War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

Amid US-Iran escalation in the Middle East, which has sparked Iranian attacks on Gulf countries, Iran’s FM Abbas Araghchi expressed his condolences over the death of Qatar’s former emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.

“With profound sadness and sorrow, we mourn the passing of His Highness the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani,” he wrote on X.

Conveying Iran’s “deepest condolences”, he said, “May God have mercy on the deceased, and grant everyone patience and solace.”

Overnight US strikes on Iran killed one soldier, Iranian media has reported after fighting resumed between the foes, according to AFP.

“Lieutenant Hamidreza Dehghani, of the navy of the Islamic republic’s armed forces, was martyred during the criminal, terrorist attack last night by the United States on the port of Jask” in southern Iran, the Mehr and Tasnim news agencies have said, citing a local official.

Bahrain’s military says Iran has continued its “heinous missile and drone attacks targeting civilians”, adding that air defence systems intercepted the attacks, Al Jazeera reports.

A written statement shared on social media platforms says: “The armed forces, with all their forces and units, are at the highest level of readiness and ready to fulfill their defence duties in order to protect the country.”

The statement calls on the Bahraini people to be “vigilant”, adding that Iran “continues its systematic aggressive stance” with its missile and drone attacks targeting civilians in Bahrain.

It also states that the use of missiles and drones to target civilians and private property is “a clear violation of international humanitarian law”.

An adviser to Iran’s supreme leader says that the Strait of Hormuz is more important than “dozens of atomic bombs”, vowing to protect the vital waterway, AFP reports.

“This strategic passage is more important than dozens of atomic bombs, and the Islamic Republic of Iran will protect it,” Mohsen Rezaee has said, according to ISNA news agency.

Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf bin Saeed Ahmad Al-Malkiy and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar have exchanged views on the latest regional developments, Foreign Office says in a post on X.

They have “underscored the need to strengthen collective efforts aimed at promoting dialogue and diplomacy”.

Jordan has described Iranian attacks on its Gulf neighbours as a “blatant violation of their sovereignty, a threat to their security, stability, and territorial integrity, a dangerous escalation, and a flagrant breach of international law and the Charter of the United Nations”, Al Jazeera reports.

Qatar has urged all vessel owners to “temporarily suspend navigation and marine activities” until further notice, Al Jazeera reports.

The Transport Ministry says the move was taken in the interest of public safety and includes recreational boats, fishing vessels and jet skis.

Qatar has strongly condemned Iran’s attacks on its territories, as well as in the region, Al Jazeera reports.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirms that the continuation of these aggressions represents a dangerous escalation that will complicate efforts aimed at containing tensions, undermine political and diplomatic endeavors aimed at achieving security and stability in the region, and holds the Islamic Republic of Iran fully legally responsible for these aggressions and all their repercussions and consequences,” the country’s foreign ministry has said in a statement.

Doha has characterised the attacks as a “flagrant violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity” and a “blatant breach of international law”.

The ministry has stated it has a right to respond, while urging for complete cessation of military aggression in the region.

The maritime security threat level in the Strait of Hormuz remains at the highest degree of danger, classified as “severe”, says the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).

“Despite the July 12, 2026 Iranian proclamation that the [Strait of Hormuz] is closed, the southern route remains available and has now been expanded to accommodate two-way traffic,” it has said.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has condemned Iran’s attacks on Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar, Al Jazeera reports.

“We reiterate our full solidarity with our brothers in these countries, and our unwavering support for them,” he has said in a statement carried by the National News Agency.

Saudi Arabia is the latest Middle Eastern nation to condemn the Iranian attacks throughout the region, Al Jazeera reports.

The Foreign Ministry has denounced Iran’s “violation of the principles of international law, the Charter of the United Nations, the Charter of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and the rules of good neighbourliness, through repeated Iranian attacks on commercial vessels that threaten the security and freedom of navigation”.

The United Arab Emirates says “monitoring and tracking systems are operating with high efficiency around the clock at the highest levels of readiness” after Iran launched strikes throughout the Middle East, Al Jazeera reports.

