War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes

The IRNA news agency reports that at least three people were killed and several others left wounded.

Valiollah Hayati, the deputy governor of Khuzestan for security and law enforcement, told IRNA that “the Israeli-US regime targeted a location on the outskirts of Ahvaz” in the early hours of the morning.

Maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has ground to a near-halt following a second consecutive day of US strikes against Iran, according to Bloomberg News.

Citing ship tracking data, it said that among larger vessels, only a US-sanctioned supertanker was seen heading out of the Gulf alongside an Iranian-flagged container ship.

Some 14 cargo ships crossed the strait in both directions yesterday, it added, noting that the figure is the lowest since the US-Iran MoU on June 16.

Is the fragile US-Iran ceasefire — and the memorandum of understanding that underpins it — collapsing? Unless deconfliction measures kick in, and both sides show restraint, a return to wider hostilities seems very likely. The latest round of violence was sparked by suspected Iranian attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz; the ships were apparently targeted because they were not following routes designated by Tehran.

The US retaliated by attacking Iranian facilities early on Wednesday, prompting Tehran to hit sites in Kuwait and Bahrain that it claimed were US facilities. But what has raised eyebrows is US President Donald Trump’s comment that the MoU with Iran is over, and that talks with the Islamic Republic were a “waste of time”. It should be remembered that Mr Trump earlier scuttled the Iran nuclear deal during his first presidency, therefore his threats cannot be taken lightly. But while using unparliamentary language to describe the Iranians, the US leader paradoxically also left the door open for dialogue.

A return to hostilities suits no one, except perhaps the eternal warmongers in Israel. Both sides need to climb down, and prevent the cycle of violence from escalating. The next few days will be critical to see whether or not the MoU and the ceasefire are able to survive. Iran must ensure free movement through Hormuz, as choking the strait will effectively throttle the global economy.

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The US military has said that approximately 90 Iranian military targets were hit in their latest strikes, targeting air defence systems, missile and drone storage sites, and other assets, AFP reports.

The US “completed an additional round of strikes against Iran, July 8, to further degrade Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping and innocent civilian mariners in the Strait of Hormuz,” according to a statement posted to X by US Central Command.

US Congresswoman Delia Ramirez has denounced Trump over the US’s strikes on Iran, accusing his administration of escalating the conflict shortly after a ceasefire agreement.

“Last night, Trump launched a series of strikes on Iran, shortly after establishing a ceasefire deal. And today he is threatening to launch more,” she wrote on X.

“We cannot rely on warmongers to bring an end to this war. Congress must reclaim our authority and hold the administration accountable!” she added.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said they had struck US military bases in Bahrain and Kuwait in response to fresh American strikes, in a statement carried by state television IRIB, AFP reports.

The Guards said they struck “key infrastructure and facilities” at US bases in Arifjan and Ali Al Salem in Kuwait, and Juffair and Sheikh Isa in Bahrain with missiles and drones.

They also warned their responses would expand to other bases across the region if US attacks were repeated.

Oil prices have climbed as new US military action against Iran dampens expectations for a swift resolution to the conflict and the subsequent reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, according to the Reuters.

Brent crude futures gained 78 cents, or 1 per cent, to reach $78.8 a barrel as of 00:54 GMT. Similarly, US West Texas Intermediate crude futures (WTI) climbed 74 cents, or 1.01pc, settling at $74.26 a barrel.

Air raid sirens ring out in Bahrain, the interior ministry has said, after the Iran Revolutionary Guards vowed to respond to US strikes on the Islamic republic, according to AFP.

“The siren has been sounded,” the interior ministry said in a post on X.

“Citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place.”

Kuwait’s air defences were intercepting “hostile missile and drone attacks”, its military said, according to AFP.

“The General Staff of the Army notes that any explosions heard are a result of air defense systems intercepting hostile attacks,” the Kuwait military said in a post on X, without specifying their origin.

Iran’s chief negotiator said that the Strait of Hormuz would be opened only under “Iranian arrangements”, after Tehran and Washington traded strikes in the Middle East, AFP reports.

“The United States still has not learned that bullying and breaking its promises no longer come without consequences,” Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on X. “Let me be clear: If you strike, you will be struck.

President Donald Trump warns that US bombing of Iran will increase significantly if Tehran continues to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz, AFP reports.

“This is in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!” the US president posted on social media over a picture of an apparent bombing of a site in Iran.

Trump reinforced that message when speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One, returning from a Nato summit in Turkiye.

“We just hit them very hard, and I say we hit them 20 to one. Every time they hit us, we’re going to hit them 20,” Trump told reporters.

“And we did it last night. They did a little something today, but it was really retribution for last night.”

Amnesty International accuses Israel of wiping out families in its strikes on Lebanon during its war with Hezbollah, calling for these attacks to be investigated as war crimes, according to AFP.

