US military carries out fresh strikes on Iran, prompting Iran attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Thursday criticised the US for failing to abide by a memorandum, describing Washington’s stance as “a continuation of its warmongering policies”.

According to Iranian media, in a statement, Iran’s foreign ministry said Araghchi criticised “the rhetoric of US officials and their acknowledgement that they were not abiding by the memorandum,” without elaborating.

Speaking at a NATO summit in Turkey on Wednesday, Trump referred to Iran’s leadership in negotiations as “scum” and “sick people”. He also said the memorandum of understanding, or interim deal, between Washington and Tehran was “over”.

The US military said on Wednesday that its latest strikes were aimed at keeping the Strait of Hormuz open after Iranian forces allegedly struck three tankers in the area.

Araghchi further warned against any adventurism by the US military and stressed Iran’s firm resolve to defend its sovereignty, territorial integrity and national security.

IRGC targets US command centre, Jordanian airbase with 10 ballistic missiles

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Thursday it launched a missile strike targeting the US command-and-control centre in West Asia and the Al-Azraq Air Base in Jordan.

In a statement carried by Fars News Agency, the IRGC said its Aerospace Force fired 10 ballistic missiles targeting the two sites, claiming the attack “destroyed” the two facilities.

“If the aggression of the US terrorist army is repeated, other US bases in the region will not be spared from our heavy fire,” it warned.

Jordan earlier said that its air defences intercepted and downed eight missiles launched from Iran toward the kingdom.

Iran calls US attacks on civilian infrastructure ‘a gross war crime’

The Iranian Foreign Ministry on Thursday condemned the US attacks on several areas in the southern coastal provinces and two bridges in the eastern provinces along the railway route to Mashhad, and, as per IRNA, described them as flagrant war crimes and a violation of the UN Charter and the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

In a statement issued on Thursday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the US attacks against Iran “criminal” and stated that they were “carried out under the false pretext of responding to alleged incidents involving a few vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday”, as per IRNA.

According to IRNA, the Ministry stated that the attacks constituted a clear violation of Article 2, Paragraph 4 of the UN Charter, and also represented a breach of Paragraphs 1 and 5 of the MoU on the Cessation of Hostilities.

Jordan intercepts 8 Iranian missiles; no casualties

Jordan intercepted eight Iranian missiles in its airspace after sirens sounded across the country, according to the armed forces, according to Al Jazeera.

Falling shrapnel did not cause any casualties or material damage, it added.

Blasts heard in Iran’s southern Bandar Abbas

Iran’s Mehr news agency reports more explosions have been heard in Bandar Abbas, an Iranian port city on the Strait of Hormuz, according to Al Jazeera.

The United States launched new air strikes against Iran and Tehran responded by targeting US-allied Middle East countries in an exchange of fire that threatens an interim deal intended to help end the war.

The strikes came hours after President Trump said recent Iranian attacks on ships in Hormuz signaled the end of a fragile ceasefire and he threatened to escalate the conflict if they didn’t stop.

Several explosions heard in Iran’s Bushehr

Several explosions were heard on Thursday in the city of Chaghadeh in Iran’s southern Bushehr province, according to the semi-official Fars News Agency.

Fars said residents reported hearing several explosions, but authorities had not yet released official information on the exact locations or causes of the blasts.

The agency said residents in other parts of Bushehr province had also reported hearing explosions earlier in the day.

According to Fars, the reported blasts came after US forces targeted locations in Bushehr province on Thursday morning.

The reported explosions came amid heightened military exchanges between Tehran and Washington for the second consecutive day following US strikes on multiple Iranian military and infrastructure targets.

US strikes on 5 Iranian provinces kill 14, injure 78: Iranian health ministry

US strikes on five Iranian provinces over the past two days killed at least 14 people and injured 78 others, the Iranian Health Ministry said Thursday.

“The United States targeted five provinces of Iran with attacks on July 8 and 9,” Hossein Kermanpour, head of the ministry’s Public Relations and Information Centre, wrote in a post on the US social media company X.

He said the strikes had so far resulted in 14 deaths and 78 injuries.

According to the ministry, 47 of the injured remain hospitalised, while the remaining victims have been discharged after receiving medical treatment.

Three of the victims were killed in a strike near the southwestern city of Ahvaz, according to Iran’s state news agency IRNA, which cited Valiollah Hayati, Khuzestan province’s deputy governor for security affairs.

The latest casualty figures come amid renewed hostilities between the US and Iran following the collapse of a fragile ceasefire reached last month.

Iran rejects US justification for deadly attacks

Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned dozens of US attacks, including on two railway bridges, calling Washington’s claim they were in response to attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz a “false pretext”, as per Al Jazeera.

The US attacks, which resulted in at least 14 deaths and dozens of wounded, including among the armed forces, violated the UN Charter as well as the ceasefire agreement, the ministry said.

Sirens sound again across Bahrain amid possible strikes

Bahrain activated air raid sirens for the third time on Thursday amid possible Iranian aerial attacks, the Interior Ministry said.

In a statement, the ministry urged citizens and residents to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place.

