Kuwait says Iranian drones have heavily damaged a passenger terminal at its main, killing one person, wounding dozens and briefly closing the airfield. The reported strike Wednesday is the latest in back-and-forth attacks by Iran and the U.S. that test a fragile ceasefire. Iran denies damaging the airport. The U.S. military says Iran also fired missiles at Kuwait, but they fell apart en route. The U.S. also says it downed drones targeting American forces. The strike reinforced the risks to residents and travelers in Gulf countries that had considered themselves relative havens before the war, now in its fourth month.
By EDITH M. LEDERER and FARNOUSH AMIRI Associated Press
Russia and China have vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The resolution, sponsored by Bahrain, had been repeatedly watered down because of opposition from Russia and China. The vote took place just hours before an 8 p.m. Eastern time deadline set by U.S. President Donald Trump for Iran to open the strategic waterway or face attacks on its power plants and bridges. One-fifth of the world's oil typically passes through the strait, and Iran's stranglehold during the war has sent energy prices soaring.
Iran has pushed back against U.S. President Donald Trump's pressure tactics ahead of critical talks in Geneva over Tehran's nuclear program. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman dismissed Trump's remarks at the State of the Union as "big lies." Meanwhile, Iran's parliament speaker said on Wednesday that the U.S. could either engage in diplomacy or face the wrath of Iran if it attacks. America has assembled its biggest deployment of aircraft and warships into the Middle East in decades, part of Trump's efforts to get a deal while Iran struggles at home with growing dissent following nationwide protests last month.
