Iran strikes two U.S. bases, pledges more responding actions

Iran has launched missiles and drone strikes against two U.S. bases -- one in Kuwait and the other in the United Arab Emirates, and pledged more responding actions on Thursday.

According to a statement released by the Iranian military's public relations department on Thursday, the country's army used missiles and drones to target the U.S. Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base in Kuwait in the early morning hours. The base's communications systems and fighter jet hangars sustained damage, the statement said.

In addition, the Iranian military used missiles and drones to hit facilities, including radar systems, at the U.S. Al Minhad Air Base in the UAE, it said.

Iranian media reported on Thursday that six Iranian servicemen had been killed in U.S. strikes on southern Iran on Tuesday. Among the dead were three pilots affiliated with the air force and navy, the reports said.

Additionally, an Iranian Health Ministry spokesman announced on Thursday that between 20:30 on Sunday and 20:30 on Wednesday, a total of 18 people had been killed and 142 others injured in U.S. strikes on Iran.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance said Thursday that the U.S. will not talk to Iran unless Tehran stops shooting at commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

Vance also said the United States is probing a strike that Tehran says hit a wedding party in southern Iran.

The Iranian media reported Wednesday that the U.S. strike on Tuesday night hit a wedding party in Sirik County in Hormozgan Province, killing at least four people and injuring 68 others.

According to the reports, a U.S. missile struck a home where dozens of people had gathered for the wedding of a fisherman's daughter.

Iran strikes two U.S. bases, pledges more responding actions

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that a settlement to the Russia-Ukraine conflict still remains possible, stressing that progress depends on whether the two sides can reach a shared understanding.

Speaking at the plenary session of the four-day 11th Eastern Economic Forum, which opened on Tuesday in Vladivostok, Putin said the key to resolving the conflict lies in Russia and Ukraine finding common ground.

He also condemned attacks and hijackings involving civilian vessels and threats against civilian aircraft, describing such actions as "state terrorism". Putin claimed Ukraine's Western partners have remained silent on these incidents, adding that this is not conducive to advancing peace negotiation talks.

Addressing Russia-U.S. relations, Putin said relevant departments in both countries, including intelligence services, have maintained contacts, which he hopes could yield positive results.

Also on Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address that the United States has confirmed it will hold meetings in both Kiev and Moscow to move the negotiation process forward.

Zelensky said that Ukraine expects talks in Kiev to take place in the coming days and that the Ukrainian negotiation team is fully engaged in preparations, with an initial schedule already outlined.

Putin says chance remains for ending Russia-Ukraine conflict