War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has said it struck and disabled a second vessel in the Strait of Hormuz and targeted the US strategic air base at Al Udeid in Qatar with ballistic missiles, destroying its fighter jet maintenance centre and command and control facility, reports Reuters.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has said that its aerospace forces carried out a heavy attack on US aircraft carrier support and refueling platforms in the port of Duqm, in Oman, in the third stage of its response to what it called US military “aggression”.

The IRGC added that the operation targeted logistical support centres for US naval vessels.

The US Central Command has said it has completed a third round of strikes this week against Iran.

“US forces hit approximately 140 Iranian military targets with precision munitions launched by land- and sea-based fighter aircraft, drones, and naval vessels. Targets included Iranian missile and drone sites, naval capabilities, ammunition storage facilities, communication networks, and coastal surveillance locations,” it said in a statement.

The Centcom said during three nights of strikes this week, it struck “more than 300 targets at the direction of the Commander in Chief to degrade Iran’s ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial vessels freely transiting the strait”.

It claimed that commercial vessel transits through the Strait of Hormuz continue, and since early May, US forces have “helped facilitate the successful transit of more than 800 commercial vessels and 400 million barrels of crude oil”.

Khuzestan’s deputy governor for security and law enforcement, Valiollah Hayati, has said that enemy projectiles have struck Hendijan, Manshahr and Abadan, IRNA news agency reports.

Explosions have been heard over Qatar’s capital, AFP journalists report, after the United States struck Iran over a vessel coming under attack in the Strait of Hormuz.

AFP correspondents saw interceptions in the sky above Doha, a key mediator between Washington and Tehran, as residents received messages on their phones urging them to “remain in their homes and safe places”.

Bahrain has sounded air raid sirens, with the interior ministry urging citizens and residents to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place, reports AFP.

The crew of a container ship have abandoned their vessel after military authorities reported it had sustained damage to its rear near Oman, causing a fire onboard, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency says according to Reuters.

The UKMTO earlier said it had received a report of an incident nine nautical miles (16.7km) east of Oman.

In an updated advisory, the agency said it had been informed by military authorities and the vessel’s security officer that the crew had abandoned the vessel and were currently in a lifeboat, adding that authorities were continuing to investigate.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guards have announced that the Strait of Hormuz will be closed “until further notice” after firing warning shots at a ship taking an “unauthorised route”, state media reports according to AFP.

The vessel was “hit by warning shots and stopped”, the Guards said, according to official news agency IRNA.

“Following this incident, firstly, due to the emergence of this insecurity due to illegal intervention by foreigners, the Strait of Hormuz will be closed until further notice and until the end of American interventions in this region and no vessels will be allowed to pass through,” they added.

The US military says it has launched a new round of strikes against Iran after Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces attacked a Cyprus-flagged container ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz, Reuters reports.

“A civilian crew member is missing and the vessel is unable to continue the journey due to an onboard fire and significant engineroom damage,” the US Central Command (Centcom) said in a statement on X.

Centcom said the strikes were carried out at the direction of US President Donald Trump.

Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health says the death toll from Israel’s attacks on the country since March 2 has risen to 4,322, with 12,210 wounded, Al Jazeera reports.

Iran and Oman have agreed to continue political and technical talks to ensure safety and freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

The foreign ministers of both countries met in Muscat “in light of the developments and repercussions arising from recent events”, the Oman News Agency reports.

“The two sides agreed to continue discussions at both the technical and political levels in order to reach the requisite understandings in accordance with international law,” it adds.

The Israeli military has issued a statement claiming it targeted Hezbollah operatives moving weapons inside occupied Lebanese territory, which it regards as a “security zone”, Al Jazeera reports.

It claims several people were targeted after they were spotted transferring antitank missiles. It is unclear how many people were injured.

Israel has increased the pace of its attacks on southern Lebanon since Thursday night, killing and wounding many.

A Lebanese official tells AFP that his country will take part in planned talks with Israel next week in Rome, after Beirut had previously conditioned participation upon Israel withdrawing from certain areas it occupies in the south.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirms that “Lebanon will participate” without offering further details, as a US military delegation visits the country to discuss implementing a framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel.

Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reports that seven people have been wounded by air strikes in southern Lebanon’s al-Mansouri, according to Al Jazeera.

The agency says five of those injured have been hospitalised, while two were treated at the scene.

Israeli air attacks have repeatedly targeted al-Mansouri today, according to NNA.

The US has been working with Iraq and Syria on a plan to revamp an old pipeline running from Iraq’s northern city of Kirkuk to Syria’s Baniyas on the Mediterranean coast, which would allow Iraq to export oil without using the Strait of Hormuz, Al Jazeera reports citing Middle East Eye.

The London-based news outlet cites Iraqi and other regional officials as saying an agreement to restore the 800-kilometre pipeline, which has been closed for decades and is badly damaged, is expected to be announced during a meeting between Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and Trump in the White House next week.

One senior official tells Middle East Eye that the pipeline will probably have to be completely replaced, which would take two to three years. The official says a group of US companies have already been recruited for the project.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has met in Muscat with his Omani counterpart Badr al-Busaidi, Al Jazeera reports citing a post on his official Telegram page.

The two officials discussed bilateral relations and regional developments, especially regarding the Strait of Hormuz, the post says.

It adds that the officials “exchanged views on appropriate mechanisms for the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz,” in accordance with the US-Iran memorandum of understanding.

Israeli forces have advanced into the eastern edge of the southern Lebanese town of Beit Yahoun with three tanks and several bulldozers, Al Jazeera reports citing Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA).

Elsewhere, Israeli forces have reportedly ignited fires in southern Lebanon’s Houla, damaging homes and olive trees, said NNA.

Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani has held a phone call with Jordan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi to discuss the current escalation between the US and Iran, Al Jazeera reports.

In a statement, the Qatari foreign ministry says both sides emphasise the importance of diplomacy and de-escalation. Qatar calls for the implementation of the US-Iran memorandum of understanding and the safeguarding of freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.