Iran says ‘counting down minutes’ for US ground invasion as West Asia conflict escalates

Iranian authorities on Monday said the United States carried out an aerial strike on an area in the southern city of Shiraz, though no casualties were reported. The claim was made by the deputy governor of Fars province and carried by Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB.

According to the official, the attack caused no injuries and the situation in Shiraz remains under control. There was no immediate response from the US regarding the reported strike.

Two Greek-owned oil tankers came under projectile attack in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, with one vessel catching fire and being abandoned by its crew. The affected tanker, the Malta-flagged Kavomaleas, was later evacuated, and all crew members were rescued safely by a tugboat.

Earlier, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported a fire aboard the tanker north of Kuzmar, Oman. The Kavomaleas, owned by Greece’s Dynacom Tankers, had been stranded in the Arabian Gulf after spending several months off the coast of Saudi Arabia. The circumstances surrounding the attacks were not immediately clear.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Monday claimed it had inflicted significant damage on US military infrastructure through three coordinated attacks, saying its naval forces had delivered “heavy blows” to American forces in the Gulf.

In a statement carried by Iran’s IRNA news agency, the IRGC said it targeted US drone maintenance and repair facilities at Al-Sakhir Airport in Bahrain, claiming they were destroyed. It also said it struck preparation sheds used by the US Navy’s Task Force 59 at Salman Port, alleging the attack caused extensive damage.

Warning sirens sounded across Bahrain on Monday as Iran continued its attacks on Gulf countries hosting US military bases, prompting authorities to issue an emergency advisory.

In a statement, Bahrain’s Interior Ministry urged citizens and residents to remain calm and immediately move to the nearest safe place after the alert was activated.

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement on Monday announced a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia, marking a major escalation in tensions after the two sides exchanged fire last week for the first time in years.

According to an Al Jazeera report, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group was imposing an immediate maritime embargo on what it called the “criminal Saudi enemy”, describing the move as an “eye for an eye” response. The announcement raises the prospect of fresh disruptions to shipping in the region amid the widening conflict.

Iran expects to restore around 100 million cubic metres per day of natural gas production capacity over the coming months, a senior government official said on Monday, according to the oil ministry’s Shana news agency. The planned recovery comes as Tehran works to revive output disrupted by months of conflict.

Attacks on Iran’s energy infrastructure since the war began with U.S.-Israeli strikes in late February have cut natural gas production by about 230 million cubic metres per day.

The average price of gasoline in the United States climbed back to $4 a gallon on Monday as renewed military exchanges between the US and Iran heightened concerns over global oil supplies, according to data from the American Automobile Association (AAA).

The national average stood well above the $3.14 per gallon recorded during the same period last year.

The $4 figure represents a nationwide average, with fuel prices continuing to vary across states depending on factors such as local supply conditions, transportation costs and state fuel taxes.

Three Palestinians were killed and 22 others injured in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, the territory’s health ministry said on Monday. The latest casualties come as hostilities continue despite a ceasefire agreement reached last October.

According to the ministry, the overall death toll since the war began on October 7, 2023, has risen to 73,283, with 173,864 people injured. It also said that since the ceasefire took effect, continued Israeli attacks have killed at least 1,158 people and wounded 3,756 others.

China has called for respect for Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty and security following last week’s Houthi ballistic missile attacks, which were intercepted by Saudi air defences. The remarks come as tensions remain high across West Asia during the ongoing US-Iran war.

Speaking at a regular media briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said Beijing opposes attacks on civilian facilities and stressed that the sovereignty and security of Saudi Arabia and other countries in the region must be respected.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmail Baghaei has said that Iran has received “some proposals” from mediators.

Baghaei did not go into the specifics of the proposal or mention the mediators.

Primarily, Pakistan and Qatar have been mediating between Iran and the United States. The two sides have now been in a state of renewed hostilities for 10 straight days, with the United States striking Iran daily and Iran responding with attacks on US personnel and bases across the region.

Iran has said that it is “counting down the minutes to welcome” US forces in any ground invasion.

As renewed US-Iran hostilities entered the 10th day, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said that the United States will face “consequences of any adventure” to seize Kharg Island and warned that the Iranian leadership is “counting down the minutes to welcome” US forces in any ground invasion.

The Kharg island is Iran’s main oil and gas export terminal. The United States has attacked it multiple times in the ongoing war.

Trump has previously toyed with the idea of invading the island and seizing it.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi has said that the United States struck the country’s under-construction Darkhovin Nuclear Power Plant in the latest round of strikes.

In a statement on X, Gharibabadi dubbed the attack as “dangerous assault on Iran’s peaceful infrastructure and fully implicates the US government in the consequences stemming from heightened insecurity and instability”.

Gharibabadi said that Iran will respond to the attack with “appropriate measures”.

This is the first instance of the United States directly attacking an Iranian nuclear facility in the ongoing war.

The construction for the plant began in 2022 and Iran was aiming to finish it by 2030.

Rubio has said that the Trump administration is willing to negotiate an end to the war with Iran but the regime must change its behaviour.

“Their behavior has to change in order for ours to change…Their behavior is what we’re responding to, and their behavior is they’re launching missiles and drones against ships, including tonight,” said Rubio.

The statement came shortly after Rubio acknowledged that Iran wants to engage in talks but the regime is deeply split between those wan talks and those who oppose a negotiated settlement.

“We’ve tried multiple times with Iran, and we’ll continue to try. If that door opens, we’ll be happy to see it open,” Rubio further said.

Even as Israel has sat out of the spiralling US-Iran conflict, Israeli military and settler attacks in the Gaza Strip and West Bank have continued.

Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip killed at least 10 persons over the weekend, according to The Times of Israel.

