US Launches Sixth Night of Strikes on Iran, Targeting Coastal Defenses and Oil Tanker; IRGC Retaliates with Attacks on US Bases in Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain

The US military said it hit dozens of military targets near the Strait of Hormuz and Iranian coastal areas, with strikes lasting seven hours.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) threatened to close 'all other export corridors that benefit the US and its allies' after the US reimposed a naval blockade of Iranian ports.

The US military said it disabled an unladen oil tanker attempting to sail toward Iran’s Kharg Island after it ignored multiple warnings, firing Hellfire missiles into the ship’s smokestack.

Iran retaliated by launching strikes on US military targets in Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain, including US facilities in Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain.

The US military said it launched a sixth night of strikes on Iran, with Tehran saying attacks on bridges killed several people.

The United States and Iran exchanged strikes aimed at infrastructure and military targets on Saturday as their battle over the Strait of Hormuz intensified.

Iranian officials say recent U.S. strikes have killed dozens of people and wounded hundreds, with new casualties reported Friday, when the US military also acknowledged more injured service members.

US strikes on Iran widened early on July 17 from the Strait of Hormuz hotspot to multiple sites throughout central and southern Iran, including through the use of fighter jets, while Iran continued to pound US Gulf allies, as a fragile cease-fire further tattered.

Videos and reports in Iranian state media showed damage to bridges, railways and other infrastructure. U.S. allies in the region reported retaliatory strikes by Iran.

Chabahar port has been a repeated target of American airstrikes. Iranian state media acknowledged a third round of strikes on the facility without immediately acknowledging the tower's collapse

The U.S. and Iran expanded their targets in the latest round of strikes on Friday, as fighting over the control of the Strait of Hormuz reignites fears of an all-out war.

Rail and road connections were reportedly struck as Washington seeks to weaken Tehran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz. Iran retaliated by firing on American military facilities in the region.

The US launched a sixth night of strikes on Iran, with Tehran saying attacks on bridges killed several people. Iran has fired retaliatory strikes on US targets across the region. DW has more.

Attack on another city, Veysian, was reported as well, details of both strikes are unknown at this point

The US launched a sixth night of strikes on Iran. Tehran has reportedly told Yemen's Houthis to be ready to disrupt Red Sea shipping if Iranian power infrastructure is targeted. Follow DW for more.

Deadly US strikes overnight hit an airport, a railway station in the port city of Bandar Abbas and two bridges in southern Iran near the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media said Friday.  Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.

The US says its attacks aim to "further degrade Iranian military capabilities", as fighting continued for the sixth day in a row.

United States forces conducted a new wave of strikes against Iran on Thursday. These attacks marked the fifth consecutive night of military operations by the US. The strikes targeted Iran's military capabilities and facilities in Bandar Abbas. This escalation follows recent attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Relations between Washington and Tehran have sharply deteriorated amid these confrontations.

Sixth day of fighting threatens to turn into all-out war and casts serious doubt on peace deal struck last month • Chaos and confusion bring US no closer to resolution on strait of Hormuz Middle East crisis live – latest updates The US has intensified its attacks on Iran, hitting targets near Tehran and striking a ship it accused of trying to break its blockade, while Iran retaliated by firing missiles and drones at US allies in the region The back-and-forth attacks, which have reached their sixth consecutive day, threaten to pull the region back into a total war and cast serious doubt about an interim deal reached last month meant to achieve a permanent peace. Continue reading...

US renews blockade of Iranian ports, while Iran attacks sites in Bahrain and Kuwait. Plus, legendary director John Waters on 60 years of screen carnage Good morning. The US has fired on an oil tanker attempting to reach Kharg Island in the strait of Hormuz as part of its blockade on Iranian ports, as Tehran came under attack for the first time in the latest round of strikes. The US targeted coastal defences and missile sites, as well as targets farther north, with state media reporting strikes on the country’s capital, Tehran. The US also said it had disabled the unladen oil tanker, firing Hellfire missiles into the ship’s smokestack after it ignored multiple warnings. What other development have happened in the region? Donald Trump said Iran has released a US citizen detained since 2024, identified as Dena Karari, a dual US-Iranian citizen. Meanwhile, the Israeli defence minister, Israel Katz, told US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, that Israel was determined to keep its forces in “security zones” in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza. What did the man’s family say? Arenas-Silva’s sister and immigrants’ rights groups in Georgia said in a press statement that ICE did not provide him with necessary medications during his time in detention for an unnamed condition he was dealing with, despite his family’s pleas that he take the medications during his arrest last week. How is the crisis becoming more international? Mexico has formally requested that US state attorneys general criminally investigate cases of immigrants who have died in ICE custody or during raids, the Mexican government has said. Since the beginning of Donald Trump’s second term, 17 Mexican immigrants have died during immigration enforcement, 14 in ICE custody and three in agency operations. Continue reading...

