War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes
Show Summary
  • The US and Israel on Feb 28 launch joint strikes against Iran, with Trump announcing start of “major combat operations”
  • Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is assassinated in US-Israeli strikes; Mojtaba Khamenei replaces his father as Iran’s new supreme leader
  • Iran, US agreed to a two-week ceasefire on April 8
  • Pakistan hosts the first round of face-to-face talks between the US and Iran in 47 years in April; the talks end without a breakthrough, but also without a breakdown
  • US, Iran hold high-level talks in Switzerland on June 20 after signing preliminary agreement to end the war; hold talks in Doha on July 1, with mediators citing “positive progress”
  • US launches strikes on Iran on July 8 in response to attacks on ships in Hormuz, Tehran retaliates as Hormuz heats up again; Trump says ceasefire is “over” on July 10 but talks ongoing
Published 17 Jul, 2026 10:50pm

Lebanon-Israel-US virtual military meeting postponed over technical issues: Lebanese source

A planned virtual meeting between Lebanese, Israeli and US military delegations has been postponed due to technical issues involving the US and Israeli sides, a senior Lebanese military source tells Anadolu.

The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, says the meeting has been rescheduled for a later date that has yet to be determined.

The source adds that Israel has not carried out any withdrawals from the occupied areas in southern Lebanon, as agreed during the Rome negotiations held two days earlier.

The Lebanese army continues to conduct patrols in areas where it is already deployed and has not taken control of any new positions from Israeli forces, the source says.

Published 17 Jul, 2026 10:45pm

Tanker at Kharg Island struck by US: Iranian media

Iranian news agency Tasnim reports that an American missile struck an oil tanker at Kharg Island.

The Deputy Governor of Bushehr for Political and Security Affairs says, “This tanker had also been targeted by the enemy two days ago, in an attempt to prevent it from berthing at this important oil export terminal.”

Published 17 Jul, 2026 10:17pm

Houthis ready to follow Iran supreme leader’s orders: defence minister

Yemen’s Houthi defence minister, Major General Mohammed Al-Atafi, has told the country’s Saba news agency that the movement is ready to follow Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei’s orders, Al Jazeera reports.

“We confirm the readiness of the armed forces to implement any directives issued by the Iranian supreme leader if the siege on the Yemeni people continues,” he tells Yemen’s official state news agency.

He also warns “aggressor countries, particularly the Saudi enemy and those who support it”, that the Houthis have all options available.

Published 17 Jul, 2026 10:06pm

UN chief condemns attacks on civilian sites in Iran-US war

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres says that attacks on civilian infrastructure are “unacceptable,” after Iran accused the United States of targeting bridges and transport hubs, AFP reports.

“The Secretary General remains deeply concerned by the continuing military escalation between Iran and the United States of America,” spokesman Farhan Haq tells reporters.

“He’s particularly concerned about attacks on civilian infrastructure in Iran and across the region. Such attacks are unacceptable,” he adds.

The United States has not confirmed Iran’s allegations that it targeted civilian sites.

Published 17 Jul, 2026 09:51pm

Qatar condemns Iran’s attacks on its territory, Gulf states, Jordan

In a statement posted on X, Qatar’s foreign ministry says attacks launched by Iran are a “flagrant violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the targeted states, and a blatant breach of international law, the Charter of the United Nations, and the principles of good neighbourliness”, Al Jazeera reports.

Qatar holds Iran fully legally responsible for the attacks and their consequences, the statement adds, asserting Doha’s right to respond under international law and Article 51 of the UN Charter to protect its sovereignty and citizens.

Qatar also expresses solidarity with fellow nations defending their territorial integrity and calls for an immediate halt to all military actions, restraint from further escalation, a serious return to dialogue and negotiations, and adherence to previously reached diplomatic understandings.

Published 17 Jul, 2026 09:29pm

IRGC Navy says approaching ‘zero hour’ for operation against US naval units

In a statement carried by Iranian state television, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy Command says the movements and military equipment of US forces are “under the surveillance” of Iran’s naval units, Al Jazeera reports.

“The Americans are drawing closer by the moment to the zero hour of an operation by Iran’s Armed Forces against Centcom (US Central Command) naval units in the region’s waters,” it adds.

The command concludes its statement with the warning: “Wait and see.”

Published 17 Jul, 2026 08:22pm

UAE blasts renewed Iranian attacks on Gulf states

The United Arab Emirates has condemned in the strongest terms renewed Iranian strikes targeting Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Jordan with missiles and drones.

