War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

The US embassy in Amman has warned Americans to reconsider travelling to the Middle East to take extra precautions due to possible regional escalation.

In a statement on X, the embassy says “US diplomatic facilities, including outside the Middle East, have been targeted. Iran and groups supportive of Iran may target other US interests overseas or at locations associated with the United States and Americans throughout the world, including US businesses and other institutions.”

The statement warns citizens to expect flight cancellations, airspace closures and other travel disruptions. It also says US military bases in Jordan should be avoided and asks Americans to follow local government and embassy security guidance.

The US Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on four individuals and nine companies, according to an update on its website.

Iran’s foreign minister says Tehran will not be subservient to the US nor “tolerate the language of threats”, Al Jazeera reports.

Abbas Araghchi has spoken to reporters on the sidelines of a meeting of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Kyrgyzstan.

“Consultations with Russia and China are ongoing and continuous and we regularly consult with our friends in China and Russia whenever there is an opportunity,” he says in comments reported by Iran’s Tasnim news agency.

He adds that the problem with moving forward in peace talks is “the American approach”.

“Preserving Iran’s interests in the Strait of Hormuz is among our principles and we are committed to them,” he emphasises. “As long as the legitimate goals and demands of the Iranian people are not met, it is natural that we continue our efforts.”

In a statement carried by state-run IRNA, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has announced strikes against US military positions in Jordan and in Erbil, in Iraqi Kurdistan.

The IRGC adds that targets include personnel quarters, multiple fighter aircraft, a Patriot missile defence system, an intelligence-gathering balloon, and other facilities used by US personnel.

An Omani delegation has arrived in Iran to discuss a framework “to establish appropriate mechanisms for managing ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz”, Al Jazeera reports citing Iran’s Islamic Republic News Agency.

Tehran has maintained throughout the war that it is open to managing the critical waterway in coordination with Oman, the only other coastal country in the Strait of Hormuz. The US and Gulf countries have rejected such a setup.

The European Union says it has sanctioned five Iranian judges over alleged human rights violations, as well as a leading figure in a cyber group accused of helping the Iranian government suppress information, Al Jazeera reports.

The EU Council said it had sanctioned Nima Salehi, the Iranian founder of the Ashiyane cyber group, which it said cooperates closely with the EU-listed Cyber Police (FATA) and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The statement did not name the sanctioned judges.

“As Tehran intensifies its domestic crackdown, the EU will continue to hold those responsible to account,” the EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said on X.

The Kuwaiti military says its air defences are currently intercepting attacks by hostile drones, it says on X.

“The General Staff of the Army notes that any explosion sounds, if heard, are the result of air defence systems intercepting the hostile attacks,” it clarifies. “Everyone is requested to adhere to the security and safety instructions issued by the competent authorities.”

The United Nations chief is “deeply alarmed” after Yemen’s Houthi rebels struck oil tankers in the Red Sea, his spokesman says, as fears rise of a new front in the Middle East war, AFP reports.

“The attack on commercial vessels, claimed by the Houthis, risks further heightening regional tensions and widening the current cycle of escalation,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s spokesman said in a statement.

“Further hostilities in Yemen will undermine prospects for peace, and cause serious economic, humanitarian and environmental consequences across and beyond the region.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to Washington on Monday and will meet with US President Trump on Tuesday, Netanyahu’s office has said in a statement, Al Jazeera reports.

Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani has called on all parties to commit to dialogue and to implement the terms of the memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran, Al Jazeera reports citing the country’s foreign ministry.

This includes “ensuring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, to preserve regional security, safeguard the gains achieved, and enhance regional stability”.

Sheikh Mohammed has made the remarks in Doha during a meeting with the new British foreign secretary, Ed Miliband. The two discussed bilateral cooperation and recent regional developments, particularly diplomatic efforts and coordination aimed at de-escalating tensions, the ministry says.

Implementing the memorandum was necessary to preserve regional security, safeguard the gains achieved and strengthen stability, Sheikh Mohammed says, reiterating Qatar’s full support for efforts to defuse tensions and reach a comprehensive agreement securing lasting peace in the region.

Iraq has denied a media report that it is mediating efforts to secure a ceasefire between Washington and Tehran, Al Jazeera reports.

The Iraqi prime minister’s media office says the “claims” in a New York Times report published on Thursday are “completely baseless and had no connection to reality”, according to a statement published by the Iraqi News Agency.

The office urges media outlets “to verify information, rely on official sources and refrain from circulating unsubstantiated reports or claims attributed to anonymous sources”.

Citing Iranian and Iraqi officials familiar with the matter, the US newspaper reported that Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi conveyed the proposal during a visit to Tehran after meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House earlier this month.

The report said details were unclear, but Iranian officials had described it as the only proposal currently on the table.

Tehran ultimately rejected the proposal, the officials reportedly said, because it did not address the issue of who controls the Strait of Hormuz.

Yemen’s Houthi movement has denied that it has shut down the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait, stating that its naval operations are strictly limited to a targeted blockade against Saudi Arabia, Al Jazeera reports.

Mohammed Abdul Salam, the chief negotiator and spokesperson for the group, dismissed claims of a full waterway shutdown in a post on X.

“There is no closure of the Bab al-Mandab Strait as some promote,” he writes.