Iran has struck sites in Jordan and Gulf states after the US military widened its set of Iranian targets, including in the north of the country. DW has more.

The U.S. military has appeared to widen its targets in Iran, while Iran has fired at bases belonging to American allies in the Middle East.

Iran's Health Ministry has said at least 35 people have been killed and more than 300 injured since fighting resumed.

Explosions were heard across Iran overnight, shortly after neighbouring Gulf states began to report attacks.

The US, early on Thursday, launched a second wave of attacks on Iran’s coastal defences and missile sites within a span of 24 hours after reimposing a naval blockade of Iranian ports, and Tehran responded by again targeting US military sites in neighboring Gulf countries. The latest escalation comes days after a fragile truce collapsed, raising the specter of a return to full-scale war, with Iran once again threatening to shut off more regional energy exports after blocking the vital Strait of Hormuz. Hostilities have intensified since Iran said late on Saturday it had closed the Strait of Hormuz. Military operations are also keeping ships from transiting the vital artery, which carried about a fifth of global oil and gas shipments before the US-Israeli war on Iran. Brent crude oil, the international benchmark, closed at a one-month high of $84.95 a barrel on Wednesday. US Central Command said the military had attacked coastal defence systems and cruise missile storage and launch sites on Iran’s Greater Tunb Island starting around 6am EDT, then launched a second wave of strikes against multiple cities nine hours later. “US forces struck Iranian command centres, air defence sites, missile and drone capabilities, and coastal surveillance facilities,” it said in a statement, adding it also hit targets in Bandar Abbas, home to Iran’s largest port and key navy and Iran’s Revolutionary Guards facilities on the Strait of Hormuz. “Earlier this morning, American forces struck coastal defence and cruise missile sites on Greater Tunb Island during a 90-minute wave,” the US military added. The US military also said it disabled an unladen oil tanker attempting to sail toward Iran’s Kharg Island after it ignored multiple warnings, firing Hellfire missiles into the ship’s smokestack. Since resuming a naval blockade against Iran on Tuesday, the US has redirected two ships and disabled another, the military said. Iranian news media reported a series of explosions, mainly in coastal areas such as Bandar Abbas. Other explosions or projectile strikes were reported around the city of Ahvaz, just inland from the northern end of the Gulf, and Konarak, Sirik and Qeshm in southern Iran. Press TV reported at least two explosions in the central Iranian city of Khondab, about 250 km southwest of Tehran. Mehr news agency reported Iran activated its air defences in Tehran to counter “hostile threats.” Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported that the US attacks struck near a hospital in Ahvaz that houses a pediatric cancer centre, forcing the temporary evacuation of the hospital. Families have come out to the streets around the hospital to care for their children, IRIB said. For its part, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had struck US military targets in the region, including in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan. The Guards said it targeted the “communication systems and fuel storage facilities of the US military” in Jordan. Separately, the IRGC said it struck “radar systems, a Patriot air defence system, and fuel storage facilities at Ali Al Salem Air Base” in Kuwait and US military facilities at the Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain, IRIB reported. The war has killed thousands of people and displaced millions, mainly in Iran and Lebanon, where the conflict restarted between Israel and Hezbollah. After the first wave, Tehran’s top negotiator Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf issued a statement declaring that Iranian security depended on maintaining what he called “Iranian arrangements” in the strait. “We are in an essential and existential war with America,” Qalibaf said. Trump claims Iran wants to settle US President Donald Trump struck a triumphant note, as he has repeatedly since the US and Israel started hostilities on February 28, saying, “We’ll have Iran defeated soon. They’ll be defeated very soon.” Speaking at a roundtable event at the Pennsylvania Defence and Innovation Summit, Trump also claimed the Iranians want to “settle so badly”. “They don’t like what we’re doing, and they do want to settle. We’ll find out whether or not we settle with them, or we just finish it off,” Trump said. On Tuesday, Trump said US negotiators had been in touch with their Iranian counterparts to tell them “you better make a deal.” Iran’s military spokesperson said that the only way to reopen the Strait of Hormuz was for the US to comply with the 14-point memorandum of understanding that the two sides signed in June, and the implementation of “Iranian regulations” regarding ship traffic in the strait. Even amid the hostilities, there was a possible sign of goodwill. Trump said Iran had allowed an American who was “wrongfully detained” during the Biden administration’s tenure in 2024 to leave the country. “The United States of America appreciates this gesture of Goodwill by Iran,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. Human rights attorney Jared Genser identified the released American as Dena Karari, who had been prevented from leaving Iran since December 2024. “Dena is now safe and traveling back to the United States,” Genser wrote on X, thanking Trump for his efforts to free her.

