U.S. President Donald Trump threatened additional military strikes against Iran as the United States pushes for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Hours later on Saturday, Kuwait reported responding to a new series of drone attacks from Iran while a tanker was struck in the strategic waterway.
Concurrently, Israel conducted heavy strikes on the Gaza Strip following Hamas's agreement to disarm.
Key developments across the Middle East today include:
**US Threatens New Strikes in Iranian Conflict**
Speaking to reporters Friday during a meeting with Cabinet members at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland, Trump stated that the U.S. aims "to just win" in Iran and indicated that American military action was expected to continue for some time.
He asserted that the U.S. would strike Iran "very hard" until they could no longer withstand it.
Later that day, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt reiterated the U.S. administration's frustration, alleging that Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. last month regarding a truce but subsequently "broke it, shot at commercial ships, and killed American soldiers."
"President Trump is not going to stand by and allow this terrorist behavior to occur," Leavitt stated in a Friday evening statement. "Iran will continue to pay until they come to the table in, what President Trump deems, a meaningful way."
**New Attacks on Kuwait and Shipping**
Kuwait's military announced Saturday that its forces were responding to drone attacks as part of Iran’s assaults on the nation.
In a statement, Maj. Gen. Saud Abdulaziz Al-Otaibi, spokesman for Kuwait’s Defense Ministry, reported that the drones struck "a number of vital facilities," including a government structure in the country's north. He confirmed there were no casualties.
The British Navy reported Saturday that a tanker was hit and a separate explosion occurred near a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz off Oman's coast. No casualties were reported in either incident, the navy stated. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Organization noted an unknown projectile struck the vessel on Friday 11 nautical miles northeast of Lima, Oman, damaging its engine room.
The organization added that on Saturday, a large splash and explosion were reported near another tanker sailing 21 nautical miles northwest of Khasab city.
Iran has repeatedly attacked vessels attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz without authorization as part of its ongoing conflict with the U.S.
**Israel Strikes Gaza After Hamas Agrees to Disarm**
Local health officials reported that intense Israeli strikes on Friday night and Saturday killed at least four people in central and northern Gaza and wounded dozens more.
These strikes followed Hamas's confirmation Friday that it would disarm, potentially marking a breakthrough toward ending the war in Gaza, although significant obstacles remain. Israel has not officially commented on the Hamas deal, which is part of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire announced last October.
That agreement stipulated that Hamas must disarm and transfer power to an independent Palestinian administration. It also required Israeli withdrawal and the deployment of an International Stabilization Force.
In an X post Friday, Israeli far-right lawmaker Itamar Ben-Gvir deemed the deal "unacceptable" and insisted that killings in Gaza must continue. He stated, "Israel must win."
The strikes overnight in Gaza occurred after Israel's military issued evacuation orders. An anonymous Israeli military official stated that the targets were Hamas.
The Associated Press is tracking the progress of Trump’s plan to conclude the Israel-Hamas war.
Click here for full coverage from AP on the disarmament deal for Hamas.
**Elsewhere in the Region**
* Houthi rebels forced eight Saudi ships to change course from the Bab el-Mandeb strait after the Iranian-backed group announced a blockade on Saudi shipping in the chokepoint. Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, Houthi military spokesman, stated Friday that the vessels rerouted around Africa via the Cape of Good Hope to avoid the blockade. * In southern Lebanon, Israeli forces detonated explosives Friday to destroy an underground tunnel network beneath Beaufort Castle, a Crusader-built structure Israel claims Hezbollah militants used as a command center. The 12th-century castle, also known as Al-Shaqif, was taken by Israeli forces in May and was recently added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List despite Israel's objections. * Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun commented that the Israeli operation sent "negative messages" ahead of forthcoming talks in Rome. Israeli and Lebanese negotiating teams are scheduled to meet again there to advance a plan for Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon in exchange for Hezbollah disarmament.