Earlier Thursday, the Bahrain Defense Force said its air defense systems intercepted and destroyed several Iranian aerial threats.

The latest alert comes amid escalating military exchanges between Iran and the US for the second consecutive day.

At least 6,000 seafarers trapped around Strait of Hormuz

The head of the International Maritime Organisation said about 6,000 sailors remain trapped around the Strait of Hormuz as hostilities between the US and Iran continue, according to Al Jazeera.

“These reckless attacks have again placed innocent seafarers in grave danger. No seafarer should have to risk their life simply for doing their job,” Arsenio Dominguez was quoted by NBC News as saying.

“Behind the figures are seafarers, and in some cases their families, who continue to bear the human cost of this conflict.”

UK ambassador summoned in Iran over ‘baseless’ accusations

Iran summoned the UK ambassador in Tehran on Thursday to the Foreign Ministry in protest over what it called repeated “false and baseless accusations” by British officials against the Islamic Republic, Tasnim News Agency reported.

The ambassador was summoned by Alireza Yousefi, assistant foreign minister and director general for Western Europe at Iran’s Foreign Ministry, the agency said.

Yousefi handed the ambassador a written protest note rejecting British officials’ claims that Iran had sought to carry out security-related activities in the UK, according to the report.

“The accusations amount to projection and an attempt to avoid accountability for Britain’s destructive conduct in violation of international law,” Yousefi said.

He also accused the UK of complicity with the US and Israel in “heinous crimes” and of destabilising West Asia, Tasnim reported.

Traffic in Strait of Hormuz ‘grinds to a near halt’

Maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz ground to a near-halt following a second consecutive day of US strikes against Iran, according to Bloomberg News.

Al Jazeera stated that, citing ship tracking data, it said that among larger vessels, only a US-sanctioned supertanker was seen heading out of the Gulf alongside an Iranian-flagged container ship.

Some 14 cargo ships crossed the strait in both directions yesterday, it added, noting that the figure is the lowest since the US-Iran MoU on June 16.

An average of 34 ships transited the strait in the three weeks since the two nations agreed to the interim deal, it noted.

Explosions heard in Bahrain’s Manama as sirens activated

AFP reported in the Bahraini capital Manama heard explosions on Thursday as air-raid sirens were activated for a third time, hours after Iranian attacks in the night.

“The siren has been sounded… Citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place,” the interior ministry said in a post on X.

Iran claims drone strikes on Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar

Iran’s military said it carried out drone strikes targeting “US bases and strategic centres” in the Gulf.

The strikes targeted a Patriot missile system in Kuwait, an early warning satellite antenna site in Qatar, and fuel tanks belonging to the US military in Bahrain.

The Iranian military said it used “a large number of various types of drones” in the attacks.

It said Iran’s armed forces “will not allow the goals and aspirations of the foolish President of the United States to be realised under any circumstances and will defend the lofty ideals of the Islamic Revolution until final victory”.

Bahrain’s army says it thwarted several Iranian attacks

The Bahrain Defense Force (BDF) has said its air defence systems “confronted, intercepted and destroyed a number of treacherous Iranian aerial attacks” in the early morning hours, according to Al Jazeera.

The statement comes after Iran’s military claimed drone strikes targeting US bases in the Gulf, in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar.

Qatar condemns attacks on commercial vessels in Hormuz

Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani reaffirmed Doha’s support for efforts to contain the regional escalation and reach a comprehensive agreement during a phone call Thursday with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

According to Qatar’s Foreign Ministry, the two ministers reviewed the latest developments in the military escalation between the US and Iran over the past two days.

Sheikh Mohammed stressed Qatar’s support for initiatives aimed at containing the crisis and achieving a comprehensive agreement that would strengthen regional security and stability and pave the way for lasting peace.

He also expressed Qatar’s condemnation and rejection of attacks targeting commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, saying such actions undermine confidence, threaten the security of international maritime navigation and jeopardise efforts to reinforce regional stability.

The Qatari premier underscored the importance of all parties adhering to dialogue and diplomacy and implementing the provisions agreed upon under the memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran to preserve regional security and safeguard the progress achieved through recent de-escalation efforts.

French FM blames Iran for US attacks

France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said that had brought new US attacks upon itself by violating a truce deal, AFP reported on Thursday.

“It was Iran that, by targeting ships sailing in Omani waters, violated its own commitments as well as international law,” Barrot said to TF1 television when asked about the latest US strikes.

“Iran violated the agreement reached with the United States” last month, Barrot added.

“This type of manoeuvre must absolutely stop so that these crucial negotiations can continue under the best possible conditions,” he said.

Iran condemns NATO chief’s ‘willful complicity’ in US-Israeli war

Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry, condemned NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte’s comments on the US-Israel war on Tehran, accusing European nations of active complicity in the conflict.

“Mark Rutte’s repeated admissions of Europe’s willful complicity in the US-Israeli war of aggression against Iran only confirms, once again, that they were not impartial in this brutal unlawful aggression,” Baghaei wrote on X.

“Those who provided their territories, military bases, and infrastructure to enable the aggression cannot evade responsibility for their contribution to an unprovoked aggression and its grave consequences,” he added.

