Iran

Iran launched fresh attacks at American military bases across the Middle East on Friday after Donald Trump vowed “major punishment” over Tehran’s unwavering hold on shipping.

The Iranian army said it had attacked US military equipment depots at Al-Adiri in northern Kuwait and damaged a surveillance tower used by the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain after US Central Command confirmed a 13th consecutive night of strikes on Iran.

The Iranians also said they had attacked a US barracks and fighter jets in Jordan, and US barracks, a spy balloon and Patriot air defences in Erbil, Iraq.

Both sides traded strikes after Donald Trump announced that he would hold Iran accountable for attacks by Iran and the allied Houthi rebels in Yemen for extending the war to a second major shipping chokepoint, the mouth of the Red Sea.

Insiders close to the US president told the Wall Street Journal that Trump is losing patience with Iran and sees few options besides continuing strikes.

The US military is now reportedly moving weapons, medics and special forces to the Middle East to broaden options as hopes of a diplomatic resolution wane.

WATCH: Rubio says Iran suffering in US strikes despite ‘stupid Lego videos’

Maritime traffic in Strait of Hormuz remains diminished

Maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has remained diminished as fighting between the US and Iran continues.

Just 15 ships have transited the vital oil waterway in the Middle East in the past 24 hours, according to the Hormuz Strait Monitor.

The US has accused Iran of attacking ships in the strait as its own forces enforce a naval blockade of Iranian ports.

Trump gave expletive-filled rant about Tehran during private meetings: report

As the Iran war drags on, a frustrated Donald Trump rallied against Tehran during a private meeting, according to a new report.

The US president went into an expletive-filled rant during a recent Oval Office meeting, calling Iranian leaders schumbags and lunatics, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing a person who heard the comments.

One senior administration official told the Journal Trump believes Iran only understands military force and that he was in “revenge mode” against Tehran.

But in recent public remarks, Trump has insisted Iran is ready to make a peace deal.

Saudi Arabia strikes Yemen in retaliation against Houthi attacks: report

Saudi Arabia has struck the Yemeni port city of Hodeida in retaliation against attacks from the Iranian-backed Houthis, the Associated Press reported.

The Houthis had taken responsibility for striking two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea.

US strikes another ship it says attempted to violate blockade: report

The US military said it has struck another ship trying to violate its blockade of Iranian ports, according to the Associated Press.

Before the latest attack, American forces said they redirected 12 ships and disabled another since resuming the naval blockade.

Experts warn the real pinch from the Iran war is about to strike

U.S. gas prices will continue climbing for weeks — and maybe months — due to the resumption of President Donald Trump’s war against Iran, experts warn.

Patrick DeHaan, petroleum analyst for GasBuddy, said Friday on social media that while oil prices were “taking a breather for today” after recently surging by $20 a barrel, he’s still expecting the national average cost of a gallon of gas to soon reach $4.20 to $4.30.

Shon Hiatt, director of the University of Southern California’s Zage Business of Energy Initiative, said oil markets apparently assumed that political pressure would force Trump to quickly end the war he launched without congressional authorization on February 28.

Saudi strikes target Yemen's Hodeidah, says Houthi-run Al Masirah TV

Saudi ​strikes attacked Yemen's Red Sea governorate of Hodeidah on Friday, Houthi-run Al Masirah TV reported, ⁠after eyewitnesses earlier said several strikes had targeted Hodeidah's port.

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement said on Monday it ⁠would impose a naval ​blockade ⁠on Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea, opening a ⁠potential new front against the ​United ⁠States in its ‌war with Iran. The Saudi-led coalition said it would respond "firmly".

Al Masirah ‌said Saudi strikes hit ‌facilities belonging to the state telecommunications corporation in Hodeidah city. The broadcaster also ⁠said Saudi forces targeted Kamaran island, off Yemen's western coast.

Saudi Arabia has sought to avoid a return to full-scale conflict in ‌Yemen since a 2022 truce ​with the Houthis halted most ‌major fighting ⁠in a war that killed ⁠hundreds of thousands of people through violence, ‌hunger and ​disease.

Watch: Trump inflates Vietnam war dead number by 142,000 as he defends Iran deaths

‘I trust them’: Trump says he takes Russia’s Putin and China’s Xi at their word over aiding Iran

President Donald Trump on Friday said he does not believe the Russian or Chinese governments are providing military or intelligence assistance to Iran based solely on the say-so of their leaders, contradicting the assessment of his own defence secretary during a Senate hearing just days ago.

Speaking in the Oval Office during an appearance focused on nuclear energy, Trump was asked to defend a Truth Social post in which he claimed Chinese president Xi Jinping had said “he would not, under any circumstances, give or sell Weapons to the Islamic Republic of Iran” and said Russia’s Vladimir Putin had promised “he would not sell Weapons to Iran.”

He also wrote that in his view, both countries were “not participating” in Iran’s ongoing conflict with the U.S. while warning that “it would be very bad for them” if they did.

Recap: UK ready to shoot down Iranian missiles after Tehran threatens RAF base

Britain's armed forces are ready to protect the country from any attack from Iranian missiles, the government said on Thursday.

It follows a warning from Iran's Revolutionary Guards over the UK allowing US bombers to fly from its bases.

"Our Armed Forces are ready to keep the United Kingdom safe from any kind of attacks, whether it's on our soil or from abroad. The UK stands ready 24/7 to defend itself," a government spokesperson said.