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U.S. launches new airstrikes on Iran and Tehran fires back at Gulf Arab states
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The U.S. military's Central Command said it hit some 90 targets across Iran, releasing black-and-white footage of what appeared to be strikes on an airport runway and missile launchers.
The U.S. and Israeli attacks on Feb. 28.
After leaving a NATO summit in Turkey, Trump posted several videos on his social media site of what he said were explosions in Iran and issued another warning to the Islamic Republic.
"This is in retribution for yesterday's bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!" Trump wrote.
"They can talk, but I think they're wasting their time," he said.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, also a top negotiator, retorted on X that Trump's remarks "are not a sign of power but an admission of the failure" of U.S. policy toward Iran.
The funeral, which ends Thursday, was supposed to be a period of lower tensions.
The talks are meant to focus on the toughest matters, including fully reopening the strait and rolling back Tehran's disputed nuclear program.
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− launches new airstrikes on Iran and Tehran fires back at Gulf Arab states 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.
+ strikes Iran again, Tehran fires back at Gulf Arab states The United States launched new airstrikes against Iran early Thursday, and Tehran responded by targeting U.S.-allied Mideast countries, raising fears of resuming war.
− World U.S.
+ World The U.S.
− launches new airstrikes on Iran and Tehran fires back at Gulf Arab states July 9, 20261:46 AM ET By
The Associated Press
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.
+ launches new airstrikes on Iran and Tehran fires back at Gulf Arab states Updated July 9, 20269:53 AM ET Originally published July 9, 20261:46 AM ET By
The Associated Press
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.
− Khalil Hamra/AP hide caption
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — 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 in the Persian Gulf.
+ Khalil Hamra/AP hide caption
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The United States launched new airstrikes against Iran early Thursday, and Tehran responded by targeting U.S.-allied Mideast countries in an exchange of fire that threatened an interim deal intended to help end the war in the Middle East.
− Politics Trump says ceasefire with Iran is 'over' as NATO summit wraps The strikes came hours after U.S.
+ Politics Trump says ceasefire with Iran is 'over' as NATO summit wraps Back-and-forth attacks, including a day earlier, have repeatedly threatened the ceasefire, but Thursday's appeared bigger all around, with sirens sounding at least three times in Bahrain, home to the U.S.
− President Donald Trump said recent Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz signaled the end of the fragile ceasefire.
+ Navy's 5th Fleet headquarters, and missiles targeting Kuwait and Qatar.
Sirens sounded Thursday afternoon in Jordan as well, where the U.S.
− The U.S.
+ has stationed troops and aircraft.
Climate The Iran war has pushed some countries away from oil and toward clean energy An Iranian official accused the U.S.
− struck a variety of military sites and port facilities early Wednesday after Iran targeted several merchant vessels off the coast of Oman, sparking Iranian fire then as well.
+ of launching an airstrike later Thursday targeting the area around Iran's sole nuclear power plant, and other explosions were reported elsewhere in the country during the afternoon.
− But Thursday's attacks appeared bigger all around, with sirens sounding at least twice in Bahrain, home to the U.S.
+ The strikes came hours after U.S.
− Navy's 5th Fleet headquarters.
+ President Donald Trump said recent Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz signaled the end of a fragile ceasefire and threatened to escalate the conflict if they didn't stop.
− There was no immediate word of damage in the three Gulf Arab countries.
+ That raised concerns that the region could tip back into a war that would engulf several countries and could halt energy shipments through the strait that are crucial for the global economy.
In Iran, the two days of American airstrikes have killed at least 14 people and wounded another 78, Iran's Health Ministry said Thursday — most of those reportedly members of the armed forces.
Economy Tensions with Iran add fresh uncertainty to an already shaky global economy In Kuwait, the military said falling debris wounded one person as it shot down three ballistic missiles, a cruise missile and 10 drones.
− Kuwait's military said it was actively intercepting incoming drones and missiles.
+ Bahrain said it shot down incoming fire, without elaborating.
− Iran's Revolutionary Guard claimed attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait.
+ There was no immediate word of damage in Qatar, while Jordanian government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani said all incoming fire from Iran had been intercepted.
− "U.S. forces remain vigilant, lethal, and prepared to execute operations directed by the Commander in Chief," it added.
− 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.
+ said 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.
− 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.
+ 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 hide caption
Attacks on ships — and the threat of them — virtually halted traffic in the waterway during the conflict, causing the price of oil to skyrocket and raising prices on many basic goods, including food, far beyond the region.
− In Iran's southwestern Khuzestan province, at least three people were killed, state media reported.
+ The NPR Politics Podcast Trump says the Iran ceasefire is over.
− In Iranshahr, authorities said a strike had killed a firefighter at an airport.
+ What happens now?