Baghaei’s comments come after Rutte on Wednesday backed the US’s latest attacks on Iran, saying they were “absolutely necessary”.

Earlier, he had also said NATO countries had provided logistical support to the US during the war in March, saying 4,000 to 5,000 US planes had taken off from bases in Europe in the first six weeks of the war.

Trump says US bombing to ‘get much worse’ if Iran doesn’t halt attacks

US President Donald Trump warns that US bombing of Iran will increase significantly if Tehran continues to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz, AFP reported.

“This is in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!” the US president posted on social media over a picture of an apparent bombing of a site in Iran.

Trump reinforced that message when speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One, returning from a Nato summit in Turkiye.

“We just hit them very hard, and I say we hit them 20 to one. Every time they hit us, we’re going to hit them 20,” Trump told reporters.

“And we did it last night. They did a little something today, but it was really retribution for last night.”

US attacks hit bridges on roads leading to Mashhad: IRGC

The IRGC said its attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait were in retaliation for attacks on its southern coastal provinces and “two bridges in the eastern provinces towards the holy city of Mashhad”, the city where former Supreme Leader Khamenei will be buried.

The IRGC said the US attacks were aimed at overshadowing the “historic” funeral ceremony.

It also warned that if the US repeats its attacks, Iran’s “crushing responses would be expanded to include other American bases in the region”.

Earlier, the IRIB reported that US forces had fired seven missiles at the Aq Tekeh Khan Bridge outside the city of Aqqala, causing two explosions on a railway track.

US military carries out fresh strikes on Iran, prompting Iran attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain

The US military said on Wednesday it launched fresh strikes on Iran to keep the Strait of ‌Hormuz open to shipping, triggering Iranian attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain in the latest escalation to derail efforts to end the war.

The latest round of attacks, which the US said was carried out in response to Tuesday’s assault on three cargo ships transiting the strait, came hours after President Donald Trump said he believed an interim ceasefire with Iran to be “over.”

“US Central Command forces have started conducting additional strikes against Iran to further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,” CENTCOM, the US military’s Middle East ​command, wrote on X.

“The United States is holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews freely navigating a vital international waterway.”

The US strikes rattled several cities along Iran’s southern coast ​and left some areas without power. Iran responded with a second day of attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain, both home to US military bases.

“The US has yet to learn that bullying and breaking its commitments no longer come without a cost. Let me be clear: If you strike, you will be struck back,” Iran’s top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, wrote on X.

“The Strait of ​Hormuz will be reopened only under Iranian arrangements, not through US threats.”

The latest exchange of strikes appeared to dim hopes of turning a memorandum of understanding signed on June 17 into a permanent deal to end the war, which began with ​US-Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28.

Asked before a NATO summit in Turkey on Wednesday whether the memorandum of understanding was over, Trump said: “It’s a very interesting question. To me, I think it’s over. I don’t want to deal with them.”

Read: Iran deploys air defences after explosions heard in Bandar Abbas, Chabahar; US confirms new strikes

“If we ‌make a ⁠deal with Iran I’m not sure that will stick,” Trump later said. “I found them to be very dishonourable people.”

But Trump, who has repeatedly threatened to escalate military action before backing off, said he did not expect a return to full-fledged war, and that it was not clear whether the negotiations on reaching a permanent deal would continue.

Also on Wednesday, Trump said he did not think the war would restart: “Anything that happens is going to be over very quickly … and will only make it safer, including for oil.”

Wednesday’s attacks pushed oil prices higher, with Brent crude futures rising about 1% to $78.80 a barrel by 5:54am PKT. Even so, prices remained well below the late-April peak of more than $120 a barrel.

Major Iran port city hit by strikes

Iranian media reported strikes primarily along Iran’s ​southern coast, from the Strait of Hormuz to the ⁠Gulf of Oman.

Among the locations hit were Bandar Abbas, home to Iran’s largest port and key navy and Revolutionary Guards facilities on the Strait of Hormuz, as well as Konarak and Chabahar, neighbouring coastal cities near Iran’s border with Pakistan.

Electricity had been restored to most areas of Chabahar after strikes knocked out power for some in the ​city, Mehr news agency reported, citing the local utility. Media also reported that a maritime traffic control tower in Chabahar was hit.

A firefighter was killed in a ​strike on the airport in the ⁠southeastern city of Iranshahr, state media reported. In northern Iran, a US attack hit a railway bridge near the town of Aqqala, according to Press TV.

Prior to the US attacks on Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei had said US strikes had violated the memorandum by challenging a clause that “emphasizes the Islamic Republic of Iran’s responsibility in determining arrangements for the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz”.

A spokesperson for parliament’s National Security Commission had said options for ⁠retaliation included withdrawing ​from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), changing Iran’s nuclear doctrine, and closing the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait at the mouth of the Red Sea, another crucial ​global shipping route.

In a letter to the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday, Iran’s mission to the UN accused the United States of “blatant violation of the Charter of the United Nations and its international obligations” and said its attacks violated the memorandum of understanding signed by the ​two countries.