War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

Iranian state broadcaster Press TV reports that eight explosions have been heard in Bandar Abbas as air defences have been activated.

Iran’s Fars news agency is reporting that explosions have also been heard in Chabahar and Konarak, adding that the exact location of the explosions is still unknown.

Al Jazeera, citing the IRNA state news agency, reports that power cuts have occurred in Chabahar

Iran’s Mehr and Fars news agencies are reporting the sounds of explosions in the two locations in southern Iran, near its Gulf coast, according to Al Jazeera.

The American military is conducting fresh strikes on Iran, US Central Command (Centcom) says, hours after President Donald Trump declared that an interim agreement to end the war with Iran was “over”, Reuters reports.

It says the strikes were aimed at degrading Iran’s ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

“The United States is holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews freely navigating a vital international waterway,” Centcom writes in a post on X.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs has expressed deep concern about the US and Iran trading strikes in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Al Jazeera.

India urges all sides to “exercise restraint, de-escalate tensions, and ensure protection of civilians as well as the uninterrupted flow of energy supplies and commerce”.

The ministry adds that the attacks risk undermining regional peace, security and stability.

Israeli attacks on Lebanon between March 2 and July 8 have killed 4,321 people and wounded 12,203 others, the country’s Ministry of Health has announced, according to Al Jazeera.

Crude oil prices have soared about 7 per cent after US President Donald Trump threatened fresh strikes against Iran, which could lead Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz to ship traffic again, Reuters reports.

Brent futures are up $4.91, or 6.6pc, to $79.07 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude is up $4.27, or 6.1pc, to $74.71.

These will be the biggest daily percentage gains for both crude benchmarks since April, putting Brent on track for its highest close since June 19 and WTI on track for its highest close since June 18.

Iran has threatened to completely close the Strait of Hormuz in case of renewed attacks against its territory amid rising escalation with the United States, Anadolu reports.

“The Strait of Hormuz will be completely closed to all maritime traffic” following any strike against Iran, an informed security source tells Press TV.

The source adds that Iran will also strike “enemy targets at a ratio of at least two to one, meaning that for every Iranian target hit, at least two enemy targets will be struck in return.”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has criticised the renewed tensions between Iran and the US after an exchange of military rows, which prompted President Donald Trump to declare the ceasefire with Tehran “over”, Anadolu reports

“The secretary-general is alarmed by the renewed military confrontations in the Gulf. The incidents that we have seen over the last 24 hours risk derailing the diplomatic progress achieved between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States,” Guterres’ spokesperson Stephane Dujarric says during a news conference.

He warns that “a return to full-scale hostilities would have catastrophic consequences for the people of the region and for international peace and security and for the global community, global economy as a whole.

“The secretary-general calls on all parties to exercise maximum restraint, avoid any further escalatory action, and take immediate steps to de-escalate,” Dujarric adds, noting that Guterres “recalls the obligations of all parties to fully comply with international law, including the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, and respect for navigational rights and freedoms”.

A Qatari tanker loaded with liquefied natural gas (LNG) is at risk of exploding, one source has said, after it sustained significant damage in an attack on the Omani side of the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday.

While the LNG industry has experienced a few accidents at onshore facilities, there has never been a catastrophic LNG cargo-tank explosion on a commercial LNG carrier at sea.

Recent targeting of energy shipping vessels by belligerents in both the Ukraine and Iran wars has raised concerns, however.

Read more here.

Lebanon demands Israel’s withdrawal from two “pilot zones” in the south before participating in the next round of direct negotiations in Rome next week, a diplomatic source familiar with the talks tells AFP.

“Lebanon is stipulating Israel’s withdrawal from two pilot zones in order to participate in the round of negotiations,” the source said.

The Lebanese diplomatic source said the US State Department told the negotiating delegations that “reaching a framework agreement is the end of one phase and the beginning of a new one”.

The next round — aiming for a permanent agreement — required the negotiators to be close to their countries “for consultation”.

The source added that Israel was quick to accept Rome as the location for talks as an opportunity to “reduce the pressure” imposed on it by Washington during negotiations to reach the ceasefire and framework agreement.

Ebrahim Rezaei, the spokesman of the Iranian parliament’s Foreign Policy and National Security Committee, has issued a warning to US military personnel on his X account after President Donald Trump threatened to invade Iran’s Kharg Island, Al Jazeera reports.

Rezaei writes that “not even a single American soldier will return alive”, responding to Trump’s threat during the Nato summit in Ankara.

“Come on, we’re waiting for you”, Rezaei says.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi says US President Donald Trump’s latest remarks on Iran reflect the failure of Washington’s policy toward Tehran, Al Jazeera reports.

In a post on X, Gharibabadi said Trump’s comments, including threats of further attacks, were “not a sign of strength, but rather an admission of the failure of a policy built on brute force, sanctions, and threats for years”.