The Defence Ministry said on X “missile threats detected this morning were outside the country’s borders”.

The Omani government has condemned an attack on its territory, according to state media, with Iran’s Guards saying they targeted it during a barrage aimed at countries across the Gulf, AFP reports.

The Oman News Agency has said on X that “the Sultanate of Oman affirms its condemnation and denunciation of this attack”, which came just hours after the country hosted Iran’s foreign minister to address security issues in the Strait of Hormuz.

A communications tower in southern Iran has been targeted in the latest wave of US attacks, Al Jazeera reports.

The tower was located in the southern highlands of the Kerman province, Iranian news website Entekhab has reported, citing local officials.

Local official Rahman Jalali was quoted as saying two people were injured in the attack and transported to a hospital by helicopter.

Iran’s Brigadier General Mohammad Akraminia has told state television that Washington was trying to impose an unauthorised shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz, contrary to the Islamabad MoU that assigns control of transit arrangements to Iran, Mehr News Agency reports.

“We are standing behind this with full authority and will firmly defend the rights of the Iranian people as stipulated in the agreement.”

Akraminia has said the army never trusted the Americans and had used the ceasefire to boost readiness and combat capability.

He has said the US should consider its regional allies and not expose them to further insecurity, warning that “whenever they have taken action against Iran, they have received their response, and the same happened last night”.

Kuwait has denounced “heinous Iranian attacks” that targeted the Gulf country, Al Jazeera reports.

“The continuation of these attacks constitutes a highly dangerous escalation that will exacerbate tension and instability in the region, threaten regional peace and security, and undermine diplomatic efforts aimed at de-escalation and resolving crises by peaceful means,” the Foreign Ministry has said in a statement.

Kuwait “reserves all its rights to take whatever measures are necessary to protect its security and preserve its sovereignty in accordance with the provisions of international law and the United Nations Charter”, it has added.

Talks between Iran and Oman that took place in Muscat on Saturday were about arrangements for managing shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman says, as reported by Al Jazeera.

Esmaeil Baqaei has said in a statement quoted by Iranian state media that the talks were attended by legal and technical delegations from the two countries.

The statement adds that the governments exchanged views on ensuring security and safety in the Strait of Hormuz in compliance with the sovereign rights of the two countries and in line with international law and the MoU between the US and Iran.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran emphasises that the future arrangements for managing traffic in the Strait of Hormuz should be made in consultation between the two coastal countries and considering the developments of the past few months, especially the imposed war between the US and the Zionist regime and its security consequences for shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” the statement says.

A delegation from Qatar was present during Saturday’s discussions between Iran and Oman on the Strait of Hormuz in Muscat, according to Tehran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Al Jazeera reports.

Qatar joined the talks “as one of the countries in the region that has also acted as a mediator in the US-Iran negotiations in recent months”, Baghaei has said in remarks quoted by Iranian media.

He said earlier that the talks between Tehran and Muscat covered arrangements for managing traffic and shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesman for Iran’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee in Parliament, says in a post on X: “We have taken control of the Strait of Hormuz with power, and we will preserve it with power as well.”

Iranian security officials have told the IRIB news agency US forces attacked a military installation on the outskirts of Yasuj, in southwestern Kohgiluyeh Boyer-Ahmad province, Al Jazeera reports.

Jordan’s army has said that three Iranian missiles fell on the kingdom’s territory at dawn amid renewed hostilities between Iran and the United States, reports AFP.

“Three missiles fired from Iranian territory fell at dawn in several locations across the kingdom, without causing any casualties. The damage is limited to minor material losses,” said a military source quoted in an army statement.

India says that 11 of its nationals were on a vessel that was struck in waters east of Oman, as Iran and United States traded fresh fire, reports AFP.

“Of the 11 Indian nationals on board, 10 have been rescued so far, while one Indian national is reportedly missing,” New Delhi’s foreign ministry said in a statement.