War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

Iran has strongly condemned US military attacks on its ports, coastal areas, and maritime infrastructure, describing the attacks as a clear violation of international law and a direct threat to the lives of civilians, sailors, commercial shipping, and the marine environment, state news agency IRNA reports quoting a statement.

At the 137th session of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Council, the Iranian delegation says the United States cannot claim to support maritime security on one hand “while targeting maritime traffic control facilities and maritime transit safety equipment on the other”.

“The Iranian delegation declared that Iran remains fully committed to the safe and orderly conduct of maritime navigation,” IRNA says. “However, it will firmly safeguard its sovereignty, security, sovereign rights, and legitimate interests against any attempts to distort the legal and objective realities of the region.”

Iran adds that the United Arab Emirates has “placed its territory and facilities at the disposal of enemies for hostile military operations against the people, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Iran, as well as the security of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz”, the report adds.

“According to UN Resolution 3314, this constitutes an act of aggression.”

Local residents have reported hearing blasts in the southern Iranian city of Bandar Abbas, Al Jazeera reports citing the Mehr News Agency.

Two explosions have been heard in the areas around Bushehr and the nearby city of Choghadak, Al Jazeera reports citing Iran’s Mehr News Agency.

It has not provided further details on the cause or whether there has been any damage or casualties.

Iran’s Tasnim news agency reports that funeral prayers for late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have begun in Mashhad, led by his eldest son.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has had separate phone calls with Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to discuss the latest regional developments, including recent developments in the Strait of Hormuz, state news agency IRNA reports.

“The ministers reviewed the latest regional dynamics, focusing on recent incidents in the strategic Strait of Hormuz alongside other shared concerns,” IRNA adds.

“The diplomats also underscored the urgent need to utilise diplomatic channels, maintain continuous communication, and coordinate bilateral efforts to de-escalate regional tensions and maintain stability.”

The latest fighting between the US and Iran has left Iranians rattled, according to Al Jazeera.

“For the past two nights, the noise has been extremely loud,” Badriyeh, 44, a homemaker from the southern city of Bandar Abbas, has told the AFP news agency after the latest strikes. “It was worse last night, and the windows of several houses have been broken.”

Israeli army chief Eyal Zamir says the military remains on high alert, with “hundreds of air force aircraft” on immediate standby and tens of thousands of personnel supporting operational readiness, according to Al Jazeera.

“Even at this moment, we are closely monitoring what is happening in Iran and Lebanon and are ready for immediate action,” Zamir adds, threatening that it would be “against anyone who tries to harm us”.

The first so-called pilot zone in Lebanon, in which the Lebanese army will assume control of an area now occupied by Israeli forces, will launch in “a matter of days,” with further zones being mapped out and planned, Reuters reports quoting a US official.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has condemned US strikes on his country during a phone call with Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, according to the Iranian government.

In a post on X, Tehran says Araghchi and Field Marshal Munir discussed the latest developments in the region, labelling the overnight strikes by Washington “clear violations of the UN Charter and the Islamabad Memorandum [of Understanding]”.

“Araghchi said US officials’ statements rejecting their commitments under the Islamabad Memorandum demonstrate continued treaty violations and warmongering policies,” the post adds. “He reaffirmed Iran’s firm determination to defend its sovereignty, territorial integrity and national security.”

Iran’s Tasnim news agency reports that one of the Mashhad railway lines damaged in overnight US strikes has been repaired and services have resumed.

Citing a railway official, Tasnim adds that the repairs were carried out within 13 hours.

“The second line will also be reconstructed in a few hours,” the report adds. “Train traffic on the reconstructed line has now resumed.”

Dozens of missiles and drones fired by Iran caused no significant damage or injuries to American personnel, AFP reports quoting a US defence official.

The Iranian missiles and drones “were intercepted or failed to cause major damage,” the official says on condition of anonymity, adding that there are “no US injuries”.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the war with Iran is not over and that he intends to keep Israeli forces in Lebanon “as long as the need requires”, Al Jazeera reports.

“The Iranian regime has been dealt a severe blow, and our policy is clear that Iran will not possess nuclear weapons, whether with or without an agreement. The war is not over yet, and new challenges are emerging before us,” Netanyahu has reportedly told Israeli media.

He has also repeated a frequent claim that Iran would have had nuclear weapons “if we had not acted”.

Calling for revenge and rejecting any compromise with the West, Iranians have braved sweltering heat to mass for the burial of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in his hometown of Mashhad, AFP reports.

Beating their chests and weeping, mourners line the route as they wait for the assassinated leader’s coffin to arrive at the eastern city’s shrine of Imam Reza, the holiest site for Shia Muslims in Iran and the burial place he had chosen in his will.

Led by the funeral eulogist, they chant slogans against compromise and US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“The loss of the leader is heavier than losing our parents,” said Hoda, 35, a housewife attending the funeral. “Only the death of Trump and Netanyahu will soothe our pain. There should be no compromise at all,” she tells AFP.

Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz says his country was prepared to resume its military campaign against Iran if needed, vowing to do so “with even greater force”.

“The army is ready and on alert for a resumption of fighting, in order to regain air superiority and strike again… in Iran, to eliminate threats, including a third time if necessary. If we have to go back, we will go back, with even greater force,” Katz said at a military ceremony.

The United Arab Emirates has strongly condemned Iran’s missile attack targeting Jordan, calling it a “flagrant violation” of the kingdom’s sovereignty and “a threat to its security and stability”, Al Jazeera reports.

In a statement posted on X, the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it stands in “full solidarity” with Jordan and supports “all measures aimed at safeguarding its security and stability”.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has had a meeting with British High Commissioner Jane Marriott, discussing bilateral relations and exchanging views on regional developments, including the recent escalation between the US and Iran, according to the Foreign Office (FO).

“PM/FM highlighted Pakistan’s constructive mediation efforts in support of dialogue, diplomacy and de-escalation,” the FO writes in a post on X. “The British high commissioner appreciated Pakistan’s role in promoting regional peace and stability.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has had a phone conversation with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan this afternoon, Al Jazeera reports citing Turkiye’s TRT.

The two diplomats have discussed the current state of the US-Iran ceasefire as well as the latest developments in the region, according to Turkiye’s state broadcaster.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has warned against any further US military “adventurism”, after condemning U.S. attacks on Iran as a violation of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding in a phone call with Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, Reuters reports citing Iran’s foreign ministry.

France is considering Syria as an alternative route to the Strait of Hormuz for Gulf oil, Al Jazeera reports.

In an interview with French network TF1, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot says there is a need for diversified energy corridors to ensure reliable supplies to global markets following renewed US-Iran attacks in Hormuz.

“Among all the efforts we have made since the start of this crisis, there is the idea of preparing alternative routes so that we are not dependent on blockages here or there,” he explains.

Reuters reports that oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is at a near standstill, according to data and sources, as shipping risks have escalated after the US renewed airstrikes on Iran, triggering retaliation by Tehran in the Gulf.

Just two tankers have so far sailed through the strait in the early hours, including the crude supertanker Berg 1, which had loaded at Iran’s Kharg Island and is subject to US sanctions, according to analysis from Kpler.

The Marshall Islands-flagged chemical tanker Well Sail also transited the strait, Kpler analysis shows. Its previous loading destination was near Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, according to LSEG ship tracking data.

Shipping industry sources say vessels are increasingly switching off their public automatic identification system tracking transponders, making it harder to see all of the ships crossing.

“Tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has essentially stopped, which tells you more about risk perception right now than any statement from Washington or Tehran,” Jorge Leon, head of geopolitical analysis at Rystad Energy, writes in a report.

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