War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

Yemen’s Houthi movement has denied that it has shut down the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait, stating that its naval operations are strictly limited to a targeted blockade against Saudi Arabia, Al Jazeera reports.

Mohammed Abdul Salam, the chief negotiator and spokesperson for the group, dismissed claims of a full waterway shutdown in a post on X.

“There is no closure of the Bab al-Mandab Strait as some promote,” he writes.

“The position of Yemen, as announced by the Yemeni armed forces, is limited to a maritime blockade that only affects the Saudi side, in response to its siege of Yemen and its refusal to accept any fair approach to a solution that guarantees the security, sovereignty and independence of the Yemeni people.”

Jordan’s state news agency Petra News says that the Jordanian military has intercepted seven Iranian missiles and six Iranian drones.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has stressed the need to build upon the commitments enshrined in the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

In a statement, the Foreign Office (FO) says the two top diplomats have met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s Council of Foreign Ministers Meeting in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan. During the meeting, they reviewed the ongoing regional situation and bilateral ties.

“DPM/FM expressed deep concern over recent regional tensions and underscored the importance of dialogue, restraint, de-escalation by all sides, and sustained diplomatic engagement to achieve lasting peace and stability,” the FO says in a post on X.

“He emphasised the need to build on the understandings reached under the Islamabad MoU of June 2026.”

According to the FO, Araghchi expressed appreciation for Pakistan’s continued diplomatic support and efforts in promoting regional peace and security, thanking Islamabad for facilitating the safe return and repatriation of Iranian fishermen and sailors, including those from vessels interdicted by the US.

“The two sides agreed to maintain close coordination and regular consultations on issues of mutual interest and reaffirmed their commitment to working together for regional peace, stability and shared prosperity,” the statement concludes.

Bahrain’s military says its air defence systems have successfully intercepted and destroyed a number of Iranian projectiles, according to a post on X.

“The General Command affirms that all its branches and units are at the highest level of readiness and fully prepared to defend the kingdom,” it adds. “The General Command also urges everyone to exercise caution, avoid approaching any unfamiliar or suspicious objects resulting from the remnants of the Iranian attack, and report them immediately.”

The military also stresses that the deliberate use of missiles and drones to target civilians constitutes a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.

Kurdish forces say the US-led coalition has shot down five drones over Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan region, which has been repeatedly attacked since hostilities resumed in the Middle East, AFP reports.

An AFP journalist earlier reported seeing drones hovering over Erbil, before air defences were activated, resulting in explosions and visible smoke near the city’s airport, which hosts US-led coalition troops.

Since hostilities resumed in the region, drone attacks, which Kurdish authorities blamed on Iran, have repeatedly been intercepted over Erbil, also home to a major US consulate complex.

Kurdish counterterrorism forces say that “the coalition forces downed five explosive-laden drones over Erbil between 9:32 and 9:45am”.

No casualties were reported, they add.

Addressing the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Council of Foreign Ministers Meeting in Kyrgyzstan on Friday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said his country reserves the right to retaliate against any acts of aggression, according to Mehr news agency.

“Iran has shown it is not an initiator of any war,” he said, stating that regional security depended on not using double standards.

He stressed that the origin of any act of aggression against Iran amounted to a legitimate target for the Iranian armed forces, underlining that Iran reserved the right to retaliate against any acts of aggression against it.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran, in accordance with international law, reserves its right to take all necessary measures within the framework of legitimate defence and will consider the source of any aggression against the Iranian nation as a legitimate target for defensive actions by its Armed Forces,” he said.

The IRGC says it has destroyed a large US ammunition depot and several accommodation facilities at Ali Al-Salem Air Base in Kuwait, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.

The Guards added that the attack inflicted “casualties and heavy damage” on American forces.

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has termed Israel “the number one enemy of all Islamic countries”, state-run IRNA reports.

He made the remarks in a meeting with Ali Falih Kadhim al-Zaidi, the prime minister of Iraq, in Tehran yesterday.

Ghalibaf added that cooperation between Iran and Iraq to preserve the unity of Islamic nations against the Zionist regime was “certainly effective”.

The number of wounded from the recent US military strikes in Iran has climbed to 645, with 55 confirmed dead, a spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Health told the country’s Fars news agency according to Al Jazeera.

The southwestern province of Khuzestan recorded the highest number of casualties, followed by the southern provinces of Hormozgan and Sistan and Baluchestan, the spokesperson said. Those three provinces also accounted for the majority of deaths.

