War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

The Israeli military said one of its soldiers was moderately injured during a “close-quarters encounter” with Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon overnight, despite a ceasefire, reports AFP.

“Overnight (Saturday), an IDF officer was moderately injured during operational activity in southern Lebanon,” the military said in a statement, specifying to AFP that the soldier was “injured during a close-quarters encounter with terrorists” in the area.

The US Embassy in Amman has shared a security alert urging US citizens in the Middle East to be on heightened alert, saying the situation in the region is “fluid” and Iran’s government is “unpredictable”, Al Jazeera reports.

In its alert, the US embassy said US citizens in the region should “exercise caution and heightened vigilance” while preparing for potential “flight cancellations” and “periodic airspace closures”.

The embassy said Iran’s government is “unpredictable, as seen by its recent decisions to attack areas in the region without warning or provocations as well as to expand attacks to areas not previously targeted (such as Egypt)”.

“Americans should remain vigilant, as merely because US interests or businesses have not been attacked in a country in the past does not ensure their safety,” the embassy added.

Kuwait’s foreign ministry has condemned Iran’s “continued aggression” against it after a drone attack earlier today targeted “vital installations”, Al Jazeera reports.

The ministry said Iran’s attacks are a “flagrant violation” of Kuwait’s sovereignty and reveal a “determination to persist in a hostile approach”.

It said Kuwait reserves the right to “take all necessary measures” to protect its security, interests and resources.

Under a blazing sun, clad in black and clutching portraits of their slain leader Ali Khamenei, Iranian pilgrims streamed across the border into Iraq to observe the Arbaeen, the most revered event for Shias, AFP reports.

Some stamped on a portrait of US President Donald Trump, others raised their fists or flashed victory signs, as fresh strikes rattled the region, drawing Iraq back into the Middle East war.

Amir, a 55-year-old pick-up driver, has been attending the Arbaeen ceremonies in Iraq for years, but said that this time is different.

“The difference is that we are at war. Now, the United States is attacking us… yet this crowd that you see has left everything behind” to attend, the father-of-three added, at Iraq’s al-Zurbatiyah border crossing.

“There is anxiety and fear,” Amir said, complaining that the Iranian economy is suffering. “We are standing against them, and we will resist, even if we have to survive on dry bread.”

Pilgrim Fatemeh Moradi, 52, has been to the Arbaeen at least five times before, but said that this year is for “our martyred leader, on his behalf and on the behalf of all the martyrs”.

Indian Oil Corp, the country’s top refiner, has sharply raised oil purchases from the spot markets to make up for the loss of Middle Eastern supplies, its head of finance Anuj Jain said at an analyst meeting following the June quarter earnings, Reuters reports.

“Our spot volume jumped from 50pc to almost 84pc, and the situation is very very dynamic…we keep track of the development on a day-to-day basis and try to optimise our crude sourcing,” Jain said.

Indian refiners have switched to spot purchases due to supply disruption from the Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea, after the US-Iran war began in late February.

The company relies heavily on spot purchases of Russian oil for processing at its refineries.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) has said it received reports of two maritime incidents off Oman, including one in which a tanker was struck by an unknown projectile, Reuters reports.

In the first incident, a tanker was struck by an unknown projectile about 11 nautical miles northeast of Oman’s Lima, damaging its engine room and leaving the vessel not under command, UKMTO said. There were no reported casualties nor environmental impact, it added.

Later, UKMTO said it had received a second report of an incident, 21 nautical miles northeast of Oman’s Khasab. The master of a tanker reported seeing a large splash and an explosion in close proximity to the vessel, though no damage was reported.

Lima and Khasab are on Oman’s Musandam Peninsula at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic shipping chokepoint through which about a fifth of global oil consumption passes.

Kuwait’s military says it has “intercepted and destroyed” hostile drones that entered the country’s territory, after earlier reporting activating its air defences due to “Iranian aggression”, Al Jazeera reports.

A government facility in ⁠northern Kuwait and ⁠civilian property belonging to a company ⁠on Bubiyan Island ⁠were hit, ⁠it said, adding that falling shrapnel caused material ‌damage but no casualties.

Iran’s military has accused the United States of “escalating tensions” in the Middle East and warned countries in the region against cooperating with Washington during the ongoing conflict, AFP reports.

“The United States is rapidly moving down the path of escalating tensions in the region,” said Ali Abdollahi, head of Iran’s military central command.

“Any country serving as a defensive shield for criminal and aggressive America will be engulfed by the flames of war.”

Iranian parliament speaker and top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf says Iran has won the war, but it must consolidate and cement this victory, Al Jazeera reports.

The nation must maintain hope for a bright future, he has added.

Ghalibaf has made the remarks at the Iranian Parliament Coordination Council, as reported by the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

He has emphasised that Iranian officials must first and foremost expand the executive authority and capacity of the supreme leader, noting that any efforts to build a strong Iran must begin at this point.

