Tehran targets Bahrain and Kuwait after US strikes

World Tehran targets Bahrain and Kuwait after US strikes July 8, 20261:36 AM ET By  The Associated Press An Iraqi Shiite soldier chants on the eve of funeral ceremonies for the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei outside the Imam Ali Shrine in Najaf, Iraq, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. Hadi Mizban/AP hide caption toggle caption Hadi Mizban/AP DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The U.S. military attacked Iran early Wednesday after it said Tehran struck three ships in the Strait of Hormuz, part of an American effort that also revoked the Islamic Republic's ability to openly sell crude oil in the world market. Iran retaliated with strikes targeting Bahrain and Kuwait. Middle East conflict Huge crowds of mourners join a funeral procession for Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei The regional crossfire raised the risks that an interim agreement to halt fighting in the war could break down, putting the Middle East again at risk of a wider conflict. The attacks on shipping and the resulting strikes came during the dayslong funeral for Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed Feb. 28 in the war's first moments at age 86. The funeral, which ends Thursday, had been thought to be a period of lower tensions — though mourners have repeatedly called for the killings of U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Sponsor Message Negotiations to reach a final deal had been due to start after Khamenei's burial and focus on the toughest matters, including fully reopening the strait and rolling back Tehran's disputed nuclear program. But the new attacks threw that into question. "The era of bullying and extortion is over," Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf wrote on X. "It leads nowhere. We don't fold." Overnight US strikes target Iran The U.S. military's Central Command said American forces launched the strikes "to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an in...