Of the total injured, 586 have been discharged following treatment, while a number of others received outpatient care. Eight patients remain hospitalised, with some requiring further surgical procedures, the official added.

Iran’s state-run Press TV reports that Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers Meeting in Kyrgyzstan.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have warned civilians in the Middle East on Friday to stay away from US forces, AFP and state media report.

“We warn the general public in countries where American soldiers are stationed to immediately stay out of a radius of 500 metres from the places where American soldiers are hiding, in order to be safe,” the Guards said in a statement carried by state TV.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards say they have targeted a data centre in Bahrain belonging to US tech giant Amazon, according to state media, AFP reports.

The forces “targeted and destroyed the intelligence data centre building of the American company Amazon, which plays a major role in completing information for the American child-killing army”, they have said in a statement aired by state TV.

Neither Amazon nor Bahraini authorities have commented so far on Iran’s claims.

UN rights chief Volker Turk has urged countries involved in the Middle East war to help evacuate and repatriate some 6,000 sailors stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, AFP reports.

“Parties to the conflict should urgently work to facilitate safe passage for stranded seafarers to safely evacuate and disembark, as well as ensure the delivery of critical supplies,” his spokeswoman Shabia Mantoo has told reporters in Geneva.

Kuwait’s military says their air defences are actively intercepting Iranian drones and missiles, Al Jazeera reports.

Iran’s army says it has launched projectiles towards the Al Salem Air Base – which is used by US forces.

Iran’s West Azerbaijan crisis management organisation says a site in the city of Piranshahr, near the border with Iraq, was struck in a US air attack at about 9am, according to the semi-official Fars News Agency.

Several vehicles were damaged in the attack on Friday, the organisation said, adding that no figures were yet available for the number of people killed or wounded.

Iran’s army says it has launched another wave of drone attacks against US military facilities in Kuwait, Al Jazeera reports.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has urged vigilance against those who seek to “undermine regional stability”, saying: “Such actors will exploit every opportunity to derail the peace process and reverse the progress already achieved.”

He stressed the need to work together as an international community to achieve peace, stability and prosperity.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, speaking at the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Kyrgyzstan, has urged the international community to take advantage of the opportunity provided by US-Iran negotiations to push for a permanent settlement.

“Dialogue, diplomacy and mutual respect provide the only sustainable way forward to resolve conflicts and achieve durable peace and security,” DPM Dar said.

Referring to the Islamabad talks in April and subsequent signing of the Islamabad MoU, he said, “This historic breakthrough became possible due to Pakistan’s close engagement with both parties … complimented by our intensive diplomatic outreach to regional and international partners.

“The international community must seize the opportunity provided by the Islamabad MoU and the ongoing technical negotiations between the two parties to push for a permanent, peaceful and durable settlement of this conflict.”

Flights resumed at Erbil International Airport after they were suspended following a drone crash near the airport, two security sources told Reuters.

No casualties were immediately reported, and fire at the site was brought under control

Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior has urged people “to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place” as sirens sound.

Daily vessel transits of the Strait of Hormuz were steady at three for each of the past three days, according to preliminary shiptracking data, amid continuing shipping risks in the Middle East and as oil prices surged back to $100 a barrel, Reuters reports.

Three vessels passed through the Strait of Hormuz each day from July 22 to July 24, data from analytics firm Kpler showed.

On Friday, one more laden very large crude carrier (VLCC) Romania Prosperity appeared off Fujairah outside the strait with Murban crude, though its destination is so far unknown, and two empty soft commodity bulk carriers exited the strait into the Gulf.

Several blasts sounded near Erbil airport, which hosts US-led coalition troops in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region, an AFP journalist said.

Explosions were heard after air defences were activated, according to the journalist who also saw drones hovering over the city and smoke rising in the airport area.

Iranian authorities said that the United States struck a Revolutionary Guards’ base in the northern province of Gilan, AFP reports.

“This morning, an IRGC naval forces headquarters in Zibakenar was targeted by American enemy projectiles, which damaged some of the equipment in the complex,” said Ali Bagheri, deputy governor for the province, quoted by the official IRNA news agency.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Iran would hold accountable any country assisting the United States in an attack on the Islamic republic, AFP reports.

“Any participation, cooperation or assistance in committing aggression against Iran will create international responsibility for the relevant parties,” Araghchi said at a meeting in Kyrgyzstan, adding that Iran “reserves its right to take all necessary measures within the framework of self-defence”.