− Those fatalities followed at least nine people being killed in Wednesday's strikes in Iran.
+ Iranian state media reported explosions in several locations, including Bushehr, home to Iran's nuclear power plant complex, and southern port cities.
− For the first time since April, it also appeared the U.S.
+ In Iran's southwestern Khuzestan province, at least three people were killed Thursday, state media reported.
− strikes targeted Iranian bridges.
+ In Iranshahr, authorities said a strike killed a firefighter at an airport.
− State media reported a strike on a railway bridge in Iran's northeastern Golestan province, and the Revolutionary Guard said two bridges had been attacked on the route to Mashhad, where officials plan to bury the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday.
+ Those fatalities followed the deaths of at least nine members of Iran's armed forces in Wednesday's strikes, according to state media.
− But it wasn't clear if the Golestan attack was the same one mentioned by the Guard.
+ It wasn't clear when the other death happened and who was killed.
+ For the first time since April, U.S. strikes also appeared to target Iranian bridges. State media reported a strike on a railway bridge in Iran's northeastern Golestan province, and the Revolutionary Guard said two bridges were attacked on the route to Mashhad, where officials plan to bury the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday.
Meanwhile Thursday, the state-run IRNA news agency quoted Ehsan Jahanian, a local official in Bushehr, as accusing the U.S. of striking near Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant. He said the strike came around noon, hours after the U.S. military's Central Command said it had ended its strikes on Iran. Central Command did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
During the Iran war, several strikes hit in the area around the plant, which is managed by Russian technicians, but caused no damage to the plant itself.
− Economy Tensions with Iran add fresh uncertainty to an already shaky global economy Trump had said earlier in the day that the latest back-and-forth fighting would not result in "long-term" military action.
+ Trump said earlier in the day that the latest back-and-forth fighting would not result in "long-term" military action.
− "Anything that happens is going to happen very fast," Trump said, though he also suggested the U.S. military might "just finish the job."
Trump also renewed his past threats to hit Iran's civilian infrastructure, including electric plants and desalinization plants, and to seize the oil-production hub of Kharg Island.
+ "Anything that happens is going to happen very fast," Trump said.
− After three tankers were hit Tuesday, the U.S. launched strikes on Iran, and Iranian forces retaliated by targeting American military sites in the Persian Gulf.
+ Trump also renewed his past threats to hit Iran's civilian infrastructure, including electric and desalination plants, and to seize Kharg Island, through which some 90% of Iranian oil exports pass.
− Iran has asserted that the interim ceasefire deal gives it the right to manage traffic through the strait. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, a key negotiator in talks seeking a permanent end to the war, was defiant in a post on X on Thursday morning: "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."
Trump fueled concerns that the war could restart by saying the interim agreement to pause fighting was "over," although he added that he would allow negotiations to continue.
+ The exchange of fire began after Iran attacked three tankers in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday.
− 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.
+ The new attacks, despite the ceasefire, could reflect a divide among Iran's leadership.
− Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA via AP hide caption
Attacks have repeatedly threatened the shaky ceasefire, but Trump's comments added new uncertainty, and oil prices shot up after he spoke.
+ Hard-liners want to ensure lasting control over the waterway, which is a globally important conduit for fuel shipments and has become a critical lever in confronting the West.
− A renewed conflict could engulf the wider Middle East and would likely again halt energy shipments through the strait.
+ Pragmatists want a permanent peace deal to lift international sanctions and provide desperately needed economic relief.
− The NPR Politics Podcast Trump says the Iran ceasefire is over.
+ Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, a key negotiator in talks seeking a permanent end to the war, was defiant in a post on X on Thursday morning: "America still hasn't learned that bullying and breaking promises are no longer cost-free.
− What happens now? "For me, I think it's over," Trump said when asked about the status of the ceasefire. He added that U.S. representatives can continue negotiations, but he cast doubt on the outcome.
+ Let me put it plainly: If you strike, you'll get hit."
Trump fueled concerns that the war could restart by saying Wednesday that the interim agreement to pause the fighting was "over." He added that he would allow negotiations to continue, though he cast doubt on the outcome.
− Trump has made other threats to seize Kharg Island, including last month, when he also questioned whether the U.S.
+ Negotiations to reach a final deal were due to start after the funeral for Khamenei, who was killed in the war's first moments.
− "has the stomach for it." Some 90% of Iranian oil exports pass through the island.
The new attacks on ships in the strait, despite the negotiations, could reflect a divide among Iran's leadership. Hard-liners seek lasting control over the waterway, which is a globally important conduit for fuel shipments and has become a critical lever in confronting the West. Pragmatists want a permanent peace deal to lift international sanctions and provide desperately needed economic relief.
Negotiations to reach a final deal were due to start after the funeral for Khamenei, who was killed Feb. 28 in the war's first moments.