War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

Three people were injured in Qatar after Qatari Defence Ministry intercepted, what it describes as, “fire” around 5:30am, Al Jazeera reports.

As a result of shrapnel falling three people were injured, including one child. And they’re now being treated in hospital for those injuries.

In the morning, there were alerts on everybody’s phone in Qatar saying the threat level had been raised, that they were expecting some kind of missile or drone attack.

Large explosions were heard over Doha, following the alerts.

The threat level has now returned to normal, and it has been quiet since those explosions happened, according to Al Jazeera reporters.

Pakistan has urged all sides to “exercise restraint, take immediate steps towards de-escalation, and uphold respective commitments” as stipulated by the Islamabad MoU, in a statement shared by the Foreign Office (FO).

“Pakistan remains committed to providing all support towards achieving lasting peace and stability in the region through dialogue and diplomacy.”

The FO statement also reiterates the mediator’s support for “the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all brotherly countries in the region”.

The MoU with Iran “was always performance-based and one of the conditions was that Iran cannot terrorise commercial vessels transiting the Strait”, US ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation says.

In an interview with CNN, Matthew Whitaker has said that Iran “should expect” US response to its attacks.

He adds, “President Trump is a peacemaker and he wants a deal with Iran.”

Reiterating Trump’s words, Whitaker has said that Iran is “controlled by a bunch of crazy people”.

President Donald Trump says the United States hit Iran hard in response to its latest attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, AFP reports.

“We hit them very hard last night,” Trump has told CNN by telephone in an interview centering mainly on the death of Senator Lindsey Graham.

Trump has said the United States and Iran had been close to “a deal” on Saturday.

“They were giving up everything, and then all of a sudden two hours after that they hit a ship with a drone. These people, there is something wrong with them,” he has said.

US President Donald Trump has said that the Strait of Hormuz is open to commercial traffic, though the US and Iran continue to trade attacks that have raised concerns over safety on one of the world’s most important oil shipping routes, Reuters reports.

Trump’s comments were made during an interview on NBC’s Meet the Press.

The US military insists that ships are moving through the Strait of Hormuz despite Iran’s claim to have closed it.

“Iran does not control the strait. Traffic is flowing,” Centcom, which oversees US forces in the Middle East, says on X.

Passage through the Strait of Hormuz is “currently not possible” due to US military’s “recent illegal movements”, Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) says in a post on X.

“As soon as stability and calm are restored, all requests will be reviewed based on the schedule, and the necessary permits will be issued.”

The Iranian agency mandated to authorise and regulate transit through Hormuz has said that the only way to obtain a transit permit is through its website.

The Strait of Hormuz is open to all vessels and US military forces are “positioned and prepared” to ensure freedom of navigation, US Central Command has said, Reuters reports.

Oman says it has rescued 23 crew members from a commercial ship while one remains missing after the vessel was struck off the Gulf sultanate’s eastern coast, AFP reports.

“Twenty-three crew members were rescued and provided with necessary medical care. Search operations are continuing for one crew member who remains missing,” Oman’s Maritime Security Centre has said in a statement.

The agency says it received a distress call from the Cypriot-flagged GFS Galaxy 4.4 nautical miles off the coast of Musandam Governorate.

US Central Command has said the ship had been disabled by fire and damage to its engine room, accusing Tehran of attacking it.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have intercepted and shot down a US cruise missile near Khorramabad in Lorestan province, IRNA reports.

According to an IRGC statement, the missile was destroyed by a cutting-edge air defence system operated by the IRGC Aerospace Force and integrated into Iran’s national air defence network.

Oman has summoned the Iranian ambassador to protest Iran’s drone strikes in Musandam and Al Batinah, the foreign ministry of Oman has said in a post on X.

Oman’s Foreign Ministry Undersecretary for Administrative and Financial Affairs, Sheikh Khalid bin Hashel Al Muslahi, has expressed “Oman’s dismay at these irresponsible acts, calling for the necessity of adhering to the provisions of state sovereignty, good neighbourliness, non-interference in internal affairs, and respect for the customs and ethical values that bind the two neighbouring countries and peoples”.

The United Arab Emirates has “strongly condemned” the renewed Iranian strikes targeting the region, Al Jazeera reports.

