Trump threatens to wipe out Iran amid fresh strikes

Iran launched missiles and drones on US military sites in Kuwait and Bahrain early on Sunday, shortly after President Donald Trump threatened to wipe out the Iranian leadership if they did not stick to the interim agreement to end their war.

The US military said earlier it had struck Iran again, hours after a tanker was hit in the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important energy shipping route, which Tehran has largely closed for most of the conflict.

“There may come a point when we are no longer able to be reasonable, and will be forced to militarily complete the job that we very successfully started,” Trump said on social media.

“If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!” he added.

The 14-point interim peace accord was meant to halt the fighting, which the US and Israel started on February 28, and reopen the Strait while talks proceeded on issues such as Iran’s nuclear programme. About an hour after Trump’s post, Kuwait’s army said its air defences were responding to missile and drone attacks, while Bahrain said sirens had sounded there.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), in a statement, said its navy and air forces had launched missile and drone operations targeting US military sites in Kuwait and Bahrain.

The IRGC said US strikes had violated the ceasefire and “will result in the complete halt of all diplomatic processes”, state-run Press TV said. The IRGC navy command said American bases in the region “will experience hell in the coming days”.

A US official, confirming the attacks on US facilities, said there were no reported US casualties or major damage to US sites in West Asia but the situation was still unfolding.

Hours later, alarms sounded for a second time in Bahrain, where authorities said an Iranian attack damaged a residential building in Muharraq province, with no casualties reported.

Bahrain urged the UN Security Council to hold an urgent session to hold Iran accountable.

The Kuwaiti army said it had intercepted two ballistic missiles with no damage or casualties.

Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said responsibility for returning maritime traffic in the Strait to pre-war levels lay solely with Tehran and urged others not to intervene “in Iran’s administration of the Strait”.

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Pakistan and Bahrain on Sunday discussed the “latest regional situation” amid renewed attacks by the US and Iran threatening the fragile peace in the Gulf region. The evolving situation in West Asia was discussed during a telephonic conversation between Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Bahrain Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, the Pakistan Foreign Office said. Al Zayani “appreciated Pakistan’s constructive role in facilitating the understanding, expressing hope that it would contribute to lasting peace and stability in the region”, the statement said.

Dar reiterated Islamabad’s resolve to “promote dialogue and diplomacy for achieving peace and stability in the region”, it added.

Islamabad considers getting ‘cheaper’ oil from Tehran

Pakistan said it was considering importing “cheaper” oil and gas from Iran following the easing of sanctions by the US, allowing Tehran a 60-day waiver to export oil.