In one strike, Israel hit an apartment in the Nasr neighborhood and killed at least five people, two adults and three children between the ages of 8 and 18, according to Mohammed Abu Selmiya, Director of Shifa Hospital, where the deceased were taken.

In another attack, an Israeli strike killed four people in the Zeitoun areas, according to local health officials.

Separately, two Palestinians have died from wounds sustained in an Israeli Jewish settler attack on Deir Jarir, east of Ramallah, according to Al Jazeera.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump threatened to slap any country supplying weapons to Iran with 50 per cent tariffs.

Trump did not name any country in the post.

Russia, China, and North Korea are the main countries that maintain military ties with Iran and have a mutually beneficial relationship where they trade missiles, drones, machinery, raw materials, and intermediate goods for arms production. Iranian military uses Russian systems, including air defence systems, extensively.

As Iran has begun its retaliatory strikes across the region, Kuwait has reported attacks.

In a statement on X, Kuwaiti Army said its air defenses were “confronting attacks by hostile drones, following the sinful Iranian aggression”.

“The General Staff of the Army notes that the sounds of explosions, if heard, are the result of air defense systems intercepting the hostile attacks. Everyone is requested to adhere to the security and safety instructions issued by the competent authorities,” the Kuwaiti Army added.

The statement comes after the IRGC claimed destroying an early-warning radar system in a drone attack and an aviation equipment warehouse and a hangar housing US MQ-9 drones in an attack on US military facilities at the Ali Al Salem airbase in Kuwait.

Separately, air raid sirens were also activated in Bahrain where the authorities said air defence system repulsed Iranian attacks.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that the Iran wants to negotiate but there is a growing split within the regime.

“We are receiving signals through multiple channels of #Iran’s desire to negotiate, but there is a growing split within the regime,” said Rubio.

The statement comes as the United States and Iran’s resumed hostilities continue into the ninth day, with the United States striking Iran and Iran attacking American bases and personnel across the region. Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain have borne the brunt of Iranian attacks in recent days.

Firstpost’s Madhur Sharma previously noted that Iran’s display of unity in the wake of US-Israeli attack hides deep divisions within the regime, with pragmatists led by President Massoud Pezeshkian and Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf advocating for a negotiated end to the war and ultrahardliners in the IRGC rejecting any negotiations and continuing the war.

The Al-Subiya power and desalination plant in Kuwait is on fire after an apparent Iranian attack.

The visuals of the plant being on fire have been published by the regional press.

The resumed US-Iranian hostilities are in their ninth day now, with the United States striking Iran, and Iran striking US troops and bases across the region and the energy and critical infrastructure of US allies. Iran has mostly hit Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan in the renewed fighting.

After the United States on Sunday evening announced the completion of the latest round of strikes, air raid sirens sounded in Bahrain and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) of Iran claimed attacks on Kuwait.

The IRGC said it targeted US military facilities at the Ali Al Salem airbase in Kuwait, destroying an early-warning radar system in a drone attack and an aviation equipment warehouse and a hangar housing US MQ-9 drones, according to state media.

Separately, Bahraini Ministry of Interior said that sirens have been activated and urged citizens and residents to remain calm, move to the nearest safe location, and follow updates through official channels.

Oil prices on Monday crossed the $90 dollar a barrel mark as resumed hostilities entered between the United States entered the ninth day.

Brent crude, the international benchmark, rose around 2.7 per cent to top $90 a barrel and US West Texas Intermediate rose around 2.4 per cent to $84.49, according to CNBC.

US President Donald Trump said that the Air Force One aircraft gifted by Qatar would be taken out of service for about a month so it could be “maxed out”, following reports raising security concerns during a recent trip to Turkey.

A vessel caught fire off the coast of Oman within the past hour, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations. Authorities have not disclosed what caused the blaze, and the identity of the vessel remains unknown.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused Iran of using the Strait of Hormuz as a strategic pressure point in the regional conflict and urged other countries to play a greater role in protecting international shipping.

Speaking to reporters before departing for the Philippines, Rubio said the United States would continue efforts to safeguard maritime traffic through the vital waterway. He also called on other governments to share the responsibility by providing equipment or financial support to strengthen global shipping security.

US air strikes targeted an area near the town of Khormoj in southwestern Iran, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported, citing a local official.

The attacks reportedly caused power outages across parts of Khormoj, the administrative centre of Dashti County in Bushehr province.

US Central Command said it has concluded its ninth consecutive night of military strikes against Iran, continuing its ongoing campaign targeting the country’s military infrastructure.

According to Centcom, the latest operation struck Iranian military command centres, air defence systems, coastal surveillance positions, maritime assets, missile and drone launch sites, and communications networks.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Monday that two oil tankers attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz exploded and were forced to stop. According to a statement carried by the Tasnim news agency, the vessels had tried to use what the Guards described as an unsafe southern route through the strategic waterway.

“Late last night, two non-compliant oil tankers… attempted to enter and exit through what was described as the unsafe and hazardous southern route of the Strait of Hormuz, exploded and were brought to a halt,” the Guards said in a statement, according to the Tasnim news agency.

Multiple explosions were heard in the Iranian port cities of Mahshahr and Bandar Imam Khomeini in the southwestern province of Khuzestan, according to local residents cited by the Tasnim news agency.

The US government has warned of a potential Iranian threat in Bahrain, saying it has information suggesting Tehran may target unspecified locations in central Manama. In a security alert posted by TravelGov, American citizens were urged to remain vigilant, follow instructions issued by local authorities and review the latest guidance released by the US Embassy.

A series of explosions were reported across five Iranian cities, including the major northwestern city of Tabriz and two strategic ports, shortly after US Central Command announced a round of attacks on Iran, according to Tasnim news agency.

Iranian air defence systems have reportedly downed a drone over the country’s southern region, according to Iran’s Mehr News Agency.