Iran rejects Trump's ultimatum, attacks Israel, Kuwait
An Iranian drone attack had also caused "significant" damage to a government building in Kuwait City.
An Iranian drone attack had also caused "significant" damage to a government building in Kuwait City.
An Iranian drone attack had also caused "significant" damage to a government building in Kuwait City.
Iran's central military command on Saturday rejected US President Donald Trump's threat to destroy the country's vital infrastructure if it does not accept a peace deal within 48 hours. General Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi, in a statement from the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said Trump's threat was a "a helpless, nervous, unbalanced and stupid action".
And, echoing the religious language of Trump's social media post, he warned that "the simple meaning of this message is that the gates of hell will open for you".
Ignoring Trumps’s threats, Iran launched missiles and drones at Israel and Kuwait in the wee hours of Sunday. Kuwait and Israel said their air defences were responding to the latest attacks from Iran, part of the war that erupted more than a month ago with US-Israeli strikes that triggered retaliation by Tehran.
An Iranian drone attack had also caused "significant" damage to a government building in Kuwait City on Saturday evening, a finance ministry statement said, adding there were no reports of deaths or injuries. Staff from the several ministries housed in the complex would work remotely on Sunday and visits would be suspended, the statement said.
Gulf states, including Kuwait, have been targeted by Iran in retaliation for attacks launched by the United States and Israel on February 28 that have spread into a wider regional war.
The war has spread conflict throughout the Middle East and convulsed the global economy. Iran's forces maintain a tight grip on the Strait of Hormuz shipping lane -- a vital conduit for oil and gas -- and strike economic targets in Gulf neighbours they see as linked to the US-Israeli war effort.
The economic strikes are also going the other way. An Israeli or US strike on a petrochemical hub in the southwest of Iran killed five people on Saturday, according to the deputy governor of Khuzestan province.
Meanwhile, two family members of slain Iranian general Qassem Soleimani have been arrested in the United States after their residency permits were rescinded, the US State Department said Saturday.
"Last night, the niece and grand niece of deceased Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Major General Qassem Soleimani were arrested by federal agents following Secretary of State Marco Rubio's termination of their lawful permanent resident (LPR) status," a department statement said. It identified the niece as Hamideh Soleimani Afshar. Her daughter was not named.
Both "are now in the custody of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)," the statement said, without specifying their whereabouts. But Iranian media quoted two daughters of Soleimani as saying the pair are not relatives.
"The US State Department's claim is a lie: the people arrested in the United States have no connection to the family," Zeinab Soleimani told the Fars news agency.
Another daughter, Narjes Soleimani, who is a member of Tehran's Islamic City Council, told Iranian state TV: "To this day, no member of the family nor any relative of Martyr Soleimani has resided in the United States."
Qassem Soleimani, who led the IRGC's foreign operations arm, was killed in a US drone strike while he was in the Iraqi capital Baghdad in January 2020 -- the final year of President Donald Trump's first term in the White House.
Israelis call for ending Iran war
Carrying anti-war banners and chanting slogans against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, hundreds of Israelis rallied in Tel Aviv on Saturday to protest the war with Iran. Demonstrators gathered in a central square, holding signs that read: "Don't bomb — talk! End the endless war!" despite restrictions on mass gatherings imposed during the conflict with Iran.
"Police are trying to silence our voice," Alon-Lee Green, the co-director of Israeli-Palestinian grassroots group Standing Together, told AFP.
"We are here to demand an end to the war in Iran, the war in Lebanon, and the war in Gaza which is still going on, as well as an end to the pogroms in the West Bank.
"In Israel, there's always a war. So, if we're not allowed to demonstrate, we will never be allowed to speak," he added.
Another daughter, Narjes Soleimani, who is a member of Tehran's Islamic City Council, told Iranian state TV: "To this day, no member of the family nor any relative of Martyr Soleimani has resided in the United States."
'Don't bomb': Israelis call for ending Iran war
Carrying anti-war banners and chanting slogans against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, hundreds of Israelis rallied in Tel Aviv on Saturday to protest the war with Iran.Demonstrators gathered in a central square, holding signs that read: "Don't bomb — talk! End the endless war!" despite restrictions on mass gatherings imposed during the conflict with Iran.
"Police are trying to silence our voice," Alon-Lee Green, the co-director of Israeli-Palestinian grassroots group Standing Together, told AFP.
"We are here to demand an end to the war in Iran, the war in Lebanon, and the war in Gaza which is still going on, as well as an end to the pogroms in the West Bank.
"In Israel, there's always a war. So, if we're not allowed to demonstrate, we will never be allowed to speak," he added.
In a video statement released on Saturday evening, Netanyahu vowed to press ahead with the military campaign against Iran.
Since February 28, the United States and Israel have conducted joint strikes on Iran, prompting the Islamic Republic to retaliate with daily missile barrages targeting Israel and several neighbouring countries across the region.