US disables unladen oil tanker using Hellfire missiles in strait of Hormuz amid concerns strikes could spiral into open conflict The US has fired on an oil tanker attempting to reach Kharg Island in the strait of Hormuz as part of its blockade on Iranian ports, as Tehran came under attack for the first time in this latest round of strikes. The US said on Thursday morning it had disabled an unladen oil tanker, during a fifth day of strikes, firing Hellfire missiles into the ship’s smokestack after it ignored multiple warnings. Continue reading...

The United States launched a fresh wave of strikes against Iran on Wednesday, targeting military capabilities linked to threats against shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump warned he could widen the campaign unless Tehran returned to negotiations. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.

The United States has launched fresh strikes on Iranian missile and coastal defense sites after reinstating a naval blockade. Iran responded by warning it could disrupt more regional energy exports. DW has more.

The United States launched a new wave of strikes against Iran on Wednesday to curb its ability to threaten shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, as US President Donald Trump warned he could widen attacks unless the Islamic republic returned to talks. US Central Command said the strikes began at 1900 GMT and targeted Iranian military capabilities used to threaten vessels freely transiting the vital waterway. The US military also said one of its aircraft fired on and disabled an empty oil tanker that...

United States forces conducted new airstrikes against Iran on Wednesday. These strikes targeted coastal defense systems and missile infrastructure near the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian media reported explosions across southern Iran following the US attacks. Iran's parliament speaker described the conflict as an existential war with America. The renewed strikes further weakened hopes of reviving a recent ceasefire agreement.

The strikes are targeting Iranian military capabilities used to threaten vessels freely transiting through the Strait of Hormuz

The US military on Wednesday launched rare daytime attacks on Iran, including a 90-minute wave of strikes, as it reimposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports. Tehran responded with strikes on “US military targets” in Gulf states and threatened to halt energy exports in the region.

A new round of US strikes across Iran hit dozens of military targets in areas near the Strait of Hormuz, including missile storage and launch sites on Greater Tunb island, according to western military officials.

US Central Command said it has resumed daylight strikes on Iran, targeting coastal defences and missile sites. Tehran has reported casualties as tensions rise over a renewed blockade threat, calls for retaliation and the ongoing dispute over the Strait of Hormuz.

The US military on Wednesday launched a fresh "wave of strikes" on Iran, CENTCOM announced. News of the strikes came after an Iranian government spokesperson said more than 30 civilians were killed in US air strikes targeting the country’s southern region in “recent days”. Tehran was quick to retaliate with Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain all reporting attacks. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.

President Donald Trump vowed to strike Iran's bridges and power plants next week if the country does not return to talks.

After closing the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran on Wednesday threatened to shut additional energy export routes including the Bab el-Mandeb gateway to the Red Sea, a major global shipping route through which Saudi Arabia exports its oil. The warning comes after the US launched a fresh round of strikes on Iran.

Less than a month after signing an MoU as a step towards peace, the US reinstates a naval blockade on Iranian ports.

The ​latest threat to global shipping comes after ‌the U.S. military said it began a fresh round of strikes “to continue degrading Iranian capabilities used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz”

