The United States launched a new series of airstrikes targeting Iran early Thursday, prompting retaliatory fire from Tehran that triggered sirens and alerts in Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain. The escalation follows President Donald Trump’s declaration that a fragile ceasefire was over, warning Iran of continued U.S. retaliation for attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Thursday’s strikes appeared to be more extensive than previous ones, with sirens sounding at least twice in Bahrain, the home of the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet headquarters. Iran’s military claimed responsibility for the retaliatory fire, though there were no immediate reports of damage in the three Gulf Arab nations.
In Iran, the two days of American airstrikes have resulted in at least 14 deaths and 78 injuries, according to Iran’s Health Ministry. The U.S. military’s Central Command reported hitting approximately 90 targets across Iran, releasing footage that appeared to show strikes on an airport runway and missile launchers. A statement from Central Command indicated that U.S. forces are “vigilant, lethal, and prepared to execute operations directed by the Commander in Chief.” The stated aim of the strikes is to “further degrade” Iran’s capacity to “threaten freedom of navigation” in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for global oil and gas shipments.
Iranian state media reported explosions in several locations, including Bushehr, home to a nuclear power plant complex, and the southern port cities of Chabahar, Konarak, Bandar Abbas, and Sirik. In Iran’s Khuzestan province, state media reported three fatalities on Thursday, and an airport firefighter was killed in Iranshahr. These casualties followed the deaths of at least nine members of Iran’s armed forces in Wednesday’s strikes. The timing and circumstances of the remaining fatality were unclear.
For the first time since April, the U.S. strikes also appeared to target Iranian bridges. State media reported an attack on a railway bridge in Golestan province and the Revolutionary Guard stated two bridges leading to Mashhad, where officials plan to bury the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, were attacked. It remained unclear if the Golestan strike was the same incident mentioned by the Guard.
President Trump, speaking after leaving a NATO summit in Turkey, posted videos of what he claimed were explosions in Iran and issued a stern warning: “This is in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!” He added that any further action would be swift and suggested the U.S. military might “just finish the job.” Trump also reiterated threats to target Iran’s civilian infrastructure, such as power and desalinization plants, and to seize the oil production hub of Kharg Island.
The current conflict began after three tankers were hit on Tuesday, leading to U.S. strikes on Iran and subsequent Iranian retaliation against American military sites in the Persian Gulf. Trump’s comments have intensified concerns about a broader conflict, causing oil prices to surge. A renewed war could destabilize the wider Middle East and disrupt energy shipments through the strait.
When asked about the ceasefire, Trump stated, “For me, I think it’s over,” though he allowed that U.S. representatives could continue negotiations, expressing doubt about their success. Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi responded on X, calling Trump’s remarks an “admission of the failure” of U.S. policy toward Iran, rather than a sign of strength.
Trump’s previous threats to seize Kharg Island, through which approximately 90% of Iran’s oil exports pass, were made last month. The ongoing negotiations are intended to address critical issues, including the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the rollback of Iran’s nuclear program.
Mourners gathered in Karbala, Iraq, early Thursday for the funeral procession of Iran’s late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with thousands jostling to touch his coffin outside the Imam Hussein Shrine. The coffin of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is carried through a tightly packed crowd as mourners jostle to reach and touch it outside the Imam Hussein Shrine in Karbala, Iraq, early Thursday, July 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra) 3. Children wade in the water with cargo ships at anchor in the background and a fisherman nearby, in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA via AP) 9. A mourner holds a portrait depicting Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, top, and his late father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as mourners wait for the funeral procession for the elder Khamenei outside the Imam Hussein Shrine in Karbala, Iraq, Wednesday, July 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra) 8. The coffin of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is carried through a crowd of mourners at the Imam Hussein Shrine in Karbala, Iraq, early Thursday, July 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra) 2026. The flower petal-covered coffin of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is carried above mourners reaching out to touch it outside the Imam Hussein Shrine in Karbala, Iraq, early Thursday, July 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra) 30.
The U.S. says the strikes were intended to “further degrade” Iran’s ability “to threaten freedom of navigation” in the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s traded oil and natural gas passed before the war began with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Feb. 28.
