Here's the latest
• Iran’s threat: A top Iranian military adviser warned the US could face a “full-scale offensive” in the coming days if its barrage continues through the weekend. Iran has also threatened key ports in Gulf states, in response to the US destroying a surveillance tower near the Strait of Hormuz, according to semi-official Iranian media.
• US strikes: The warning came as the US military says it completed its latest wave of strikes against Iran on Friday, marking the seventh consecutive night of its renewed bombing campaign. Iran also launched another wave in its widening series of attacks on US allies in the region.
• Emerging pattern: Iranian state media reported further strikes on bridges and highways connecting key coastal cities to the interior of the country.
Desalination plants in Iran and Kuwait struck, after seventh night of US attacks on Iran
A US attack on Iran has damaged a desalination plant in the south of the country, leaving 20 villages without water, according to the deputy governor of Hormozgan province.
Iran’s attacks on countries in the region have also continued, with the strikes targeting US facilities, according to Iranian state media.
Here’s the latest in the conflict:
- The US military said its strikes on Iran have taken place for a seventh consecutive night, with the US targeting coastal areas near the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz, as well as transport infrastructure further inland, according to Iranian state media.
- A top Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) official and military adviser to Iran’s supreme leader warned the US yesterday of a “full-scale offensive” if the strikes persisted.
- US allies in the Gulf, including Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, reported raising alarms or fending off Iranian attacks early today. Iran state media claimed its forces had targeted US forces and facilities across Bahrain and Kuwait. CNN could not independently verify the claims.
- Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy said that Iranian attacks hit a power generation and water desalination plant, causing a fire.
CNN’s Adam Pourahmadi, Tim Lister, Jessie Yeung, Dalia Abdelwahab and Ibrahim Dahman contributed to this reporting.
US in worse position than before Iran war, former ambassador says
The US is not going to achieve regime change in Iran as things stand, warns Ambassador Ryan Crocker.
There’s little chance for significant change in Iran and the war has not helped the home front, he added.
Crocker, a former longtime US ambassador to Middle East countries including Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, told CNN’s Elex Michaelson earlier that the US is in a “worse place” than it was before the start of the war with Iran. “There’s no question about it,” he said.
Crocker, who survived the 1983 bombing of the US embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, said that at this point an unconditional opening of the Strait of Hormuz to all maritime traffic should be the objective.
To accomplish that requires “a combination of diplomatic efforts, economic pressure and kinetic action,” he said.
Regime change would be ambitious at this point, and returning the US to where it was at the onset of the war is key, Crocker added.
“The Iranians know how to do war,” he said, adding that the extended fighting has hardened the regime even more, and bombing them “into submission” will not work.
Why desalination plants are so vital to Gulf nations
As we’ve been reporting, Kuwait has said Iran attacked one of its desalination plants, while Iranian media later reported the US had struck one of its plants in Jask, a strategically important port city in the Hormozgan province, citing a provincial official. CNN has reached out to the US military for a response.
Desalination plants are significant in the Middle East region, providing a key lifeline of drinking water and sustaining certain remote regions through droughts.
Regional Arab countries, including Kuwait, are almost entirely dependent on desalination for drinking water. Desalination is the process of converting seawater into drinking water.
In Kuwait and Oman, desalination accounts for around 90% of freshwater needs, Bahrain 85%, and Saudi Arabia around 70%. Major Gulf cities, including Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha, Kuwait City and Jeddah, are almost wholly dependent on desalinated water.
Iran is less dependent on desalination than its Gulf neighbours for drinking water. Still, the process is key for providing water to coastal and island communities and to help to offset droughts.
The targeting of key civilian infrastructure including desalination plants could be considered a war crime.
CNN’s Mostafa Salem contributed reporting.
Iran claims US missiles struck desalination plant
A US missile attack damaged a desalination plant in southern Iran in the latest wave of attacks, according to a provincial official.
Desalination plants are a critical source of drinking water for countries in the Gulf.
“Several missiles” struck electrical facilities and desalination water pumps at Bonji on the coast, leaving 20 villages without water, according to the deputy governor of Hormozgan province.
