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3. Fresh Explosions Heard in the Gulf As Larijani Announces Iran "Will Not Negotiate"

Fresh explosions were being heard in Doha, Bahrain, Dubai, and Manama on Monday, marking the third day of Iranian attacks in the Gulf. 

The round of explosions being heard across the region come as Iran’s top security official Ali Larijani said Tehran would not negotiate with the United States, hardening the country’s stance after U.S.-Israeli strikes killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

An AFP correspondent reported that smoke was rising from the U.S. embassy in Kuwait City. 

“We will not negotiate with the United States,” Larijani said in a post on X on Monday, dismissing media reports that Tehran had sought dialogue through intermediaries following the weekend attacks.

In a series of posts on X, Larijani blasted U.S. President Donald Trump, stating he plunged the Middle East into chaos with his "delusional fantasies" and turned "America First" into "Israel First," while sacrificing the lives of U.S. soldiers in the process. "Iran did not initiate aggression … Iran is defending itself," he concluded.

The fresh explosions heard in Doha, Bahrain, Dubai, and Manama come amid an unprecedented wave of Iranian missile and drone strikes across the Gulf region, part of Tehran’s retaliation for U.S.‑Israeli airstrikes that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior officials.

The strikes have rocked multiple Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, with explosions reported near U.S. military bases and major urban centers, triggering air defenses, sirens, and in some cases casualties and material damage. Gulf nations and Western allies have condemned the attacks.