Iran attacks Bahrain, Iraqi Kurdistan as Trump claims ‘total control’ of Hormuz; Houthis back Tehran, Peru cuts ties: What's happening

The war between Iran and United States (US) has renewed with US President Donald Trump claiming that he is not trying to force Iran back to the negotiating table. He also claimed that the US has “total control of the Hormuz Strait”, while Iran contradicted his claims. Iran launched retaliatory strikes on US bases in Bahrain and Iraqi Kurdistan, while Houthis pledged support to Tehran. Meanwhile, the US State Department has reissued a security alert to American citizens in the West Asia, urging them to exercise caution due to the “potential for unforeseen escalation.” Additionally, Peru severed diplomatic relations with Iran, accusing Tehran of inciting “an escalation of conflicts.”

What Trump said about Hormuz and deal with Iran?

Dismissing reports that Washington is seeking a new agreement with Tehran, Trump said: “I like our position now much better, with almost , and their economy totally collapsing,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. He added that Iran was “playing out the inevitable” and asked: “When are the Iranian people going to rise up and fight?” He also slammed ABC News accusing it of sharing fake news.

Houthis in solidarity with Iran

The Houthi-run Foreign Ministry in Sanaa has issued a statement of solidarity with Tehran. In a statement carried by the Houthi-controlled Saba news agency, the ministry said that US attacks would not weaken Iran’s resolve, and that Tehran’s response was a legitimate right under international law. The ministry accused the US of pushing the region towards tension and said Washington bore responsibility for the consequences, along with those supporting it. It warned countries hosting US forces that they would face “repercussions”, adding that regimes turning their territories into US platforms for aggression “must pay the price”.

Iran, meanwhile, targeted US forces at an air base in Washington-allied Bahrain. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards also said that they struck US bases with missiles and drones in Erbil in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region, state media reported. The Guards said they “carried out a coordinated missile and drone attack on US bases in Erbil” that destroyed a maintenance centre, warehouses and the “guidance system of a US surveillance aerostat,” according to a statement carried by the state-run IRNA.

US reissues alert urging citizens in Mideast to exercise caution

In the latest alert, US warned Americans currently in the Middle East to “exercise heightened vigilance and be aware of potential flight cancellations, airspace closures and travel disruptions.” “Americans traveling to or from the region should monitor information about airport and airline operations. US diplomatic facilities, including outside the Middle East, have been targeted. Iran and groups supportive of Iran may target other US interests overseas or at locations associated with the United States and Americans throughout the world, including US businesses and other institutions,” the alert added.

Also Read: Iran launches retaliatory strikes with missiles and drones; Trump warns of ‘much harder’ attack

US attacks Iran again

US launched renewed strikes on Iran on Sep 1 and targeted Bandar Abbas, Qeshm Island, Konarak, Chabahar, Jask, Sirik, Lavan and Asluyeh in southern Iran. US CENTCOM said in a post on X, “Today at 12 pm ET, US forces began striking Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targets in Iran. The strikes follow recent attempted attacks by the IRGC against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and against American service members deployed to the region.”

Also Read: Trump admin hit by another top-level exit as US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll resigns

US President Donald Trump claimed that Gulf allies were notified before the latest round of US strikes on Iran. Speaking to Fox News, Trump also warned Iran against retaliating, adding that the USS George Washington “is loaded to the gills.” "The United States is, as we speak, striking Iranian Targets near the Strait of Hormuz. The strikes are large and powerful, and in retaliation for the Iranians’ failed attempt at adding sea mines to the Strait, and the Iranians shooting eight missiles, all successfully knocked down, at our Military Base in Jordan,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “If the failed Nation of Iran retaliates for this very justified attack, they will be hit again at a much harder and higher level, but it will not be the biggest attack of them all, that is waiting in the wings and, when it is over, there will be very little left of the Islamic Republic of Iran!” Trump said. “If they retaliate, they'll be hit much harder. And if they do it again, they'll be no longer,” the president told Fox News. Asked whether he's still interested in a deal with Iran, the president said, “I think an agreement with them isn’t worth the paper it’s written on. We gave them a lot of chances.”