US Launches 90 Strikes on Iran After Trump Vows to Hit 'Hard'; Iran Fires Back at US Bases in Kuwait and Bahrain

The number of targets struck by the US varies between sources, with some reporting 90 targets and others not specifying the exact number.

The exact number of ships attacked by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz is mentioned as three by some sources, while others do not specify.

The exact number of casualties from the strikes is not consistently reported across sources.

The exact number of strikes launched by the US is not consistently reported across sources.

The exact number of strikes launched by Iran is not consistently reported across sources.

This difference reflects Iran’s limited firepower and degraded air defenses, and highlights how the war is taking a disproportionate toll on Iranians.

Explosions reported in southern Iran in most extensive exchange of fire since interim ceasefire. Plus the complicated legacy of beat poet Allen Ginsberg Good morning. The US military carried out strikes on Iran for a second day, hours after President Donald Trump said an interim agreement to end the war was “over”. Iranian state media reported explosions in the port city of Bandar Abbas in the strait of Hormuz; in Sirik, another southern coastal city; and the south-western Bushehr province, home to Iran’s nuclear-power-plant complex. US Central Command confirmed the strikes. On Tuesday, three cargo ships ⁠transiting the strait of Hormuz were attacked, leading to the most extensive exchange of fire between the two sides since the interim deal was signed last month. At the Nato summit in Ankara yesterday, Trump said: “Anything that happens is going to happen very fast” and that the latest strikes would not result in “long-term” military action. “They are behaving very badly,” Trump said, accusing Iran of launching drones and a missile at ships. What are the economic impacts of the renewed hostilities? US stock markets fell on Wednesday, and Brent crude, the global benchmark for oil prices, jumped more than 5% to crest $80 a barrel. The International Monetary Fund lowered its global economic growth forecast to 3%, citing conflict in the Middle East. Jorge León, the head of geopolitical analysis at Rystad Energy, said: “Tanker traffic through the strait of Hormuz has essentially stopped, which tells you more about risk perception right now than any statement from Washington or Tehran.” Who could replace Platner? Maine Democrats have until 27 July to select a replacement to face Susan Collins in a race widely seen as pivotal to control of the Senate. The state party said it would hold a nominating convention to pick a new candidate. Troy Jackson, Janet Mills, Valli Geiger and Shenna Bellows are among the names in the frame – with Joseph Gedeon profiling them and assessing their prospects in this piece. Continue reading...

US President Donald Trump called the new wave of strikes on Iran retaliation for alleged attacks on vessels

The United States launched new airstrikes against Iran early Thursday, and Tehran responded by targeting Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar in crossfire that again threatened an interim deal intended to help end the war.

"U.S. forces struck approximately 90 Iranian military targets including air defense systems, coastal surveillance assets, missile and drone storage sites, naval capabilities, and military logistics infrastructure along Iran’s coastline," the US Central Command said

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had struck US military bases in Bahrain and Kuwait in response to fresh American strikes. They also warned their responses would expand to other bases across the region if US attacks were repeated.