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has threatened to close “all other export corridors that benefit the US and its allies”, Iranian media reported on Wednesday, after Tehran shut the Strait of Hormuz and the US reimposed a naval blockade of Iranian ports. The IRGC said the renewed US blockade had cut off oil and gas exports to the world, including “America’s economic rivals”, and warned that routes serving US and allied interests could also be shut, Iran’s state news agency, IRNA, reported on Wednesday. “Regional energy exports are either shared by all or denied to all,” the IRGC said in its statement. It also said that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed until “the end of America’s evils”. The vital Strait of Hormuz, which served as the passage for one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas supply daily during peacetime, is now at the centre of a flare-up in the US-Israeli war on Iran that has rattled the Middle East and pushed up global energy prices. Analysts have said Iran has also been signalling it may use the Houthis in Yemen to shut the Bab-el-Mandeb gateway to the Red Sea, opening a new front against Washington and putting two of the world’s most vital energy arteries at risk. The narrow gateway links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, through which Saudi oil exports and a substantial share of global shipping pass. The Houthis have already shown they can choke global commerce through the Bab-el-Mandeb. After Israel launched an assault on Gaza in October 2023, Houthis launched attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, saying it was targeting vessels linked to Israel in support of Palestinians. The latest threat to global shipping comes a day after the US military said it began a fresh round of strikes “to continue degrading Iranian capabilities used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.” The United States claimed Iran had attacked seven commercial ships over the last week, leading to nearly a dozen crew members being killed, missing or injured. Fresh salvo The US military said late on Tuesday that it hit dozens of military targets near the Strait of Hormuz and Iranian coastal areas. The wave of strikes lasted seven hours, the US Central Command said in a statement. Iranian state media reported explosions near the port city of Bandar Abbas, on the island of Qeshm and on Bandar Imam Khomeini. According to state broadcaster IRIB, a wheat storage silo in Iran’s southwestern city of Hoveyzeh was also hit by US projectiles. Meanwhile, IRNA said projectiles hit an area near Sirik in southern Iran. None of the Iranian reports mentioned any casualties. Soon after the strikes, sirens rang out in Bahrain, while Kuwait and Jordan reported intercepting drones and missiles fired from Iran. IRNA reported that Iranian forces launched a drone attack on a military base in Jordan that hosts American warplanes, while the Guards had hit US facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait. The Guards said they had also targeted command-and-control, logistics, fuel and military equipment facilities belonging to the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, in response to the latest US strikes in the Strait of Hormuz. The IRGC further said it had set fire to and destroyed a US logistics facility in Kuwait’s Mina Abdullah and that its air force had struck a US base at Azraq in Jordan, targeting aircraft hangars. It alleged that some of the US attacks had been launched from bases on Jordanian territory. Kuwait’s state news agency reported that a fire was brought under control at a site targeted in Iranian attacks. It was not immediately clear whether the fire was at the same site referred to in the IRGC statement. The hostilities between Iran and the US reignited last week, fraying an already fragile truce reached in June after several months of fighting that has killed thousands. Since last week, renewed US attacks have killed at least 28 people in Iran, according to an AFP tally based on Iranian media and official announcements. Trump has warned he would widen the strikes on Iran next week to hit power plants and bridges if Tehran does not return to the negotiating table. “Next week it gets really bad for them,” he told Fox News on Tuesday night. The latest strikes came hours after US President Donald Trump backed down on his planned 20 per cent levy on ships using the Strait Hormuz. Tehran insists it controls the key oil shipping corridor, which was open to free navigation before the US-Israeli attacks in late February sparked the ongoing conflict. Tehran has recently also targeted ships in the strait for taking routes it says are unauthorised. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said the US decision to restore the blockade “has, in a way, dismantled the Islamabad memorandum”, referring to the interim deal reached last month to halt hostilities and pursue peace talks.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has threatened to close “all other export corridors that ⁠benefit the US and its allies”, Iranian media reported, after Iran shut the Strait of Hormuz and the US reimposed a naval blockade of Iranian ports. “Regional energy exports are either shared by all, or denied to all,” the IRGC said in a statement carried by Iran’s IRNA state news agency on Wednesday. Analysts have said Iran has been signalling it may use its Houthi allies in Yemen to shut the Bab...

The United States launched strikes against Iran on Wednesday, with bombings reported in Bandar Abbas, on the island of Qeshm and in the city of Ahvaz. Tehran was quick to retaliate, with Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain all reporting attacks. These strike exchanges come alongside the resumption of the US naval blockade on Iranian ports. Follow our liveblog for the latest updates.

US forces carried out strikes against Iran for a fourth day in a row and reimposed a naval blockade to prevent ships from sailing to or from the country's ports.

US forces have carried out strikes against Iran for a fourth day in a row and reimposed a naval blockade.

The United States has resumed its naval blockade of Iranian ports and coastal areas. American forces also launched additional strikes against Iranian military capabilities linked to shipping attacks. These actions follow a series of strikes and counterstrikes in the strategic Strait of Hormuz. The conflict escalates tensions over one of the world's most important energy transit routes. The US military has significantly expanded its presence across the Middle East.

US forces on Tuesday reimposed a naval blockade to prevent ships from sailing to or from Iran's ports and conducted strikes against the country for a fourth day in response to Tehran's attacks on commercial ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz and on Gulf facilities.

As the US-Israeli war with Iran continues to impact and shape the region, journalists from RFE/RL's Central Newsroom and Iranian service, Radio Farda, deliver ongoing updates and analysis.