US Strikes Iran Eighth Night; Iran Hits Kuwait Bases

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- US Central Command launched fresh strikes on Sirik in Hormozgan province and Qeshm Island on the eighth consecutive night, saying the attacks were designed to "further degrade Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz."
- Iran's military retaliated by targeting the Al-Adiri ammunition depot and Patriot radar at the Ali Al Salem base in Kuwait, citing "the repeated aggressions of the enemy."
- The US strikes were retaliation for an Iranian ballistic missile and drone attack on a US base in Jordan that killed two US service members, left one missing, and hospitalized four.
- Since the war began in February, 16 US service members have been killed and more than 430 wounded, per CENTCOM.
- Iranian authorities said at least 50 people have been killed and more than 500 wounded in US strikes over the past three weeks, with strikes hitting the Bonji desalination plant and cutting off water supplies to about 10,000 people.
- Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi told state television the US is violating the interim deal and "no longer implementing them," while Iran's supreme leader warned of "unforgettable lessons" if US attacks continue.
- The Iranian embassy in India named two girls — Sogand Dardmand and Fatemeh Zahra Akbari — among seven people killed in a US strike on Bandar Khamir in southern Iran on Thursday.
- Al Jazeera's Tohid Asadi, reporting from Tehran, said the last eight nights of strikes have caused "anger" and "frustration" among the populace, who "don't really know whether they are going to see the continuation of this confrontation."
Why it matters: The war has widened from Strait of Hormuz military targets to civilian infrastructure — a destroyed desalination plant cut water to 10,000 Iranians. Iran's Deputy FM publicly declared the US in breach of the interim deal, and with 16 US service members and at least 50 Iranian civilians killed since February, neither side has stated a diplomatic off-ramp.