An assessment of the extent of the damage was underway, he said.
Iranian media outlets published images of the purported damage to the site.
CNN is reaching out to the US military for a response.
The US has carried out it seventh straight night of strikes against Iran, saying it hit military and maritime targets as part of efforts to wrest control of the Strait of Hormuz from Iran.
A vital resource: Kuwait said Saturday that Iran attacked one of its desalination plants, the second consecutive day that one of its facilities was struck. The small Gulf state relies on desalination for about 90% of its water.
Sirens sound in Bahrain as citizens advised to head for safety
Sirens sounded in Bahrain this morning, as the country’s Interior Ministry warned citizens to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place.
It marks the fifth time that sirens have sounded in Bahrain over the past 12 hours, the ministry wrote on X, and comes after Iran launched another wave of attacks on US allies in the region.
Overnight, Bahrain’s military said it intercepted multiple Iranian attacks.
Kuwait says Iran attack hit power generation and water desalination plant
Iran attacked a power generation and water desalination plant in Kuwait, the Gulf nation said on Saturday.
“Another power and water desalination plant was subjected to a hostile attack that resulted in a fire breaking out in one of the plant’s components,” said Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy.
In response to the fire, authorities took “precautionary” measures including disconnecting a number of generating units, the statement said.
A similar attack took place just a day ago, with a fire breaking out at another Kuwaiti power generation and water desalination plant – prompting the government to urge residents to conserve electricity during the sweltering summer heat.
Kuwait has been one of the countries most frequently targeted by Iran since hostilities resumed between Tehran and Washington.
Bahrain military says it intercepted "several" Iranian attacks overnight
Bahrain’s military intercepted multiple Iranian attacks overnight into Saturday, it said on X.
“The Bahrain Defence Force’s air defense systems intercepted and destroyed several” Iranian aerial attacks on Saturday, the BDF posted on X.
Bahrain is home to the headquarters of the US 5th Fleet. Its interior ministry previously reported that air alert sirens had been activated multiple times into Saturday morning local time.
US allies report attacks, raise alerts as Iran claims strikes
Several US allies reported raising alarms or fending off Iranian attacks early Saturday local time, according to state media and local authorities, as Iran claims to have launched strikes across the region.
US allies reporting strikes or alerts:
- Kuwait issued seven warnings over 12 hours, extending into early Saturday, saying its air defenses were responding to missile and drone threats. Kuwait Airlines announced it would reschedule most of its Saturday flights due to the airspace closing, temporarily suspending all takeoffs and landings at the Kuwait International Airport.
- Bahrain announced that its sirens had been activated, and urged members of the public to seek safety.
- Jordan’s air defenses intercepted 10 Iranian missiles early Saturday, Reuters reported, citing Jordanian state media.
- Saudi Arabia briefly issued warnings in two locations before lifting them several minutes later, saying the danger had passed.
Iran’s claims: Iran state media claims Iran’s forces had targeted US forces and facilities across Bahrain and Kuwait. CNN could not independently verify the claims.
Ibrahim Dahman contributed reporting.
US strikes target bridges and tunnels in Iran, state media reports
The US struck Iran for a seventh consecutive night, again targeting coastal areas near the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz – as well as transport infrastructure further inland, according to Iranian state media.
Strikes late Friday into early Saturday were reported in the port city of Bandar Abbas, and the nearby islands of Qeshm and Larak which sits in the Strait of Hormuz.
Bridges and a tunnel on a highway linking Bandar Abbas to Hajiabad further inland were also targeted, IRIB reported.
Other areas targeted include Ahvaz, Darab, Yazd, Omidiyeh and Bushehr county – with some lying much further inland. CNN could not independently verify Iran’s claims
CENTCOM said its strikes had targeted “hit surveillance sites, military logistics infrastructure, underground weapons storage, and maritime capabilities.”
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to strike Iran’s bridges and power plants if Tehran does not return to the negotiating table.
Arab nations fiercely criticize Tehran's strikes
Several Arab nations have fiercely criticized Tehran’s sweeping strikes on US allies in the Middle East after the Trump administration escalated deadly attacks on Iran this week for seven consecutive days.
