• At least three people were killed in US attacks on Iran’s Hormozgan, as US forces continued attacks on southern Iran and expanded them to central areas.
• Two oil tankers exploded and caught fire after passing through minefields in the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian media reported.
  Iran continued attacks on Gulf countries, including Kuwait, where the military said several of its personnel were injured.
• UN chief Antonio Guterres condemned “unacceptable” attacks on civilian infrastructure in Iran and elsewhere in the Gulf, according to his spokesman.
• Satellite imagery showed new damage inside Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant complex.

Three killed, eight injured in US air strikes on Iran’s Hormozgan

Iranian deputy governor of Hormozgan province says US air strikes on some parts of the region have killed three people, Tasnim news agency reports.

According to the report, the official added that eight other people were injured in the attacks.

Saudi civil defense says warning lifted in Al-Kharj, Yanbu

The General Directorate of Saudi Civil Defence has said that a warning issued for the residents of Al-Kharj and Yanbu governorates has been lifted, after the “danger has passed”.

Air raid sirens activated in Bahrain

The Ministry of Interior has told people to “remain calm and head to the nearest safe place”

The US-Iran conflict escalates

There are no signs of de-escalation as the US strikes further inside Iran and Tehran responds by targeting Washington’s military assets in the region.

Iran says its missiles struck US fighter jets in Jordan

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards say they targeted US fighter jets stationed in Jordan.

The Tasnim news agency reported that Iranian missiles successfully hit the Muwaffaq Salti airbase. The report could not be independently verified.

Arab media said the sound of explosions at US bases in Jordan was loud enough to be heard in the occupied Palestinian territory.

Missile hits maritime control tower on Iran’s Larak Island, Tasnim says

Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reports that a missile hit the maritime navigation control tower on Larak Island in southern Iran.

No official details regarding the extent of the damage have been released by local authorities yet, according to the Tasnim report.

US military says IRGC’s claim that oil tankers exploded is ‘false’

The US military’s Central Command has refuted the IRGC’s “claims that two oil tankers have exploded in the Strait of Hormuz after hitting mines in the international waterway”.

“Like most IRGC claims, this is false,” CENTCOM said in a post on X.

CENTCOM has the "tradition" of what it calls "fact check" but without providing evidence that supports its "fact check."

Kuwait says responding to Iranian drone attacks

The Kuwaiti Defence Ministry says it is responding to Iranian drone attacks, adding that loud sounds heard across the country were due to interceptions.

US air strikes intensify, with three killed in Hormozgan

The US air strikes have intensified compared with earlier hours, with explosions reported in the central city of Yazd and the southern cities of Lar, Ahvaz, Sirik, Bushehr, Bandar Abbas and Darab.

Qeshm Island has also seen explosions for another consecutive night.

Local authorities in Hormozgan province say US air strikes targeted two bridges and one tunnel in the province.

The deputy governor of Hormozgan said three people were killed and eight others injured in “enemy” attacks on several locations across the province in the early hours of Saturday.

The IRGC says an MQ-9 drone was tracked and shot down over Bushehr by the IRGC Navy’s newly deployed advanced air defense system.

The Iranian Navy says it targeted a hostile US vessel in the northern Indian Ocean with a shore-to-sea cruise missile.

The IRGC has also confirmed carrying out attacks on US military assets in Bahrain.

In another statement, the IRGC says four noncompliant vessels, backed by the US military, attempted to transit the Strait of Hormuz and were stopped in place during a combined missile and drone operation.

In a separate statement, the IRGC says two oil tankers exploded and caught fire after passing through a mined route south of the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran says military drones targeted US bases in Kuwait and Jordan

Iran’s military says that its forces have launched drone strikes targeting several US military infrastructure sites in Kuwait and Jordan, according to the Tasnim news agency.

According to the statement, the targeted locations include:

• Camp Udairi (Kuwait): An ammunition depot.
• Ali Al Salem Base (Kuwait): Headquarters buildings, ammunition depots, and nearby connecting bridges.
• Muwaffaq Salti/Al Azraq Air Base (Jordan): Military fuel tanks.

The military warned, according to the report, that any country attempting to test the will of the Iranian nation will face the resolve and readiness of its armed forces.

‘Some ships are getting through’ the Strait of Hormuz, but in ‘very limited numbers’

CENTCOM says that one of those routes to the Strait of Hormuz remains open, and ships are passing through it.

Now, part of the confusion in all of this is that basically the US appears to be protecting one of the routes through the Strait of Hormuz, and that is the one along the Omani coast, whereas Iran appears to be controlling the route closest to the Iranian coast.

Those ships that have been passing through the strait appear to be taking that route protected, the US says, by its vessels. So, it would appear that some ships are getting through, but very limited numbers, indeed.

