Dubai: US President Donald Trump told reporters Tuesday that the responsibility for keeping the Strait of Hormuz open should belong with countries that rely on it, rather than the US. He said there’s “no reason for us to do this.”
Trump expressed frustration earlier Tuesday with allies who have been unwilling to do more to support the US war effort, telling them to “go get your own oil.” Trump recently has vacillated between insisting there is progress in diplomatic talks with Iran and threatening to widen the war.
US gas prices jumped past an average of USD 4 a gallon for the first time since 2022 on Tuesday, as the Iran war continues to push fuel prices higher worldwide. Analysts say those high fuel costs will trickle into groceries as businesses’ transportation and packaging costs pile up.
Israel and the US launched a new wave of strikes on Iran, hitting Tehran early Tuesday. Iran has been launching fewer missiles than at the start of the war, but it continues to deploy more low-flying drones that are harder to intercept. The conflict has killed more than 3,000 people in the region, and millions have been displaced in Lebanon and Iran.
In Iraq, a US journalist has been kidnapped, two officials in the country said Tuesday. It’s not clear if her kidnapping was related to the war.
Iranian drone attack starts fire at Kuwait International Airport
A drone attack by Iran and its allies hit a fuel tank at Kuwait International Airport, sparking a fire, authorities said.
The state-run KUNA news agency said the attack early Wednesday sparked a “large fire” at the airport.
It said there were no immediate injuries from the attack and firefighters were working to control the blaze.
Kuwait International Airport has been attacked before by Iran during the war. The KUNA report suggested the attack may have been launched by Iranian-supported militias in Iraq with Tehran’s support.
In another strike, Bahrain said early on Wednesday morning that it was working to extinguish a fire at a business facility that resulted from an Iranian attack.
Israel strikes factory in Iran it supplies fentanyl for chemical weapons
Israel said early Wednesday it struck a plant supplying Iran’s theocracy with fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, to allegedly use in a chemical weapons program. Iran acknowledged the strike on Tofigh Daru factory, but insisted it only supplied “hospital drugs” used in medical operations.
The strike happened Tuesday, both the Israelis and the Iranians said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted a picture of the factory in Tehran, writing on X: “The war criminals in Israel are now openly and unashamedly bombing pharmaceutical companies.”
Hospitals extensively use fentanyl to treat severe pain. But a small amount of the drug can be fatal.
Both Israel and the United States have warned in recent years Iran was experimenting with fentanyl in munitions. The US previously pointed to Iranian academic research studying how Russia likely used a fentanyl derivative during the 2002 Moscow theatre hostage seizure by Chechen militants.
Israel alleged Tofigh Daru supplied fentanyl to an advanced research institute in Tehran, known by its acronym SPND. The US alleges SPND has conducted research and testing that could apply to the development of nuclear explosive devices and other weapons.
Major airlines in UAE say country is barring Iranian travellers
The United Arab Emirates has barred Iranians from entering or transiting the country as the war rages, three major airlines said Wednesday.
Long-haul carriers Emirates and Etihad, as well as the lower-cost airline FlyDubai, made the announcements on their websites.
Entry rules can sometimes be opaque in the autocratic United Arab Emirates, a federation of seven sheikhdoms; the three airlines agreed on the order. It said holders of 10-year Golden Visa residency permits could still enter the country.
Authorities have offered no official comment. But Dubai has already shut down the city-state’s Iranian Hospital and Iranian Club, institutions that date back to the time of the shah.
Tanker attacked off Qatar
A tanker came under attack off the coast of Qatar early Wednesday, authorities said.
The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre announced the attack had happened, saying a projectile had slammed into the side of the ship.
It said no environmental damage was done and the tanker’s crew was safe.
On Tuesday, a fully loaded Kuwaiti oil tanker came under attack off Dubai. Over 20 ships across the Persian Gulf have been attacked by Iran since the war began.
Saudi Arabia says it recently intercepted 2 drones
Early on Wednesday morning, Saudi Arabia said it had intercepted and destroyed two drones in the previous hours.
A Gulf ally of the United States, the country has been targeted by Iran repeatedly. This week, more than two dozen American service members were injured from missile and drone attacks on a Saudi air base.
