US vice president hints at quick Iran disengagement

Iran-backed Houthis enter war with missile strike against Israel US air base in Saudi Arabia attacked Kuwait airpor

WASHINGTON:

As the US-Israeli war on Iran enters its second month, US Vice President JD Vance offered assurances that the US has no plans to stay in Iran for an extended period following its military operations.

Speaking to independent journalist Ben Johnson on Friday, Vance stressed that American military involvement is limited and temporary. He emphasized that the US will complete its objectives quickly and withdraw.

"The president has been very clear about this, (that) we're not interested in being in Iran a year down the road, or two years down the road," Vance said.

He added that the US is simply taking care of business and will leave the country soon.

"We're going to be out of there soon, and gas prices are going to come back down," he pledged.

Vance conceded that petrol prices had increased as a result of the conflict, but said they would come down soon.

"This is a very, very temporary reaction to what is ultimately going to be a short-term conflict."

Houthis launch attacks at Israel

Yemen's Houthis have claimed responsibility for their first missile attack on Israel since the US-Israel war on Iran began.

Brigadier-General Yahya Saree, military spokesman for the Houthis, issued the claim in a statement aired on Saturday by the Al-Masirah satellite television, according to Al Jazeera.

Earlier, the force had said that their "fingers were on the trigger" for direct military intervention if attacks on Iran and its proxies continued.

The Israeli military said it intercepted the missile near Beer Sheba, in southern occupied Palestine, as sirens went off in the area and the area near the Israeli's main nuclear research centre for the third time overnight Friday into Saturday. No injuries have been reported, according to Al Jazeera.

US air base in Saudi Arabia attacked

Around 10 US service members were injured in an Iranian attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, according to a US official speaking to CNN.

At least two of the injured had shrapnel wounds considered non-life-threatening, and others were "impacted," though the nature of what happened to them was not immediately clear, another US official said.

A refuelling aircraft was also damaged, the first source said.

IRGC

Earlier, a spokesperson for IRGC's Khatam al-Anbiya headquarters said Iranian forces targeted a US military support vessel "at a considerable distance from the port of Salalah in Oman".

In a statement carried by the semiofficial Tasnim news agency, it added: "As we previously announced, the national sovereignty of the brotherly and friendly country of Oman is respected by the Islamic Republic of Iran."

If regional countries desire security they must not aid Iran's attackers: Pezeshkian

According to Al Jazeera, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a group of Iran?backed armed factions, attacked "several" air bases and an airport in Jordan, according to the Iraqi news outlet Sabereen.

The attack comes as Israel said it was attacking Tehran and "defending" against missiles fired from Iran on Saturday.

A month after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran, the war has spread across the Middle East, killing thousands of civilians, mostly in Iran and Lebanon, and causing the biggest disruption ever to energy supplies, hitting the global economy and fuelling inflation fears.

Additionally, Kuwait International Airport was targeted by multiple drone attacks that caused significant damage to its radar system but resulted in no casualties, state news agency KUNA said on Saturday, citing the country's Civil Aviation Authority.

Separately, a worker was injured in a drone attack on Oman's Salalah port while a crane suffered limited damage, Oman's government said on Saturday, according to Reuters.

In an Israeli strike on Isfahan in central Iran on Friday, 26 people were killed, including seven children and seven women, according to Press TV.

According to Al Arabiya, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi have discussed the possibility of a diplomatic settlement in the Iran war, according to Lavrov's ministry.

Kuwait airport

Kuwait International Airport was targeted by multiple drone attacks on Saturday that caused significant damage to its radar system but resulted in no casualties, state news agency KUNA reported, citing the country's Civil Aviation Authority.

The authority's spokesperson later said the attacks were carried out by Iran, its proxies and the armed factions it supports.

Kuwait's fire department, meanwhile, said a fire that broke out in fuel tanks at the airport on Wednesday following a previous drone attack had been extinguished after operations lasting 58 consecutive hours, KUNA reported on Saturday.

USS George HW Bush

The USS George HW Bush carrier strike group has departed Norfolk, Virginia, and is heading to the Middle East amid the ongoing US-Israeli war with Iran, a move that could raise the number of US carriers in the region to three, ABC News reported on Saturday, citing US officials.

The USS?Gerald?R?Ford and USS?Abraham?Lincoln carrier strike groups remain deployed in support of US operations in the Middle East, according to the broadcaster.

The USS Gerald R Ford and USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike groups are currently deployed in support of operations in the Middle East. However, the Ford is presently in Crete, undergoing repairs after a recent onboard fire.

USS George HW Bush is a Nimitz-class aircraft can hold 50 to 75 aircraft, including fighter jets, helicopters and surveillance planes with a maximum speed of 30+knots.

The carrier also holds advanced radar and electronic warfare systems. Built by Northrop Grumman, it has been active in service for 20 years.

(With additional input from News Desk)