US Strikes Kill 14 in Iran as Tehran Retaliates Against Gulf Bases

The United States launched airstrikes on about 90 military targets across Iran, killing at least 14 people and injuring 78, prompting Iranian retaliation with missile and drone attacks on US-linked facilities in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Jordan. These Iran strikes followed Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz and came hours after President Donald Trump stated that the ceasefire was over.

US Airstrikes Hit Iranian Military and Infrastructure Sites

US Central Command said its forces struck approximately 90 military targets across Iran, including air defence systems, coastal surveillance assets, missile launchers, drone storage sites and logistics infrastructure. [3] The operation targeted military sites and port facilities early on Wednesday after Iran targeted several merchant vessels off the coast of Oman. [1] Iranian state media reported explosions in several locations, including Bushehr, home to Iran’s nuclear power plant complex, and the southern port cities of Chabahar, Konarak, Bandar Abbas and Sirik. [1] Iranian officials said US strikes hit military installations, a fishing dock and the perimeter of the Bushehr nuclear power plant, the country's only operational nuclear power station built with Russian assistance. [3] Officials said the reactor itself was not hit. [3] In Iran’s southwestern Khuzestan province, at least three people were killed, state media reported. [1] In Iranshahr, authorities said a strike had killed a firefighter at an airport. [1] Those fatalities followed at least nine people being killed in Wednesday’s strikes in Iran. [1] Iranian Ministry of Health spokesman Hossein Kermanpour wrote on X later yesterday that US airstrikes over the past two days had killed at least 14 people and wounded 78. [1] For the first time since April, it also appeared that the US strikes targeted Iranian bridges. [1] State media reported a strike on a railway bridge in Golestan Province, while Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said two bridges had been attacked on the route to Mashhad. [1] Iranian media reported that a US strike damaged a railway bridge used for trade with Russia and China, while additional bridges on the route leading to Mashhad were also targeted. [3] US strikes also hit a military site and a fishing dock in Bushehr province, its deputy governor said. [4] The US said that the strikes were intended to “further degrade” Iran’s ability “to threaten freedom of navigation” in the strait. [1]

Iranian Retaliation Targets US Assets in Gulf States

US strikes cause explosions near Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant complex. — Source: france24 Iran responded with missile and drone attacks targeting US military assets and allied facilities in the Middle East. [3] Iran’s army said in a statement released by state media that it had launched attacks at US Patriot systems with drones in Kuwait, an early warning site in Qatar (satellite antenna) and a fuel storage of the US army in Bahrain. [4] The Kuwaiti military said it intercepted three ballistic missiles, one cruise missile and 10 drones before they reached their targets. [3] One person was injured after being struck by falling debris from intercepted projectiles. [3] Iran’s military said it targeted a US early warning site, including satellite antenna infrastructure, in Qatar, home to Al Udeid Air Base, the largest American military installation in the Middle East. [3] Air raid sirens sounded across Bahrain multiple times before Bahraini authorities said their air defence systems had intercepted incoming missiles. [3] Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they fired 10 ballistic missiles at Jordan’s Azraq military base, which is used by US forces, as well as what they described as a US military command centre in the region. [3] Jordan said its air defence systems intercepted eight incoming missiles and reported no casualties or damage. [3] Kuwait said its armed forces had engaged with a cruise missile, three ballistic missiles and 10 drones in its airspace, and that one person had been injured from falling shrapnel. [4] Sirens also sounded in Jordan on Thursday after missiles launched from Iran were detected in Jordanian airspace. [4] Eight missiles were intercepted, with no injuries or damage reported. [4] There was no immediate word of damage in the three Gulf Arab countries from attacks claimed by Iran’s military. [1]

