US President Donald Trump has warned that American forces are prepared to launch further strikes against Iran “at any time”, while insisting that the renewed conflict between Washington and Tehran will not last for long.
Trump made the remarks on Wednesday as military tensions between the two countries intensified following a fresh round of US strikes on Iranian territory. His comments suggest that Washington is keeping open the possibility of additional military action, even as concerns grow over civilian casualties and the risk of the conflict spreading across the Gulf region.
Iranian health officials said on Thursday that at least 18 people had been killed and 142 others injured in the latest US attacks between 30 August and 2 September. The casualties included women and children.
Hossein Kermanpour, a spokesman for Iran’s Health Ministry, said in a post on the social media platform X that 61 of those injured were women and 44 were minors. Two women and one child were among those killed.
Kermanpour stressed the human cost behind the figures, saying that every casualty represented an individual and a family.
Conflict spreads across the Gulf
The latest escalation marks another sharp deterioration in relations between Iran and the United States after tensions had already risen in July. US forces carried out large-scale strikes on several locations in Iran on Wednesday, prompting Tehran to respond with attacks involving Kuwait, Bahrain and Iraq.
Kuwait’s military said its air-defence systems were engaged in countering new Iranian drone and missile attacks. The developments have heightened concerns among Gulf states that the confrontation could extend beyond Iranian territory and directly affect neighbouring countries.
Iran said it had targeted US military bases in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. Tehran described the attacks as a response to what it called US actions against the Iranian people.
A US official, however, told Al Jazeera that Iran’s latest attacks had failed to hit any American military installations in the region. The official also said that US bases in Kuwait had not been struck.
Iran separately reported that three military pilots and six members of its navy had been killed in US attacks.
Bahrain condemns attacks on Kuwait
Bahrain has condemned Iran’s attacks on Kuwait, accusing Tehran of repeatedly violating Kuwait’s sovereignty by targeting its territory.
In a statement, Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry said such attacks also constituted a violation of international law. It warned that continued strikes were undermining efforts to contain the regional conflict and creating further threats to security and stability.
Bahrain called on the United Nations Security Council to take firm action to ensure that Iran complies with international law.
The response reflects growing concern among Gulf countries over the possibility that the confrontation could develop into a wider regional conflict. Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates have strong strategic ties with the United States, while Iran has repeatedly warned that American military facilities in the region could become targets during an escalation.
UN chief voices concern over civilian deaths
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed concern over reports of civilian casualties in Iran, with particular attention to an alleged strike on a wedding ceremony.
His spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric, said Guterres had called for an immediate end to military operations. The UN chief also condemned attacks against civilians and urged all parties to fulfil their responsibilities under international humanitarian law.
The reported wedding incident has drawn particular attention because of the civilian deaths involved. The United States, however, has rejected suggestions that its military deliberately targets civilian infrastructure.
Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for the US Central Command, said in an email that the military was aware of the reports. He noted that the accounts had initially appeared in Iranian state media and said the US military does not attack civilian infrastructure.
Questions remain over earlier school strike
The reported attack on the wedding ceremony has also been compared with an earlier strike on a school in Minab during the first day of the conflict. Around 160 people were reported to have been killed in that incident.
The Pentagon has not yet issued a formal account of the Minab strike. Reuters, citing two sources, reported that the incident may have resulted from the use of outdated intelligence. The reported strike has been described as one of the largest attacks on civilian infrastructure involving US forces in the region in decades.
The circumstances surrounding the incident have prompted calls in Washington for greater transparency. Democratic members of the US Congress have urged the administration to release information emerging from its investigation, but the report has not yet been provided to lawmakers.
With Washington threatening further military action and Tehran continuing to respond, the latest escalation has raised wider concerns over civilian safety and the stability of the Gulf. Any further expansion of hostilities could place additional pressure on neighbouring states and complicate international efforts to prevent the conflict from developing into a broader regional war.
