West Asia war LIVE: Iran attacks U.S. targets despite Trump threats
Iran has launched attacks on U.S. military bases across the Middle East in retaliation for recent U.S. strikes. The conflict has significantly disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, causing a decline in commodity vessel traffic.
Why it matters
The escalation of the Iran-U.S. conflict threatens global oil supply chains and regional stability in the Middle East.
Iran attacked U.S. military bases in Kuwait, despite President Donald Trump threatening further strikes in a fresh flare-up six months into the war.
Mr. Trump said his military was prepared to attack Iran “any time we want” after extensive U.S. bombardment of sites across the country left at least 19 Iranians dead.
Tehran retaliated by hitting U.S. military targets across the West Asia, including in Kuwait, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region.
The clashes deepen the ongoing impasse in the war, as Iran maintains a stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz oil export route and the U.S. presses its counter-blockade of Iranian ports.
Six commodity vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday (September 2, 2026), down from 11 a day earlier and well below the 10-day average of around 13, preliminary shipping data showed.
Also covering this story
12 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
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