The Foreign Ministry has said the “aggressive attacks constitute a blatant violation of the sovereignty of these brotherly nations and a threat to their security and stability”.

It has reiterated its solidarity with its neighbours — Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait — that also came under attack.

Amid US-Iran escalation in the Middle East, which has sparked Iranian attacks on Gulf countries, Iran’s FM Abbas Araghchi expressed his condolences over the death of Qatar’s former emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.

“With profound sadness and sorrow, we mourn the passing of His Highness the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani,” he wrote on X.

Conveying Iran’s “deepest condolences”, he said, “May God have mercy on the deceased, and grant everyone patience and solace.”

Overnight US strikes on Iran killed one soldier, Iranian media has reported after fighting resumed between the foes, according to AFP.

“Lieutenant Hamidreza Dehghani, of the navy of the Islamic republic’s armed forces, was martyred during the criminal, terrorist attack last night by the United States on the port of Jask” in southern Iran, the Mehr and Tasnim news agencies have said, citing a local official.

Bahrain’s military says Iran has continued its “heinous missile and drone attacks targeting civilians”, adding that air defence systems intercepted the attacks, Al Jazeera reports.

A written statement shared on social media platforms says: “The armed forces, with all their forces and units, are at the highest level of readiness and ready to fulfill their defence duties in order to protect the country.”

The statement calls on the Bahraini people to be “vigilant”, adding that Iran “continues its systematic aggressive stance” with its missile and drone attacks targeting civilians in Bahrain.

It also states that the use of missiles and drones to target civilians and private property is “a clear violation of international humanitarian law”.

An adviser to Iran’s supreme leader says that the Strait of Hormuz is more important than “dozens of atomic bombs”, vowing to protect the vital waterway, AFP reports.

“This strategic passage is more important than dozens of atomic bombs, and the Islamic Republic of Iran will protect it,” Mohsen Rezaee has said, according to ISNA news agency.

Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf bin Saeed Ahmad Al-Malkiy and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar have exchanged views on the latest regional developments, Foreign Office says in a post on X.

They have “underscored the need to strengthen collective efforts aimed at promoting dialogue and diplomacy”.

Jordan has described Iranian attacks on its Gulf neighbours as a “blatant violation of their sovereignty, a threat to their security, stability, and territorial integrity, a dangerous escalation, and a flagrant breach of international law and the Charter of the United Nations”, Al Jazeera reports.

Qatar has urged all vessel owners to “temporarily suspend navigation and marine activities” until further notice, Al Jazeera reports.

The Transport Ministry says the move was taken in the interest of public safety and includes recreational boats, fishing vessels and jet skis.

Qatar has strongly condemned Iran’s attacks on its territories, as well as in the region, Al Jazeera reports.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirms that the continuation of these aggressions represents a dangerous escalation that will complicate efforts aimed at containing tensions, undermine political and diplomatic endeavors aimed at achieving security and stability in the region, and holds the Islamic Republic of Iran fully legally responsible for these aggressions and all their repercussions and consequences,” the country’s foreign ministry has said in a statement.

Doha has characterised the attacks as a “flagrant violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity” and a “blatant breach of international law”.

The ministry has stated it has a right to respond, while urging for complete cessation of military aggression in the region.

The maritime security threat level in the Strait of Hormuz remains at the highest degree of danger, classified as “severe”, says the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).

“Despite the July 12, 2026 Iranian proclamation that the [Strait of Hormuz] is closed, the southern route remains available and has now been expanded to accommodate two-way traffic,” it has said.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has condemned Iran’s attacks on Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar, Al Jazeera reports.

“We reiterate our full solidarity with our brothers in these countries, and our unwavering support for them,” he has said in a statement carried by the National News Agency.

Saudi Arabia is the latest Middle Eastern nation to condemn the Iranian attacks throughout the region, Al Jazeera reports.

The Foreign Ministry has denounced Iran’s “violation of the principles of international law, the Charter of the United Nations, the Charter of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and the rules of good neighbourliness, through repeated Iranian attacks on commercial vessels that threaten the security and freedom of navigation”.

The United Arab Emirates says “monitoring and tracking systems are operating with high efficiency around the clock at the highest levels of readiness” after Iran launched strikes throughout the Middle East, Al Jazeera reports.

The Defence Ministry said on X “missile threats detected this morning were outside the country’s borders”.