The Iranian military hit several countries late Thursday through early Friday, including Oman, Jordan, Kuwait and Qatar, where a child was wounded by falling shrapnel from an intercepted strike.
In Iraq, an Iranian missile and drone attack killed nine fighters of an Iranian-Kurdish group, according to an official from the group.
Leaders in the region have issued stark condemnations and renewed demands for diplomacy – though US and Iranian officials show no signs of letting up.
Here are some of the statements calling for diplomacy:
- Qatar: The Foreign Ministry in Qatar – whose officials acted as key mediators for discussions between Tehran and Washington earlier this year – urged “a serious return to dialogue and negotiations” and “understandings reached through diplomatic efforts.”
- UAE: The United Arab Emirates’ foreign minister vehemently criticized the Iranian strike in Iraq, warning the attack presents a “flagrant violation of the Republic of Iraq’s and Iraqi Kurdistan’s sovereignty.”
- Jordan: The country’s foreign minister denounced “brutal Iranian attacks” as a “blatant breach of international law” and cautioned against a “dangerous escalation” in the wider region.
- Kuwait: The Kuwaiti foreign minister expressed “strong denunciation of recent reprehensible Iranian aggressions” against Bahrain, Qatar and Jordan, describing the attacks as a “direct threat to the security of their people.”
US military completes seventh consecutive night of strikes against Iran. Here's the impact
The United States military completed its latest wave of strikes against Iran on Friday, according to Central Command, marking the seventh consecutive night of its renewed bombing campaign.
This comes after the US launched more airstrikes against Iran, intending to “continue degrading Iranian military capabilities,” according to the US military. Tehran also launched another wave in its widening series of attacks on US allies in the region.
Here’s what to know about the US strikes and the impact:
• A pattern: US strikes on Iranian bridges, railway junctures and power lines connecting key coastal cities could suggest a wider pattern by Washington to advance options for seizing control of the Strait of Hormuz, an analyst told CNN.
• Iran’s response: Mohsen Rezaei, a top IRGC official and military adviser to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, warned of a “full-scale offensive” if the US persisted with military strikes against Iran. Tehran, so far, has been striking US allies in the region, which several Arab nations have fiercely criticized.
• Impact on people: The cities currently under attack are among Iran’s poorest and most ethnically diverse, home to large populations of minority communities distinct from Persian-majority centers like Tehran. Despite being home to much of Iran’s energy industry and commercial ports, these provinces have historically suffered from underinvestment, high unemployment and weaker infrastructure.
• Caught in the crosshairs: An Indian seafarer who went missing after an Iranian attack on his ship Sunday has been confirmed dead, the Forward Seamen Union of India said in a statement. This week, India ordered ship owners and operators not to deploy Indian seafarers on vessels traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, amid renewed hostilities.
India is the world’s third-largest supplier of seafarers, with more than 300,000 sailors working across global shipping fleets, according to the government.
CNN’s Mostafa Salem, Tim Lister, Leila Gharagozlou, Aida Karimi, Magdalena Sofia Vitores Moreno, Eyad Kourdi, Fadel Allassan, Davis Winkie, Dalia Abdelwahab and Sana Noor Haq contributed to the report.
IRGC warns continued US strikes will prompt "full-scale" retaliatory attacks
Mohsen Rezaei, a top Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) official and military adviser to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, warned the United States on Friday of a “full-scale offensive” if it persisted with military strikes against Iran.
The comments come as the US completes its seventh consecutive day of strikes on Iran and Iranian retaliation at Arab US allies.
“No political border will be secure against Iran’s offensive forces,” Rezaei said and added that the US should be required to pay financial reparations for what Iranian officials have characterized as attacks on civilian infrastructure, which the US denied.
Rezaei’s threats largely mirror those recently made by US President Donald Trump, who had declared the already-fragile US-Iran ceasefire and memorandum of understanding “over” as the US launched new strikes on the country. Iran has retaliated by way of striking US bases within the territory of some of its Arab allies, including Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain.
