The United States and Iran have engaged in a second consecutive day of airstrikes, with the U.S. targeting multiple cities in eastern Iran and Iran's Revolutionary Guards responding with attacks on American bases in Kuwait and Bahrain.
The U.S. launched airstrikes on Thursday against the eastern Iranian cities of Iranshahr, Bandar Abbas, Konarak, Chabahar, and Bushehr, as well as Aq Qala in northeastern Iran. State news reported that a firefighter was killed in an attack on the Iranshahr airport.
The U.S. Central Command stated that it completed an additional round of strikes against Iran, aimed at degrading the country's ability to attack commercial shipping and innocent civilian mariners in the Strait of Hormuz. The strikes targeted 90 Iranian military targets, including air defense systems, coastal surveillance assets, missile and drone storage sites, naval capabilities, and military logistics infrastructure along Iran's coastline.
In retaliation, Iran's Revolutionary Guards claimed to have attacked two American bases in Kuwait and two in Bahrain. The attacks caused air raid sirens to sound in Bahrain, and the country's Ministry of Defence reported that its air defenses were confronting rocket and drone attacks.
The U.S. strikes have resulted in significant casualties, with Iran's Health Ministry reporting that 14 people have been killed and 78 wounded in the past two days. The latest American attack targeted more than 90 locations across Iran, with Iranian media reporting explosions and strikes in cities on the southern coast and the country's northern Golestan province.
The burial of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will be a family-only affair, with state media reporting that only relatives will attend the ceremony. Speculation surrounds whether Mojtaba Khamenei, the new supreme leader, will make his first public appearance since his father's assassination in late February.
Security has been tightened following Israel's warning last week that Khamenei had been "marked for death." It remains unclear whether Mojtaba Khamenei will attend his father's burial, as he has been absent from funeral ceremonies throughout the week.
