Welcome and summary
Hello and welcome to ’s coverage of the continuing crisis in the Middle East.
Iran was subjected to a barrage of missile strikes for a second consecutive night, with the US military reporting that it targeted 170 Iranian sites over the past 48 hours.
US Central Command (Centcom) stated that the intense bombardment was intended to "further degrade Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping and innocent civilian mariners in the strait of Hormuz".
Iranian state media reported explosions in multiple cities, predominantly in the southern region of the country, as its military responded with retaliatory attacks on US bases located in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar.
The escalating regional conflict, centered on control over the narrow and strategically vital shipping route, threatens to dismantle an interim truce between the US and Iran.
Both parties have pledged to intensify retaliatory actions should provocations persist. President Donald Trump warned that more severe consequences could follow, while Iran has threatened to broaden its assaults on US military installations in the region.
During the NATO summit in Turkey, Trump declared that he considers the memorandum of understanding with Iran to be "over," adding:
"I don’t want to deal with them."
Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, asserted that the strait of Hormuz would remain under Iranian control. He wrote on X:
"The strait of Hormuz will be reopened only under Iranian arrangements, not through US threats."
The recent strikes coincided with preparations in Iran to bury the late supreme leader Ali Khamenei in his hometown of Mashhad in northeastern Iran. The burial follows a multi-day funeral ceremony that drew millions of mourners across various cities in both Iran and Iraq.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s top negotiator, accused the US of violating the truce that had largely kept hostilities in check for the past three weeks.
"America still hasn’t learned that bullying and breaking promises are no longer cost-free. Let me put it plainly: if you strike, you’ll get hit.
Don’t flail around pointlessly, or you’ll sink even deeper: the strait of Hormuz will only open with ‘Iranian arrangements,’ not American threats."
Iranian army claims attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar
Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait experienced renewed attacks this morning as Iran continued its retaliatory strikes on US bases in the region.
Air raid sirens sounded in Bahrain – home to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet – as well as in Kuwait and Qatar, while air defense systems intercepted incoming Iranian drones and missiles. There were no immediate reports of damage.
According to a statement published by Iran’s official Irna news agency, the Iranian military targeted a US Patriot missile system in Kuwait, an early warning satellite antenna site in Qatar, and fuel tanks belonging to the US military in Bahrain.
14 people killed in Iran in recent wave of US attacks, Tehran health ministry says
The recent series of US strikes in Iran has resulted in 14 fatalities and 78 injuries, according to the Iranian health ministry.
Hossein Kermanpour, head of public relations for Iran’s ministry of health, stated on X:
"While a ceasefire was in place, the US attacked five Iranian provinces on 7 and 8 July, resulting in 14 martyrs and 78 injuries.
Of the injured, 47 remain hospitalised, while the others have been discharged after receiving medical treatment."