Burial of Slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

The exchanges occurred as Iran buried Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Mashhad, who was killed in a US strike earlier this year. [3] Iran’s longest-serving Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was flown back to Iran from Iraq, with his coffin escorted by a fighter jet. [5] Khamenei was killed during Operation Epic Fury, a US military operation carried out in coordination with Israel that targeted senior Iranian leaders. [5] Khamenei served as Iran's second supreme leader from 1989 until his death on February 28 this year. [5] His coffin was brought from Iraq after funeral rites in the Shia holy cities of Najaf and Karbala. [5] Footage showed the coffin being moved through crowded streets towards the shrine, with mourners carrying Iranian flags and images of the late leader. [5] Khamenei will be buried alongside his infant granddaughter, son-in-law, daughter and Zahra Haddad Adel, the wife of his son Mojtaba Khamenei, all of whom were killed in the February strikes. [5] The arrival in Mashhad marked the final stage of a week-long series of mourning events held across Iran and Iraq. [5] Large crowds gathered on the streets of Mashhad as preparations continued for Khamenei's burial at the shrine of Imam Reza. [5] The burial prayer is scheduled to be led by Hossein Noori Hamedani, a 101-year-old ayatollah. [5] Khamenei’s chief of staff, Mohammad Mohammadi-Golpaygani, earlier said on state television that the late leader had personally wished to be buried in his hometown of Mashhad. [5] The funeral ceremonies followed several days of mourning across Tehran, the clerical centre of Qom, and the Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala. [5]

Trump Declares Ceasefire Over Amid Hormuz Shipping Attacks

President Trump stated the ceasefire was over and described the US action as retribution for Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, warning of worse consequences if repeated. [1] After leaving a NATO summit in Turkey, Trump posted several videos on Truth Social of what he said were explosions in Iran and issued another warning to the nation. [1] “This is in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!” Trump wrote. [1] Trump had said earlier in the day that the latest back-and-forth fighting would not result in “long-term” military action. [1] “Anything that happens is going to happen very fast,” Trump said. [1] The US military said on Wednesday its latest strikes were aimed at keeping the Strait of Hormuz open after it said Iranian forces had struck three tankers in the area. [4] Asked before the NATO summit on Wednesday whether the memorandum of understanding with Iran was over, Trump said: “It’s a very interesting question. To me, I think it’s over. I don’t want to deal with them.” [4] The assault came hours after US President Donald Trump said he believed the interim ceasefire with Iran to be “over”. [4] However, the US leader, who was attending a NATO summit in Turkey, also said he did not think the latest military strikes would escalate into a full-fledged conflict with Iran. [4] “Anything that happens is going to be over very quickly … and will only make it safer, including for oil,” he told reporters in Ankara. [4]

Iranian Warnings on Strait of Hormuz Control

Iranian officials asserted the right to manage traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and warned that further US strikes would draw a crushing response. [1] Iran has said that the ceasefire deal gives it the right to manage traffic through the strait. [1] “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,” Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, a key negotiator in talks seeking a permanent end to the war, wrote on X yesterday. [1] Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Navy said the US attacks and intervention in redirecting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz were disrupting the waterway’s gradual reopening. [4] The Guards said the number of vessels transiting the strait under Iranian supervision had recovered to about 50% of pre-war levels over the past two weeks, adding that permission was being granted only to ships using routes designated by Tehran. [4] The Guards warned that any further US intervention would draw a “crushing response” and insisted the waterway would reopen only “under Iranian arrangements, not through US threats,” Reuters reported. [3] “The U.S. has yet to learn that bullying and breaking its commitments no longer come without a cost. Let me be clear: If you strike, you will be struck back,” Iran’s top negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, wrote on X. [4] “The Strait of Hormuz will be reopened only under Iranian arrangements, not through U.S. threats.” [4]

Regional Reactions and Diplomatic Calls

Qatar condemned attacks on commercial shipping and renewed calls for diplomacy to prevent a broader conflict. [3] Qatar, which hosts the largest US military base in the region and has often mediated between Washington and its adversaries including Tehran, condemned attacks on commercial shipping but also called for a return to diplomacy. [4] The latest escalation began after the US carried out a fresh round of strikes on Iranian military infrastructure, saying the operation was retaliation for attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and aimed at ensuring "freedom of navigation". [3] Iran responded with missile and drone attacks targeting US military assets and allied facilities in the Middle East, while reiterating that any further American intervention would invite a "crushing response". [3] The exchange came as Iran buried Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Mashhad following his death in a US strike earlier this year. [3] US President Donald Trump also declared that the interim ceasefire with Tehran was effectively "over", although diplomatic negotiations continue. [3] The latest attacks marked the biggest breach of the truce since it came into force in April. [3] Oil prices, which had spiked amid concerns over the impact of the renewed attacks on shipping and global supplies, fell back on Thursday as investors weighed whether the flare-up was tactical and temporary or might augur a complete collapse in the ceasefire. [4]

What to watch next: Diplomatic negotiations continue amid renewed calls for a return to talks, with the Strait of Hormuz remaining under Iranian arrangements as vessel traffic recovers to about 50% of pre-war levels.