Iran launches new wave of attacks and says US will ‘bitterly regret’ sinking Iranian sub
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran launched a new wave of attacks on Israeli and American bases Thursday morning and threatened that the United States would “bitterly regret” launching torpedoes Iranian warship In the Indian Ocean, Israel announced that it had launched a “large-scale” attack on Tehran.
Israel announced that there were many missile attacks in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and air sirens were sounded. Iranian state television reported that additional attacks also targeted US bases. The Israeli army said it had launched targeted attacks against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon and launched a “large-scale wave of attacks against infrastructure” in Iran’s capital, but did not provide details. Shortly after, explosions were heard in many parts of Tehran.
The US Navy sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean on Tuesday night, killing at least dozens of Iranian sailors. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called it “an atrocity at sea” on Thursday.
“The Dena Frigate, which was a guest of the Indian Navy and carrying approximately 130 sailors, was hit without any warning in international waters,” he wrote on social media. “Mark my words: The United States will bitterly regret the precedent it has set.”
The United States and Israel launched the war on Saturday, targeting Iran’s leadership, missile arsenal and nuclear program, citing overthrow of the government as a goal. But the exact goals and timelines constantly changed, signaling an open-ended conflict.
The tempo of America’s and Israel’s attacks on Iran was so intense on Wednesday that state television announced that a mourning ceremony would be held for Iran. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali KhameneiThe funeral of the person killed at the beginning of the conflict was to be postponed. Millions of people attended the funeral of his predecessor, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in 1989.
President Donald Trump praised the U.S. military for “performing very well on the battlefront, to say the least.” Other Republicans in the US Senate sided with Trump on Iran rejected a decision to stop the war.
Iranian Bahrain, Kuwait and Israel were fired upon as the conflict spirals. Türkiye said NATO defenses intercepted a ballistic missile launched from Iran before it entered Türkiye’s airspace.
The war has killed more than 1,000 people in Iran, more than 70 in Lebanon and nearly a dozen in Israel, according to officials in those countries. It disrupted the world’s oil and gas supplies, disrupted international shipping and stranded hundreds of thousands of travelers in the Middle East.
Threats are increasing in the Middle East
Countries in the region braced for potential dangers on Thursday, a day after Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guards threatened “the complete destruction of the region’s military and economic infrastructure.”
Qatar’s Interior Ministry said authorities evacuated residents near the US Embassy in Doha as a temporary measure, without providing further details.
Warplanes were heard in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia announced that it had destroyed a drone in its province bordering Jordan.
It has been revealed that a new attack off the coast of Kuwait has expanded the area where commercial shipping is in danger.
An explosion occurred in the area in the early hours of Thursday, according to the UK Merchant Marine Operations Centre, which is run by the British military. It was stated that a tanker was apparently attacked, but the agency did not provide any reason. Iran has attacked ships in the past by attaching limpet mines to them.
There have been previous attacks in the Gulf of Oman since the conflict began on Saturday. Strait of Hormuzthat ties it together Persian Gulf and approximately one-fifth of the world’s oil is transported from here.
Brent crude oil prices have increased by 15% since the beginning of the conflict due to Iranian attacks traffic in the straitThe current price is at the highest level since July 2024.
Buildings of Iranian military and security forces were targeted
A torpedo fired from an American submarine sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean on Tuesday night, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said.
Sri Lankan officials said 32 crew members were rescued and their navy recovered 87 bodies.
Israel said it struck buildings affiliated with Iran’s internal security command, as well as the Basij, a volunteer force of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guards whose bloody crackdown on protesters in January left thousands dead.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his country’s forces have decentralized leadership, with units largely operating on their own, which could reduce the impact of attacks on high command and control centers.
Timelines for US operations are changing
During the Pentagon briefing, Hegseth did not give an exact timeline for the U.S. operations, which Trump said could last a month or longer.
“You could say four weeks, but it could be six. It could be eight. It could be three,” Hegseth said. “Ultimately, we determine the tempo and tempo. The enemy is off balance and we will keep them off balance.”
U.S. and Israeli military officials say launches from Iran have decreased because the strikes have disabled ballistic missiles, launchers and unmanned aerial vehicles. Israel’s Home Front Command announced the easing of restrictions that closed businesses across the country. It was stated that businesses could reopen on Thursday if there is a shelter nearby. Schools would remain closed.
Still, explosions were heard in Israel early Thursday, and defense systems were reportedly mobilized to intercept at least three waves of Iranian missiles.
At least 1,045 people have been killed in Iran, the country’s Foundation for Martyrs and Veterans Affairs said on Wednesday. 11 people died in Israel. Six US soldiers Many people were killed, including a major whose identity was announced on Wednesday.
Eight more people were killed in Lebanon on Thursday, including two buildings hit by the Israeli army at the Beddawi refugee camp in the coastal city of Tripoli and three on a coastal highway, officials said. The Israeli army did not immediately disclose who it targeted in the attacks.
Two vehicles were hit, three people were killed and six were injured in two near-simultaneous Israeli drone strikes in Beirut’s southern suburbs late Wednesday, the health ministry said. The Israeli army stated that the attack targeted a Hezbollah member and said more details would come.
The Israeli military also said it hit “several command centers” used by Hezbollah in Beirut and showed video footage of a building hit, but did not provide further details.
Israel says attack was planned mid-year
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that the attack on Iran was initially planned for mid-2026, but “the need arose to postpone everything until February.”
The events in Iran, Trump’s positions and the possibility of “creating a combined operation” were listed as reasons.
The protests in Iran have put unprecedented pressure on the Iranian leadership. Trump threatens military action in response to earlier crackdown diverts attention It’s about Iran’s controversial nuclear program.
The United States launched its operation in part out of concern that Iran might strike U.S. personnel and assets in the region first, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday. He also said that the phone call between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before the airstrikes began was “important in terms of the timeline.”
Iran’s clergy elect new religious leader
Iranian leaders scramble to replace them KhameneiHe ruled the country for 37 years. Only the second time since then 1979 Islamic Revolution He says a new religious leader has been elected.
Potential candidates range from hardliners determined to confront the West to reformers seeking diplomatic interaction. Mojtaba KhameneiKhamenei’s son has long been considered among them, although he has never served in the government.
The head of the judiciary warned that “those who cooperate with the enemy in any way will be considered enemies,” in a sign that the Iranian leadership will only seek to consolidate its power.
Israeli defense minister Katz said on X that Iran’s next religious leader “will be a target for elimination” if he continues to threaten Israel, the United States and others.
___
Rising is reportedly from Bangkok, Becatoros is from Athens and Greece, and Magdy is from Cairo. Associated Press writers Sally Abou AlJoud in Beirut, Lebanon, Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, Julia Frankel in Jerusalem and Giovanna Dell’Orto in Miami contributed to this report.