The EU’s maritime security operation in the Red Sea, European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) Aspides, has said a merchant vessel safely transited the sea under the protection of an Italian frigate, Al Jazeera reports.

Launched in February 2024, EUNAVFOR Aspides describes itself as an operation “to safeguard freedom of navigation in relation to the Red Sea crisis”.

It aims to “accompany vessels”, “ensure maritime situational awareness” and “protect vessels against multi-domain attacks” in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Gulf, according to the mission.

Kuwait’s army says its air defenses are currently intercepting attacks by Iranian drones amid heightened regional tensions, Anadolu Agency reports.

In a message on the occasion of Army Day, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun says the Lebanese army should be the country’s sole military force, Al Jazeera reports.

There should be “no legitimacy for any weapon outside the legitimacy of the state”, he said.

Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said the Yemeni group has forced eight Saudi oil tankers to change course, without providing a timeframe, Al Jazeera reports.

“The armed forces confirm that they are continuing the siege operation against the Saudi enemy and that the hand of the armed forces will reach its ships, God willing, wherever it is able to do so,” he added.

A tanker has been struck by an unknown projectile 11 nautical miles northeast of Limah, Oman, AlJazeera reports, citing the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).

The strike caused damage to the engine room, leaving the vessel not under command.

UKMTO said regional coast guard forces have been informed and authorities are investigating the incident.

No casualties or environmental impact have been reported, while vessels in the area are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity.

US Congressman Thomas Massie, a frequent critic of President Donald Trump’s foreign policy, is urging the administration to withdraw from the war on Iran, warning that delay risks weakening the nation’s political and military leverage, AlJazeera reports.

In a post on social media platform X, he said: “Iran is waiting to see at least three more cards before they fold or deal: US runs out of strategic petroleum reserves? Region runs out of anti-missile defense? Republicans run out of majority?”

“We should leave the table before any of those cards are played,” he added.

The United States and Israel are planning a bombing campaign against energy infrastructure targets in Iran, with strikes possible throughout the weekend, Reuters reports, citing CBS News.

Yemen’s Houthi-run maritime coordination body denied that it planned to impose fees on commercial ships transiting the Bab el-Mandeb strait, saying no such decision had been taken and that passage through the strategic waterway remained free, Reuters reports.

The Houthi-run Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center (HOCC) said its “safe transit service was a voluntary and cost-free service”.

“The HOCC categorically confirms that any individual or entity requesting the payment of money in exchange for transiting the Bab el-Mandeb strait does not represent the Republic of Yemen or HOCC in any capacity whatsoever,” it said in a statement.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has held a phone conversation with Ed Miliband, the British Foreign Secretary, “regarding bilateral issues and the latest regional and international developments”, the Fars news agency reports.

The US military says the Iranian government’s claim that the Strait of Hormuz is closed is “false”, Al Jazeera reports.

“The Strait of Hormuz remains open for commercial vessel transit. Iran does not control it. Thousands of ships have sailed through the international waterway over the past four months,” the US military’s Central Command says in a post on X.

Iraq has ordered that its air defences and intelligence activities be bolstered, a government spokesperson says after US-Saudi strikes on pro-Iran fighters accused of launching attacks in the region, AFP reports.

Spokesman Sabah al-Numan says that Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi “issued strict and immediate orders … to raise alertness and readiness to the maximum across all camps and bases, particularly at the official bases of the armed forces and the Hashed al-Shaabi”.

Rebuilding and modernising air defence capabilities is a “top priority”, Numan states, adding that this includes accelerating plans to equip and arm modern radar, early-detection and air defence systems.

Numan adds that Zaidi’s orders include strengthening intelligence activities “with the emphasis on restricting weapons to the state” and preventing any “individual irresponsible actions”.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun says that Israeli army detonations near the Unesco-listed Beaufort castle in southern Lebanon overnight are a “direct threat” to a recent framework deal agreed with Israel, AFP reports.

Aoun says the explosions “are an extremely dangerous escalation”, according to a statement from his office, adding that they “represent a direct threat to the process which was launched as part of the framework agreement”.

He notes that their timing ahead of another round of talks with Israel in Rome next week “sends negative messages”.

US President Donald Trump says that Iran will grow weaker, but notes that the American public needs to prepare for more strikes in the Middle East.

Asked about the status of talks, Trump says, “They always want to talk, but they break their word so often.

“I’m losing faith in them, because they do lie,” he adds. “The five missiles they shot, we knocked them down, but we were in the midst of a negotiation.”

Asked about how many more strikes it will take to completely degrade Iran, Trump responds, “Well, you never know. Most people would have given up by now.”

Asked about a proposal from the military to “go big” when striking Iran within the next fortnight, US President Donald Trump has replied in the affirmative.

“We’re going big, we’ve already gone big,” he tells reporters during a cabinet meeting, reiterating that Tehran’s military and leadership are “gone”.