War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

The IRGC’s Navy command has issued a statement on the escalation with the US, Al Jazeera reports.

It said the US’s attack on the city of Sirik “does not solve the mystery of our dominance over the strait, but our firing at the violators reminds the rest of the vessels of the clear path of passage”.

“The American bases in the region are a separate matter. They will experience hell in these days,” it added.

A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, has said that no US casualties, major impacts, or damage to US facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait have been reported as of yet, but the situation is still unfolding, Reuters reports.

US President Donald Trump has warned Iran that it will be forced to “militarily complete the job” in the country if strikes continue.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said, “US aircraft just struck Iranian missile and drone storage locations, and coastal radar sites, for violating the Cease Fire Agreement, AGAIN!

“It is very possible that they will never learn! There may come a point when we are no longer able to be reasonable, and will be forced to militarily complete the job that we very successfully started. If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!”

CENTCOM says that strikes have been carried out by US fighter jets “at multiple locations in and near the Strait of Hormuz,” Al Jazeera reports.

It also shared a grainy, black-and-white video on social media, showing some of the apparent attacks.

Iran’s IRNA and Tasnim news agencies have shared a statement from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), saying it carried out attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain, Al Jazeera reports.

The IRGC said its navy and air force launched ballistic missiles and drones at the US Ali Al Salem airbase in Kuwait and the US Fifth Naval Fleet at Port Salman in the Bahraini capital, Manama.

The statement said the attacks were in response to the US bombing of five coastal locations in Iran.

The IRGC reiterated that, under the US-Iran interim deal, “the arrangements for controlling traffic in the Strait of Hormuz” are with Tehran.

“And from now on, violating ships will be dealt with more forcefully than in the past,” it said.

The IRGC also warned that “any possible enemy aggression, under any pretext” — such as the US attacks carried out over the past few days — will be met with “a crushing response”.

Violating the ceasefire contravenes the MoU, “and will result in a complete halt to the processes”, the statement added.

The US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) says it has launched attacks in response to an Iranian drone attack on a vessel near the Strait of Hormuz, Al Jazeera reports.

It said a Panama-flagged tanker was attacked by a one-way Iranian drone as it was “transiting near the Strait of Hormuz with more than two million barrels of crude oil”.

“CENTCOM forces launched strikes today in direct response to continued Iranian aggression against commercial shipping,” CENTCOM said in a statement.

“US military aircraft targeted Iranian military surveillance infrastructure, communication systems, air defence sites, drone storage facilities, and minelayer capabilities,” it said, without specifying where the attacks occurred.

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has denounced the US-brokered agreement with Lebanon, saying the Lebanese government cannot be trusted to disarm Hezbollah, AFP reports.

“The agreement with Lebanon is a big mistake … Indeed, we are staying in most of the territory for now, but the state of Lebanon will not disarm Hezbollah,” he says on his Telegram channel.

“Members of the Lebanese government are Hezbollah ministers, and Lebanon cannot be trusted to take Hezbollah’s weapons … Only IDF soldiers will destroy Hezbollah, no other party will do it for us.”

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hailed the US-brokered agreement with Lebanon, calling it a historic achievement that dealt a blow to Iran and Hezbollah, AFP reports.

“Yesterday … we achieved a historic deal for the state of Israel after direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon,” Netanyahu says in a televised briefing. “This is a blow to Iran and Hezbollah.”

France says it is “ready to contribute” to the framework agreement signed the day before by Lebanon and Israel, adding it should pave the way for the full restoration of Lebanese sovereignty, AFP reports.

“Committed to the security of Israel as well as that of Lebanon and engaged in maintaining peace in South Lebanon, France stands ready to contribute to the implementation of this framework agreement, and to the achievement of all these objectives,” the French foreign ministry says in a statement.

It adds that the agreement must pave the way for the full restoration of Lebanese sovereignty and backs the Lebanese government’s “full monopoly on weapons”, as well as the withdrawal of the Israeli army from Lebanese territory.

The Lebanese military has vowed to maintain public order after Hezbollah supporters staged street protests against the government’s signing of an agreement with Israel, AFP reports.

“The army command will not allow any breach of security or threat to civil peace through actions with unpredictable consequences, road blockages, or attacks on public or private property,” the army says.

Israeli warplanes carried out an air strike on the town of Nabatieh al-Fawqa in southern Lebanon at about 1530GMT, according to Al Jazeera correspondents on the ground.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) has also reported the attack, which follows an earlier Israeli strike near the town.

Israel’s defence minister vows to respond with “great force” if Iran attacks the country in an attempt to prevent the implementation of an agreement with Lebanon aimed at securing peace, AFP reports.

“If Iran tries to attack Israel to prevent the implementation of the agreement, we will act against it with great force,” Israel Katz says in a video statement, adding that the agreement with Lebanon has dealt a “strategic blow to the Iranian axis”.

Israel’s defence minister says his forces have been ordered to prepare for an extended stay in the so-called security zone in southern Lebanon, after Israel and Lebanon agreed on a framework to end hostilities, AFP reports.

“The prime minister and I have instructed the IDF to prepare for an extended stay in the security zone,” Israel Katz says in a video statement, referring to an area up to 10 kilometres inside Lebanese territory.

“The important principle established in the agreement is that there will be no redeployment by Israel in southern Lebanon, no withdrawal, as long as the terrorist organisation Hezbollah is not disarmed throughout Lebanon,” he adds.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has chaired a meeting of senior Foreign Office (FO) officials, where “matters relating to upcoming visits, as well as developments in the region and foreign policy priorities were discussed”.

