iran’s Energy Ministry has urged citizens to reduce their electricity consumption and turn off air conditioners during peak hours, after the power grid came under strain.