He added that Iran must respond to Trump in “his own language … apparently, he understands the language of force better.”

Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei says that the United States has violated the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding’s (MoU) structure through its “unilateral actions” and “aggressive attacks” against Iran.

In a social media post on X, Baqaei said, “The memorandum of understanding between Iran and the United States, from its very first step, was not established on the basis of trust, but rather on the clear mechanism of ‘commitment for commitment’; because there was no sign of good faith in the opposing side’s behaviour.”

“Now, the United States, despite the explicit provision of the fifth clause of this memorandum—which emphasises the Islamic Republic of Iran’s responsibility in determining arrangements for the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz—has challenged this clause and, in practice, violated the agreement’s structure through its unilateral actions and also aggressive attacks against Iran.”

He stated that Iran would “steadfastly” pursue the protection of its national interests and the exercise of its sovereignty.

An Israeli strike on southern Lebanon has killed two people, Lebanese state media reported, the latest attack despite a ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war, AFP reports.

“Two young men were martyred after being targeted by an enemy drone … while they were walking in the vicinity of Ghandour Hospital in Nabatieh al-Fawqa,” Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency says, two days after a strike on the same town killed four civilians, including a school principal.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says that addressing the “civilised and courageous nation of Iran with derogatory language does not diminish its greatness”.

In a social media post on X, he said, “Iranians are known for their civility, culture, and strong moral values. We do not answer vulgarity with vulgarity, but with action: fearlessly and with great valour.”

US President Donald Trump says he does not think a full-fledged conflict with Iran will erupt in the wake of military strikes from both sides, Reuters reports.

“I don’t think it’s going to start again. I think it’s going to go very quickly. They hit a couple of ships, and so we hit them much harder,” Trump tells reporters in Ankara after a Nato summit.

“Anything that happens is going to be over very quickly … and will only make it safer, including for oil,” he adds.

The US president also reiterated his previous comments that he is a target of Tehran.

“I’m number one on the kill list for Iran,” Trump says.

Lebanon’s National News Agency says Israeli forces carried out heavy bombing in the town of Taybeh, Al Jazeera reports, adding that no further details on casualties or damage are immediately available.

Pakistan has expressed deep concern over the escalation in tensions in the Middle East and called on the US and Iran to exercise restraint, noting, “A renewed conflict is in no one’s interest.

“Pakistan calls on all parties to exercise restraint and refrain from any actions that may further undermine regional peace and stability. There is no alternative to continued engagement, dialogue and diplomacy to achieve shared goal of peace in the region,” the Foreign Office (FO) says in a statement.

“Pakistan urges all sides to uphold their respective commitments under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which remains an enduring foundation for understanding, mutual respect and shared prosperity for the region and beyond.”

The FO adds that Islamabad remains ready to continue playing its role as a mediator between Washington and Tehran.

US President Donald Trump says that while the current Iranian leadership is “rational”, he does not want to make a deal with them and would rather “just finish the job”.

Trump is responding to a question asking why he would label the Iranians “scum and sick people” after previously calling them “smart people”.

“When you say rational, I think they’re more rational than level one and level two,” he says, referring to Iranian leaders killed over the course of the war by Israel and the US.

“This is level three, I think they are more rational, but based on their actions over the last week or two, they’re not doing a service to the people, and I think more than anything else, since I got to know them and I’m not sure I want to make qa deal with them,” he adds.

“We can play games but I’m not sure I want to make a deal. I’d just finish the job.”

US President Donald Trump has reiterated that military action against Iran was the right thing to do.

“I’m doing what’s right for the country, I’m doing what’s right for the world. They have to be stopped,” Trump says at a press conference at the Nato summit in Ankara, referring to Iran.

Asked why he has been unable to end the Iran war, US President Donald Trump says that he achieved his goal of denying Iran the opportunity to possess a nuclear weapon.

“I think we’re doing just the opposite, the Iran war has been a tremendous military success,” he tells a press conference at the Nato summit in Ankara. “We de-nuclearised Iran, and that’s happened. They will never have a nuclear weapon.”

He adds that oil prices have lowered and Iran’s military has been largely destroyed.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for attending the funeral of late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran earlier this week.

“I am grateful for the presence of my dear brother, Mr Shehbaz Sharif, and the high-ranking Pakistani delegation and the sincere sympathy of the government and people of Pakistan,” Pezeshkian has written in a letter posted on X. “We will not forget this support.”

He adds that Iran and Pakistan have always “shared each other’s tears and smiles and have stood side by side with solidarity and brotherhood”.

“I hope that by relying on the deep bonds of brotherhood, the relations between the two countries will expand and deepen further,” Pezeshkian writes.

“The martyred leader (Khamenei) was always interested in the noble government and people of Pakistan and considered cultural commonalities as the wealth of the two nations.”