Iran-US war latest: Flights suspended at major airport after Trump and Tehran exchange fresh strikes

Iran: US ends 7th consecutive night of strikes against Iran: Central Command. Kuwait Airways has rescheduled all flights after operations were suspended at the country’s international airport due to “hostile missile and drone attacks” from Iran. The US and Iran exchanged fresh strikes for a seventh consecutive night into Saturday morning, with Iran claiming it struck US military assets in Bahrain, including aircraft hangars and fuel tanks at the Sheikh Isa Air Base. Jordan said it intercepted 10 missiles, while Saudi Arabia and Bahrain issued public alerts warning residents of potential threats. Iran says it has launched fresh operations targeting maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, where the US has also resumed its own blockade. Tehran claimed its forces stopped four vessels in the Strait, while Iranian state media reported that two oil tankers caught fire and exploded after passing through what it described as a mined route. The US military rejected that account as false. And the Iranian authorities said 10,000 people were without water after a US strike on a desalination plant in Jask county. The US has begun targeting civilian infrastructure including bridges and water desalination plants in recent days, despite UN calls for restraint. PinnedICYMI: Here's where the US-Iran conflict stands • The US carried out a seventh consecutive night of strikes on Iran, targeting military and logistical sites. • Iran expanded its response beyond Israel, launching missiles and drones towards Gulf countries. Bahrain said it had “intercepted and destroyed a number of the treacherous Iranian aerial attacks”, while Kuwait said its air defences were responding to “hostile drone threats”. Saudi Arabia briefly issued alerts for Yanbu and Al-Kharj before saying the danger had passed. • Kuwait Airways suspended flights until further notice, saying the decision was taken “due to the regional security situation and to ensure the safety of our passengers and crew”. • Bahrain urged residents to avoid debris from the attacks, saying “the deliberate use of missiles and drones to target civilians and private property constitutes a blatant violation of international humanitarian law.” • In southern Iran, officials said a US strike on a desalination plant in Jask county cut drinking water supplies to 20 villages with around 10,000 residents. Hamzeh Pour, chief executive of the Hormozgan Water and Wastewater Company, said the pumping station and a power transformer had been “completely destroyed”, leaving the area facing “a severe water shortage”. Shahana Yasmin18 July 2026 08:19Why it's so difficult for the US to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz President Donald Trump has been trying to force Iran to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz for months, turning to everything from airstrikes and naval blockades to negotiations and threats to destroy a “whole civilization.” But restoring oil tanker traffic in the vital Middle East shipping corridor to prewar flows likely will require a much bigger armada of U.S. warships if not tens of thousands of American troops on Iranian soil, experts say. Despite on-and-off fighting, Iran can still target vessels in the narrow Persian Gulf waterway with drones and missiles that have been hidden in a country a third of the size of the continental United States. Shahana Yasmin18 July 2026 09:00Liverpool man charged on suspicion of spying for Iran A Liverpool man has been charged on suspicion of spying for Iran after an investigation by counter-terror police. Vahid Aberi, 39, was arrested on Wednesday in the Birmingham area on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service. Shahana Yasmin18 July 2026 08:30Bahrain says it intercepted multiple Iranian aerial attacks Bahrain’s Defence Force said it had intercepted and destroyed several Iranian aerial attacks on Saturday, accusing Tehran of continuing its “systematic hostile approach” by targeting civilians in the kingdom. In a statement on X, the General Command of the Bahrain Defence Force said its air defence systems had “intercepted and destroyed a number of the treacherous Iranian aerial attacks”, adding that all branches and units remained “at the highest levels of readiness” to defend the country. The military urged residents not to approach any suspicious objects or debris left behind by the attacks and to report them immediately, saying specialist teams were prepared to deal with them safely. It added that “the deliberate use of missiles and drones to target civilians and private property constitutes a blatant violation of international humanitarian law.” Shahana Yasmin18 July 2026 08:04US strike leaves 10,000 people without water in southern Iran A US strike on a desalination plant in Iran's Jask county has disrupted drinking water supplies to 20 villages with a combined population of about 10,000. The attack hit water desalination pumps in the coastal village of Bunji, an Al Jazeera report citing Tasnim news agency said. Hamzeh Pour, chief executive of the Hormozgan Water and Wastewater Company, said the pumping station drawing seawater into the plant and a power transformer were “completely destroyed”. Pour described the strikes as “a series of crimes and terrorist attacks” and said the affected villages were facing “a severe water shortage” after the destruction of the facilities. Shahana Yasmin18 July 2026 07:47 Shahana Yasmin18 July 2026 07:30Fire breaks out at Kuwait power and desalination plant after Iranian attack A fire broke out at a power generation and water desalination plant after an Iranian attack, Kuwait's Ministry of Electricity said on Saturday, hours after authorities said the facility had been damaged in the latest wave of strikes. The ministry said the blaze had broken out at the station following the attack but did not immediately identify the affected plant or provide details on casualties. Earlier, it said the strike had damaged facilities and disrupted several electricity generation units. Shahana Yasmin18 July 2026 07:20Iran claims strikes on US-linked sites in Bahrain and Kuwait Tehran says it has launched strikes targeting US aircraft in Bahrain, following a seventh consecutive night of American airstrikes on Iran. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed it had targeted “the site where US combat aircraft were gathered” at Bahrain’s Sheikh Isa Air Base, according to Iranian state media. The IRGC also claimed it struck an “intelligence data centre” at Batelco in Bahrain, as well as a US naval fuel-support pier at Al Ahmadi Port and a US “signals and communications centre” in Kuwait. Iran has warned that countries hosting US forces could face “corresponding responses” if their territory is used to launch attacks on Iran. Shahana Yasmin18 July 2026 07:00US oil firms sign deals with Iraq to develop alternative shipping routes US companies signed roughly $60bn in agreements and partnerships with the Iraqi government on Friday, including deals intended to create alternative routes for shipping oil out of the Persian Gulf. It's not clear when the oil deals will be able to create viable alternatives to the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world's oil flows. Shahana Yasmin18 July 2026 06:50Kuwait Airways reschedules flights after airspace closure Kuwait Airways said it had rescheduled most of its flights after take-off and landing operations at Kuwait International Airport were temporarily suspended. In a statement posted on X, the airline said the disruption followed what it described as “hostile missile and drone attacks” after “criminal Iranian aggression” on Saturday. It urged passengers to check for updates, saying notifications and text messages would be sent to the phone numbers linked to their bookings. The airline said the changes had been made to prioritise the safety of travellers. Shahana Yasmin18 July 2026 06:39