“DPM/FM instructed the team to develop strategies to cope with emerging challenges and ensure protection and preservation of national interest, and continued contribution to regional and global peace and security,” the FO writes on X.

Saudi Arabia has condemned and denounced in the “strongest terms the Iranian attacks on Bahraini territories with several drones” early this morning, its foreign ministry says.

It affirmed its “categorical rejection of these attacks as a violation of international law and the Charter of the United Nations” and reiterated that such “violations undermine international efforts to restore security and stability in the region”.

It also reiterated its solidarity with Bahrain and its “full support for all measures it takes to safeguard its sovereignty, security, and stability”.

Inflation in Iran rose sharply in June, driven by the Middle East war, reaching a peak of 88.6 per cent year-on-year, according to official figures released today, AFP reports.

According to the Statistical Centre of Iran, during the Persian month of Khordad (May 22-June 21), food prices more than doubled year-on-year, in a country already long plagued by hyperinflation due to sanctions.

Bread and grain prices rose by 138.8pc, milk, cheese and eggs by 151.9pc, while the prices of red meat and poultry skyrocketed by 178.2pc.

By comparison, year-on-year inflation stood at 68pc in February, prior to the outbreak of the war launched by the United States and Israel against Iran.

Iranian statistics are reported monthly based on the Persian calendar, with each year beginning in March.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has had a telephone conversation with his British counterpart, Yvette Cooper, in which he has reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to “promoting dialogue, diplomacy, and constructive engagement” between the US and Iran.

“Foreign Secretary Cooper reiterated [the] UK’s appreciation for Pakistan’s sustained efforts for peace and stability in the region, leading to [the] signing of [the] Islamabad MoU by USA and Iran, mediated by Pakistan,” the Foreign Office says in a post on X.

Both sides have also agreed to remain in close contact.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen has welcomed the US-Israel-Lebanon framework agreement as a “critical step” away from conflict in the Middle East, AFP reports.

“I welcome the agreement between Israel and Lebanon. This is a critical step away from escalation. Because there can be no peace in the Middle East with Lebanon in flames,” she says in a statement posted on X, thanking Washington for its mediation role.

“Key next steps are the disarmament of non-state groups and preserving Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity,” she stresses.

Von der Leyen adds that “the EU stands ready to support this path to lasting regional stability, also with the continued delivery of much-needed humanitarian aidm with €100 million mobilised for the displaced.”

Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi has said he received a call from his Jordanian counterpart, Ayman Safadi, who congratulated him on Lebanon’s signing of the US-mediated framework agreement with Israel, Al Jazeera reports.

Safadi “expressed his hope that the agreement would advance the interests of Lebanon”, including reasserting its sovereignty and restore stability,” Raggi said on X.

“In turn, I thanked him for Jordan’s steadfast support for Lebanon and reaffirmed that this agreement marks a victory for diplomacy and for the authority of the State and its institutions above all else.”

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has warned the nation against falling into “fitna” following the framework agreement signed with Israel under US mediation, IRNA reports.

Berri warned of the consequences of a framework agreement, urging Lebanese citizens to avoid being drawn into what he called a “fitna”, which IRNA described as meaning “sedition”.

The statement, reported by the Al-Ahed news website, was issued shortly after the deal’s signing.

In the brief statement addressed to the Lebanese people, Berri said: “O people of Lebanon, all of Lebanon; this is sedition.”

Berri warned about the situation ahead and the potential consequences of the agreement.

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem, in his statement, has also praised Iran’s role in securing the ceasefire in Lebanon, calling it “a gift of honour, dignity and strength”, Al Jazeera reports.

Qassem says the Iran-US memorandum of understanding had given Lebanon “a powerful card” by guaranteeing “the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon”.

The UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a statement, saying it has “condemned in the strongest terms” the attacks against Bahrain, after reports that drones were launched from Iran, according to Al Jazeera.

In a statement, the ministry said the attacks constitute a “flagrant violation” of Bahrain’s sovereignty and “a threat to its security and stability”.

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem condemned the US-Israel-Lebanon framework agreement, saying it a major mistake by Beirut and that his group deemed it null and void, AFP reports.

“The framework agreement in Washington is humiliating, shameful, and a surrender of sovereignty. This agreement is null and void, and the provisions of the Iranian-American memorandum of understanding must be implemented,” Qassem said in a statement, accusing Lebanese authorities of “legitimising” Israeli occupation through this “grave blunder”.

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi says he “condemns in the strongest terms the treacherous Iranian attacks” on Bahrain, after reports that drones had targeted its territory, Al Jazeera reports.

Albudaiwi has condemned the attacks in a statement on X, saying the Iranians targeted “civilian infrastructure and properties”.

Italy is ready to provide diplomatic support for the newly signed Israel-Lebanon agreement and could contribute to a future international mission following the mandate of the UN peacekeeping force, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani says, according to Anadolu.

Speaking at a news conference in Dubrovnik, Croatia, where he is attending an international forum and the MED-9 summit, Tajani describes the agreement as “certainly a step forward,” while cautioning that it will take time for the situation to stabilise.

“It is important that the goal of signing has already been achieved,” he said, adding that Italy is prepared to “provide diplomatic support” and “play a role with our armed forces, with an international mission after Unifil.”

Tajani adds he has spoken with Italy’s embassy in Beirut and the initial signals following the agreement are positive.

“Now we need to translate the agreement into practical action,” he states.