The United States military said on Wednesday it launched fresh strikes on Iran to keep the Strait of Hormuz open to shipping, triggering Iranian attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain in the latest escalation to derail efforts to end the war. The latest round of attacks, which the US said was carried out in response to Tuesday’s assault on three cargo ships transiting the strait, came hours after President Donald Trump said he believed an interim ceasefire with Iran to be “over”. “US Central Command forces have started conducting additional strikes against Iran to further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,” Centcom, the US military’s Middle East command, wrote on X. “The US is holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews freely navigating a vital international waterway.” “This is in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. The US strikes rattled several cities along Iran’s southern coast and left some areas without power. Iran responded with a second day of attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain, both home to US military bases. Kuwait’s Defence Ministry said it was intercepting missiles and drones, while Qatar briefly issued an “elevated security threat” alert before later giving the all-clear. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said on Thursday they had struck US military bases in Bahrain and Kuwait in response to the fresh American strikes, in a statement carried by state television IRIB. 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. Control of the strait, through which a fifth of global oil supplies passed before the war, has given Tehran immense leverage, effectively allowing it to force a stalemate with the world’s most powerful military. It should be noted that Iran has not claimed responsibility for the ship attacks. “The US 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. “The Strait of Hormuz will be reopened only under Iranian arrangements, not through US threats.” The latest exchange of strikes appeared to dim hopes of turning a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed on June 17 into a permanent deal to end the war, which began with US-Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28. Asked before a Nato summit in Turkey on Wednesday whether the MoU over, Trump said: “It’s a very interesting question. To me, I think it’s over. I don’t want to deal with them.” “If we make a deal with Iran I’m not sure that will stick,” Trump later said. “I found them to be very dishonourable people.” But Trump, who has repeatedly threatened to escalate military action before backing off, said he did not expect a return to full-fledged war, and that it was not clear whether the negotiations on reaching a permanent deal would continue. Also on Wednesday, Trump said he did not think the war would restart: “Anything that happens is going to be over very quickly … and will only make it safer, including for oil.” Major Iran port hit by strikes Iranian media reported strikes primarily along Iran’s southern coast, from the Strait of Hormuz to the Gulf of Oman. Among the locations hit were Bandar Abbas, home to Iran’s largest port and key navy and Revolutionary Guards facilities on the Strait of Hormuz, as well as Konarak and Chabahar, neighbouring coastal cities near Iran’s border with Pakistan. Electricity had been restored to most areas of Chabahar after strikes knocked out power for some in the city, Mehr news agency reported, citing the local utility. Media also reported that a maritime traffic control tower in Chabahar was hit. A firefighter was killed in a strike on the airport in the southeastern city of Iranshahr, state media reported. In northern Iran, a US attack hit a railway bridge near the town of Aqqala, according to Press TV. Prior to the fresh US attacks on Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei had said US strikes had violated the memorandum by challenging a clause that “emphasises the Islamic Republic of Iran’s responsibility in determining arrangements for the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz”. A spokesperson for parliament’s National Security Commission had said options for retaliation included withdrawing from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), changing Iran’s nuclear doctrine, and closing the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait at the mouth of the Red Sea, another crucial global shipping route. In a letter to the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday, Iran’s mission to the UN accused the United States of “blatant violation of the Charter of the United Nations and its international obligations” and said its attacks violated the memorandum of understanding signed by the two countries.

The US military launched a new round of strikes against Iran on Wednesday, following President Donald Trump's assertion that the fragile ceasefire between the two countries was over. Trump warned that the attacks could get "much worse" if Iran perpetrated further attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

"They hit actually three boats, not two, and when they hit, we hit back much harder," the president said

The United States launched new strikes on Iran on Wednesday after US President Donald Trump vowed to hit “hard” following Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump, while ordering retaliation against Tehran, said he expected the latest military flare-up to end quickly and left the door open to more talks. US Central Command said the strikes were carried out to degrade the ability of Iranian forces “to threaten freedom of navigation” in the strait, through which a fifth of the...

Both the United States and Iran said they had hit dozens of targets in the initial wave of attacks

The US military said it had launched new strikes on targets in Iran just hours after President Donald Trump said a cease-fire accord with Tehran was "over" and threatened to "hit them [Iran] hard tonight."

The U.S. carried out another round of strikes on Iran on Wednesday, hours after President Donald Trump said that recent Iranian attacks on ships in Strait of Hormuz signaled the end of the ceasefire. Military officials said in a social media post that the strikes were intended to "further degrade" Iran's ability “to threaten freedom of navigation” in the strait. FRANCE 24's Yinka Oyetade speaks with Negah Angha, Visiting Fellow with King's College London.

Explosions have been reported by Iranian state media in parts of the country's south.

The United States launched fresh strikes on Iran on Wednesday night, the second wave of strikes in 24 hours after President Trump declared a ceasefire to be over. DW has more.

The United States launched fresh strikes on Iran on Wednesday night, the second wave of strikes in 24 hours after President Trump declared a ceasefire to be over. DW has more.

United States Central Command forces conducted new strikes against Iran on Thursday. These actions aim to weaken Iran's ability to threaten shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. The strikes followed Iran's recent aggression against commercial vessels and civilian crews. President Donald Trump indicated the possibility of further swift military action against the Islamic Republic. This escalation follows exchanges of strikes on military targets and shipping incidents.

Iranian officials insist that Tehran will not give up control over the waterway as US attacks threaten fragile truce.