New American raids.. and the Revolutionary Guards respond by bombing Kuwait and Jordan

The United States announced on Thursday (July 16) the launch of new strikes against Iran, which it said had responded with missile attacks on what it described as US military bases in Kuwait and Bahrain, while Jordan announced the downing of eight Iranian missiles.

 The US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed in a statement that its forces launched strikes targeting coastal defense sites and cruise missiles on Iran's Greater Tunb Island, during a 90-minute wave.

"At 3 p.m. EDT (19:00 GMT), U.S. forces launched operations as part of the second wave of strikes today against Iran," CENTCOM said in its statement.

"The strikes target Iran's military capabilities used to threaten ships that pass freely through the Strait of Hormuz, an international waterway vital to global trade," she said, stressing that the U.S. military is holding Iran accountable based on the directives of the commander-in-chief of the armed forces (President Donald Trump).

Iran reveals targets of attacks

On the other hand, the Iranian news agency IRNA reported that the Iranian army targeted "radar systems, a Patriot air defense system, and fuel storage facilities at Ali Al-Salem Air Base" in Kuwait, in addition to US military facilities at Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Thursday it had targeted bases used by the U.S. military in Jordan with ballistic missiles, in response to what it said was a U.S. attack near a pediatric cancer hospital in Iran.

The IRGC said in statements on its website that US forces "used air bases located in Jordan to target various areas of Iran, including the vicinity of a pediatric cancer hospital," and that its aerospace force responded by "launching two waves of missile strikes" on those bases in Jordan.

Jordan's official news agency Petra quoted  an unnamed Jordanian military official as saying that the air defense systems shot down on Thursday 8 Iranian ballistic missiles that were targeting the kingdom's territory, adding that the interception and downing operation "did not result in human casualties or material damage."

For its part, the Kuwaiti army announced in a statement on Thursday that air defenses repelled attacks launched by "enemy drones" following what it described as "Iran's sinful aggression."

"The sounds of explosions, if heard, are the result of air defence systems intercepting hostile attacks," he said.

Trump vows Iran 'very bad week'

The US president has issued a new ultimatum to the Iranians, giving them a choice between resuming negotiations, or "next week will be very bad," according to remarks he made on the Fox News channel, hinting at the possibility of bombing bridges and power plants.

During the previous blockade imposed in April in response to Tehran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran was unable to export "a single barrel of oil," according   to its chief negotiator, Shura Council Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, who said the process "played a decisive role in reaching the memorandum of understanding."

But Qalibaf said in a statement on Wednesday that "the memorandum of understanding acquires its meaning only when its provisions are in force and implemented, and if the Islamic Republic of Iran does not derive any benefit from this text,  we have no justification for adhering to such an understanding, based on the principle of 'eye for an eye' that I referred to earlier."

Araqji to Qatar

Iran's Foreign Ministry announced that Minister Abbas Araqchi will visit Qatar for talks with Qatari officials and offer condolences on the death of former Emir Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, noting that Qatar was the target of Sunday's attack despite being one of the mediators in the conflict.

Meanwhile, Ali Akbar Velayati, an adviser to the Iranian Supreme Leader, said on Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz belongs to his country and no power in the world can wrest it from its sovereignty.

"This strait has become part of Iranian sovereignty thanks to the courageous and wise guidance of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, as one of the great gains of the 40-day war," he added.

On Tuesday, Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi announced that complex discussions were underway to develop a long-term arrangement to ensure freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

The Omani Foreign Minister said that his country bears a responsibility to work with Iran and the international community to reach an arrangement that guarantees freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, considering that the most serious threats to the security of the Gulf do not come from within it, but from decisions and actions from outside, especially in Tel Aviv.