In a statement, Abu Dhabi’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirms that these attacks “constitute a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the brotherly nations and a threat to their security and stability”.

“The ministry reiterated the UAE’s full solidarity with the Kingdom of Bahrain, the State of Kuwait, the State of Qatar, and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and its support for all measures aimed at safeguarding their security and stability,” the statement adds.

Published 17 Jul, 2026 08:15pm

Israel destroys two buildings in southern Lebanon

Israeli forces have destroyed two buildings in southern Lebanon, Al Jazeera reports citing Iran’s Tasnim news agency.

Local sources tell the news agency that the buildings were bombed by occupying Israeli forces in the town of Kfar Tibnit.

Published 17 Jul, 2026 07:41pm

US military claims destroying 'surveillance tower' at Iran's Chahbahar Port

US Central Command (Centcom) claims its forces have successfully destroyed a “surveillance tower” at Iran’s Chahbahar Port, which it claims was “used for decades by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to track and target commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz”.

“The destruction of the tower directly degrades [the] IRGC’s ability to coordinate attacks on innocent civilian crew members,” Centcom adds in a statement published on X.

“Furthermore, the strike protects freedom of navigation in regional waters for all vessels, except for ships attempting to violate the ongoing US naval blockade against Iran.”

Published 17 Jul, 2026 07:33pm

Govt decides to fix fuel prices daily due to renewed hostilities in Persian Gulf: petroleum minister

Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik on Friday said that fuel prices would be fixed daily due to fluctuations in international market prices following renewed hostilities between Iran and the US.

Before announcing the latest cabinet decision on fuel prices, Malik thanked the nation on behalf of the government, who he said have “patiently tried to bear the burden of this war”.

He noted that despite the efforts of Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the US-Iran war seemed to be escalating in the region.

“The Cabinet and prime minister have decided … Ogra will be given the responsibility to daily decide the fuel prices based on the international market,” the petroleum minister said.

He added that Ogra would “not just publish the fuel rates on its website that are used to determine prices, but also publish the factors leading to the price that we see in each petrol pump”.

Read more here.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and Petroleum Minister Ali Pervez Malik address a press conference on July 17. — screengrab via YouTube/PTV News
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and Petroleum Minister Ali Pervez Malik address a press conference on July 17. — screengrab via YouTube/PTV News
Published 17 Jul, 2026 06:26pm

IRGC designated under UK's National Security Act: Home Office

The British Home Office has designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) under the National Security (State Threats) Act, according to a statement posted on X.

“Anyone who supports or assists the IRGC, or receives payment from it, could face 14 years in prison,” it reads. “Those who commit acts of sabotage could face life imprisonment.”

Published 17 Jul, 2026 06:25pm

Iran restores traffic on major roads hours after US strikes: state media

Iran’s Road Maintenance and Transportation Organisation says all major roads across the country are open and traffic has resumed on damaged sections despite overnight strikes by the US, state broadcaster Press TV reports.

In a statement, the organisation says road maintenance crews have restored traffic on damaged routes in less than 12 hours, including several bridges in the south of the country.

It adds that bypasses have been constructed around the damaged sections, allowing vehicles to resume using the affected roads.

“Despite the enemy’s savage attacks on transportation infrastructure, all road routes across the country remain open and traffic is flowing,” the statement says.

Published 17 Jul, 2026 06:10pm

Ship illegally boarded in Gulf of Aden: UK maritime agency

Unidentified individuals have illegally boarded a vessel off the coast of Yemen, AFP reports citing the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre UKMTO.

The UKMTO says the incident took place 65 nautical miles south of Mukalla, a major city on Yemen’s south coast.

“Military authorities have reported that the vessel was boarded by unauthorised personnel whilst transiting east in the Gulf of Aden,” the agency writes on X, without providing further details.

It adds that authorities are investigating and did not mention the status of the ship’s crew.

Published 17 Jul, 2026 06:09pm

Iraqi Kurdistan urges Iran to stop 'unjustified' attacks on autonomous region

The prime minister of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region has denounced “unjustified attacks” that he blames on Iran and urged Tehran to halt the escalation, AFP reports.

“We condemn the unjustified attacks by the Islamic Republic of Iran against the Kurdistan region,” says the office of Masrour Barzani. “While urging the Islamic Republic of Iran to stop this escalation, we also call on the Iraqi federal government and the international community to end these violations.”