“The position of Yemen, as announced by the Yemeni armed forces, is limited to a maritime blockade that only affects the Saudi side, in response to its siege of Yemen and its refusal to accept any fair approach to a solution that guarantees the security, sovereignty and independence of the Yemeni people.”

Jordan’s state news agency Petra News says that the Jordanian military has intercepted seven Iranian missiles and six Iranian drones.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has stressed the need to build upon the commitments enshrined in the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

In a statement, the Foreign Office (FO) says the two top diplomats have met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s Council of Foreign Ministers Meeting in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan. During the meeting, they reviewed the ongoing regional situation and bilateral ties.

“DPM/FM expressed deep concern over recent regional tensions and underscored the importance of dialogue, restraint, de-escalation by all sides, and sustained diplomatic engagement to achieve lasting peace and stability,” the FO says in a post on X.

“He emphasised the need to build on the understandings reached under the Islamabad MoU of June 2026.”

According to the FO, Araghchi expressed appreciation for Pakistan’s continued diplomatic support and efforts in promoting regional peace and security, thanking Islamabad for facilitating the safe return and repatriation of Iranian fishermen and sailors, including those from vessels interdicted by the US.

“The two sides agreed to maintain close coordination and regular consultations on issues of mutual interest and reaffirmed their commitment to working together for regional peace, stability and shared prosperity,” the statement concludes.

Bahrain’s military says its air defence systems have successfully intercepted and destroyed a number of Iranian projectiles, according to a post on X.

“The General Command affirms that all its branches and units are at the highest level of readiness and fully prepared to defend the kingdom,” it adds. “The General Command also urges everyone to exercise caution, avoid approaching any unfamiliar or suspicious objects resulting from the remnants of the Iranian attack, and report them immediately.”

The military also stresses that the deliberate use of missiles and drones to target civilians constitutes a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.

Kurdish forces say the US-led coalition has shot down five drones over Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan region, which has been repeatedly attacked since hostilities resumed in the Middle East, AFP reports.

An AFP journalist earlier reported seeing drones hovering over Erbil, before air defences were activated, resulting in explosions and visible smoke near the city’s airport, which hosts US-led coalition troops.

Since hostilities resumed in the region, drone attacks, which Kurdish authorities blamed on Iran, have repeatedly been intercepted over Erbil, also home to a major US consulate complex.

Kurdish counterterrorism forces say that “the coalition forces downed five explosive-laden drones over Erbil between 9:32 and 9:45am”.

No casualties were reported, they add.

Addressing the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Council of Foreign Ministers Meeting in Kyrgyzstan on Friday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said his country reserves the right to retaliate against any acts of aggression, according to Mehr news agency.

“Iran has shown it is not an initiator of any war,” he said, stating that regional security depended on not using double standards.

He stressed that the origin of any act of aggression against Iran amounted to a legitimate target for the Iranian armed forces, underlining that Iran reserved the right to retaliate against any acts of aggression against it.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran, in accordance with international law, reserves its right to take all necessary measures within the framework of legitimate defence and will consider the source of any aggression against the Iranian nation as a legitimate target for defensive actions by its Armed Forces,” he said.

The IRGC says it has destroyed a large US ammunition depot and several accommodation facilities at Ali Al-Salem Air Base in Kuwait, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.

The Guards added that the attack inflicted “casualties and heavy damage” on American forces.

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has termed Israel “the number one enemy of all Islamic countries”, state-run IRNA reports.

He made the remarks in a meeting with Ali Falih Kadhim al-Zaidi, the prime minister of Iraq, in Tehran yesterday.

Ghalibaf added that cooperation between Iran and Iraq to preserve the unity of Islamic nations against the Zionist regime was “certainly effective”.

The number of wounded from the recent US military strikes in Iran has climbed to 645, with 55 confirmed dead, a spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Health told the country’s Fars news agency according to Al Jazeera.

The southwestern province of Khuzestan recorded the highest number of casualties, followed by the southern provinces of Hormozgan and Sistan and Baluchestan, the spokesperson said. Those three provinces also accounted for the majority of deaths.

Of the total injured, 586 have been discharged following treatment, while a number of others received outpatient care. Eight patients remain hospitalised, with some requiring further surgical procedures, the official added.

Iran’s state-run Press TV reports that Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers Meeting in Kyrgyzstan.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have warned civilians in the Middle East on Friday to stay away from US forces, AFP and state media report.

“We warn the general public in countries where American soldiers are stationed to immediately stay out of a radius of 500 metres from the places where American soldiers are hiding, in order to be safe,” the Guards said in a statement carried by state TV.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards say they have targeted a data centre in Bahrain belonging to US tech giant Amazon, according to state media, AFP reports.

The forces “targeted and destroyed the intelligence data centre building of the American company Amazon, which plays a major role in completing information for the American child-killing army”, they have said in a statement aired by state TV.

Neither Amazon nor Bahraini authorities have commented so far on Iran’s claims.

UN rights chief Volker Turk has urged countries involved in the Middle East war to help evacuate and repatriate some 6,000 sailors stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, AFP reports.

“Parties to the conflict should urgently work to facilitate safe passage for stranded seafarers to safely evacuate and disembark, as well as ensure the delivery of critical supplies,” his spokeswoman Shabia Mantoo has told reporters in Geneva.