Amnesty has analysed three strikes on civilian homes between March 6 and 13, in which 24 civilians were killed, 12 of them children.

The London-based rights group accuses Israel of “wiping out families” in those strikes and called for them to be treated as “war crimes”.

The group says it reached out to Israeli authorities, who said that some of the attacks “were carried out against Hezbollah military objectives”, while others were “referred for examination”.

The authorities told Amnesty they were “committed to mitigating harm to civilians during operational activity”.

“Despite follow up, the Israeli military did not provide specific information regarding the three attacks… including what the targets may have been,” Amnesty adds.

Explosions are now being reported from Iran’s southwestern Bushehr province, Al Jazeera reports citing the Mehr news agency.

Iranian state broadcaster Press TV reports that eight explosions have been heard in Bandar Abbas as air defences have been activated.

Iran’s Fars news agency is reporting that explosions have also been heard in Chabahar and Konarak, adding that the exact location of the explosions is still unknown.

Al Jazeera, citing the IRNA state news agency, reports that power cuts have occurred in Chabahar

Iran’s Mehr and Fars news agencies are reporting the sounds of explosions in the two locations in southern Iran, near its Gulf coast, according to Al Jazeera.

The American military is conducting fresh strikes on Iran, US Central Command (Centcom) says, hours after President Donald Trump declared that an interim agreement to end the war with Iran was “over”, Reuters reports.

It says the strikes were aimed at degrading Iran’s ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

“The United States is holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews freely navigating a vital international waterway,” Centcom writes in a post on X.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs has expressed deep concern about the US and Iran trading strikes in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Al Jazeera.

India urges all sides to “exercise restraint, de-escalate tensions, and ensure protection of civilians as well as the uninterrupted flow of energy supplies and commerce”.

The ministry adds that the attacks risk undermining regional peace, security and stability.

Israeli attacks on Lebanon between March 2 and July 8 have killed 4,321 people and wounded 12,203 others, the country’s Ministry of Health has announced, according to Al Jazeera.

Crude oil prices have soared about 7 per cent after US President Donald Trump threatened fresh strikes against Iran, which could lead Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz to ship traffic again, Reuters reports.

Brent futures are up $4.91, or 6.6pc, to $79.07 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude is up $4.27, or 6.1pc, to $74.71.

These will be the biggest daily percentage gains for both crude benchmarks since April, putting Brent on track for its highest close since June 19 and WTI on track for its highest close since June 18.

Iran has threatened to completely close the Strait of Hormuz in case of renewed attacks against its territory amid rising escalation with the United States, Anadolu reports.

“The Strait of Hormuz will be completely closed to all maritime traffic” following any strike against Iran, an informed security source tells Press TV.

The source adds that Iran will also strike “enemy targets at a ratio of at least two to one, meaning that for every Iranian target hit, at least two enemy targets will be struck in return.”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has criticised the renewed tensions between Iran and the US after an exchange of military rows, which prompted President Donald Trump to declare the ceasefire with Tehran “over”, Anadolu reports

“The secretary-general is alarmed by the renewed military confrontations in the Gulf. The incidents that we have seen over the last 24 hours risk derailing the diplomatic progress achieved between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States,” Guterres’ spokesperson Stephane Dujarric says during a news conference.

He warns that “a return to full-scale hostilities would have catastrophic consequences for the people of the region and for international peace and security and for the global community, global economy as a whole.

“The secretary-general calls on all parties to exercise maximum restraint, avoid any further escalatory action, and take immediate steps to de-escalate,” Dujarric adds, noting that Guterres “recalls the obligations of all parties to fully comply with international law, including the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, and respect for navigational rights and freedoms”.

A Qatari tanker loaded with liquefied natural gas (LNG) is at risk of exploding, one source has said, after it sustained significant damage in an attack on the Omani side of the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday.

While the LNG industry has experienced a few accidents at onshore facilities, there has never been a catastrophic LNG cargo-tank explosion on a commercial LNG carrier at sea.

Recent targeting of energy shipping vessels by belligerents in both the Ukraine and Iran wars has raised concerns, however.

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Lebanon demands Israel’s withdrawal from two “pilot zones” in the south before participating in the next round of direct negotiations in Rome next week, a diplomatic source familiar with the talks tells AFP.

“Lebanon is stipulating Israel’s withdrawal from two pilot zones in order to participate in the round of negotiations,” the source said.

The Lebanese diplomatic source said the US State Department told the negotiating delegations that “reaching a framework agreement is the end of one phase and the beginning of a new one”.

The next round — aiming for a permanent agreement — required the negotiators to be close to their countries “for consultation”.

The source added that Israel was quick to accept Rome as the location for talks as an opportunity to “reduce the pressure” imposed on it by Washington during negotiations to reach the ceasefire and framework agreement.