Published 17 Jul, 2026 05:51pm

Kuwait says 'several' military personnel injured in Iranian strikes

The Kuwaiti military says several personnel have been “wounded as a result of enemy drones targeting several facilities and camps affiliated with the Kuwaiti Army this morning, following the heinous Iranian aggression”.

It has published a statement on X saying that the injured were visited by senior military officials in hospital.

Published 17 Jul, 2026 05:43pm

Iranian attacks to continue until calm returns to Hormuz, says military commander

Seyed Majid Mousavi, the commander of the Aerospace Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), has said that the Iranian attacks will continue “until calm returns to the southern coastline and the Strait of Hormuz”, Al Jazeera reports.

“In the system of calculations, the entire territory of Iran — from Tehran to the south — is one and the same. Effective and targeted strikes from across Iran against the enemy will continue until calm returns to the southern coastline and the Strait of Hormuz,” he says in a statement carried by Iranian state TV.

Published 17 Jul, 2026 05:06pm

Kurdistan presidency says attacks violate Iraqi sovereignty

The presidency of Iraqi Kurdistan has denounced attacks on the autonomous region as a “blatant violation” of Iraq’s sovereignty, AFP reports.

“Targeting the region and the resumption of violence are a serious escalation and a blatant violation of Iraq’s sovereignty,” the regional presidency says, after air defences shot down drones over Erbil, the capital of Kurdistan, and strikes targeted exiled Iranian Kurds.

Published 17 Jul, 2026 04:43pm

Oil rises on renewed US-Iran hostilities, threat of Red Sea closure

Oil prices have risen by about 2 per cent after the US and Iran stepped up attacks across the Gulf, with shipping threatened by a potential Red Sea closure on top of the restricted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reports.

Brent crude futures are up by $1.53, or 1.82pc, to $85.76 a barrel as of 0951 GMT (2:51pm PKT). US West Texas Intermediate futures have gained $1.69, or 2.14pc, to $80.64.

Published 17 Jul, 2026 04:20pm

Israel using US taxpayer dollars to silence US critics: Araghchi

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has taken a dig at the United States government, reiterating the warning of Israeli interference in Washington’s foreign policy and domestic politics, Al Jazeera reports.

“Americans are being warned of foreign influence. How about the extensive Israeli Campaign to bamboozle the US Administration into an unwinnable war of choice?” Araghchi writes in a post on X.

The Iranian official is referring to an article in Time magazine, which reported that Trump’s former presidential campaign manager, Brad Parscale, is running an Israeli influence operation targeting the MAGA base.

“Even worse: Israel is using US taxpayer dollars to silence any US critics,” he adds. “It will all soon unravel.”

Published 17 Jul, 2026 03:45pm

Iran claims attack on US air base at Qatar’s Al Udeid

Iran says its forces have targeted the US air base in Al Udeid, Qatar, in the 15th wave of attacks, Al Jazeera reports.

The IRGC has said in a statement that the Iranian attacks destroyed a long-range radar system and several US strategic refueling aircraft, according to IRIB news agency.

“The American enemy and the hosts of its bases in the region should know that crossing red lines and attacking people and civilian infrastructure will have a very severe and miserable price. If the enemy continues this trend, more crushing responses are on the way; responses that will remain in the history of battles,” it has said.

Published 17 Jul, 2026 03:36pm

Iran Guards say attacked US base in Qatar to 'punish aggressor'

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says that they had targeted US radar systems and military aircraft in Qatar to “punish the aggressor” following overnight US strikes on Iran.

“In continuation of last night’s retaliatory operations, the brave fighters of the IRGC’s Aerospace Force… carried out a heavy and surprise attack on the US airbase at al-Udeid, Qatar, to punish the aggressor and the child-killing US military,” the IRGC has said in a statement.

Published 17 Jul, 2026 03:24pm

Hormozgan MP says US attacks ‘disregard civilian lives’

Ahmad Moradi, a member of parliament from Iran’s Hormozgan, has said that the targeting of civilian infrastructure and the killing of civilians are “a sign of the criminal nature of these attacks”, Al Jazeera reports.

Moradi is visiting the bridges destroyed during the latest US attacks in Bandar Khamir, according to Iran’s Mehr news agency.

Moradi, referring to the damage to the city’s communication infrastructure, has said: “The destruction of bridges and public infrastructure once again revealed the nature of these attacks and the disregard for the lives of civilians.”

He has added, “[Iran’s] armed forces will defend the country’s security with authority and will respond to aggression at the appropriate time.”