Remembering that the US is attempting to protect shipping through that Omani route, at the same time as enforcing a blockade of the Iranian route, obviously a massive strain on its military or naval resources.

Air raid sirens sound again in Bahrain

Warning sirens are blaring in Bahrain for the second time in a matter of hours, prompting authorities to urge residents to seek shelter immediately.

Local officials warn people to avoid unnecessary travel in Iran’s Hormozgan

Local officials have warned people to avoid unnecessary travel on the roads due to the possibility of renewed attacks in Iran’s southern Hormozgan governorate, according to the Tasnim news agency.

Local authorities are working to assess conditions and create alternative routes, the governorate added.

The US attacks have targeted several bridges across Hormozgan over the past two nights, with three people killed in the early hours of Saturday.

US military completes seventh consecutive night of strikes against Iran

US Central Command (CENTCOM) says the US military has completed its seventh consecutive night of strikes against Iran.

The command said that “US forces employed fighter aircraft, aerial drones, and warships, in addition to other assets, to hit surveillance sites, military logistics infrastructure, underground weapons storage, and maritime capabilities”.

The statement said the strikes concluded at 9:30pm Eastern Time on July 17 (01:30 GMT, July 18).

“CENTCOM continues to hold Iran accountable at the Commander in Chief’s direction while fully enforcing a naval blockade against Iranian ports,” the statement continued.

“More than 50,000 American service members are operating across the Middle East and remain vigilant, lethal, and ready,” it added.

Hormuz traffic falls to three-week low

The number of ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz has fallen to the lowest level in three weeks, amid renewed fighting between the US and Iran, according to tracking site MarineTraffic.

Just eight ships were confirmed to have crossed through the monitored section of the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, “down from 15 a day earlier”, MarineTraffic said in an update.

“Seven of the eight transits followed the Iranian route, with no crossings via the Omani route and no shadow fleet movements recorded,” the tracking site added.

Kuwait says responding to Iranian missile and drone attacks for second time

The Kuwaiti army says it is responding to Iranian missile and drone attacks and has urged the public to “adhere to the authorities’ safety and security instructions”.

This is the second time the Kuwaiti army has engaged hostile targets in the past few hours.

US military strikes locations near Jask and Bandar Abbas, says Iran’s Tasnim news agency

Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reports that a location in the vicinity of Jask was targeted early Saturday morning in a military attack by the US. Details regarding the extent of the damage or casualties from this specific incident have not yet been released.

In a separate US attack on the Bandar Abbas-Rudan road, two bridges along the vital transportation route sustained heavy damage. According to the Tasnim report, a number of Iranian citizens were killed, and several others were injured as a result of the strikes on the infrastructure.

Air raid sirens activated for third time across Bahrain

For the third time in just a few hours, emergency sirens are sounding across Bahrain, with officials urgently advising residents to take cover immediately.

Iranian media report explosions in Khorramabad

Iranian media have reported explosions in the city of Khorramabad in Lorestan province.

The reports said the blasts were a result of US missile strikes launched from Kuwait.

Jordanian air defenses intercept 10 Iranian missiles, says military

The Jordanian military has said its air defenses intercepted and downed 10 Iranian missiles that breached the country’s airspace early in the morning.

The military said the operation was carried out in accordance with standard defensive measures to safeguard the kingdom’s sovereignty and ensure public safety.

No casualties or material damage were reported from the interceptions, and Royal Engineers units have already begun clearing and securing debris from the impact sites, it added.

Iranian threat for Houthis to block Bab al-Mandeb Strait would be ‘serious escalation’

Iran has said in recent days it could increase pressure on the US by asking its allies, Yemen’s Houthis, to block the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and further choke global trade.

Colonel Abbas Dahouk, a former senior military adviser for Middle East affairs in the US State Department, says it would be a “serious escalation” if Iran and the Houthis decided to disrupt international maritime trade through the strait.

“Bab al-Mandeb is another crucial waterway, and now because the Strait of Hormuz is semi-blocked to international traffic, the Red Sea became a workaround for oil exports, at least for Saudi Arabia and UAE,” Dahouk said.

Most energy exports that transit through the Suez Canal pass through both the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

“If it is disrupted, then definitely it will increase pressure not only in the region, but also on the international markets and the United States as well. The United States is thinking about this, and perhaps there will be retaliation somehow,” Dahouk added.

“It’s become extremely dangerous by most measures [to pass through the Strait of Hormuz]. This is the worst we’ve seen for a decade,” Dahouk warned.

“Functionally, the strait is somehow open, but companies are afraid to cross in and out of it, and that’s going to take some time to restore.”

“serious escalation”

If Iran decides to direct the Houthis to block Bab al-Mandeb, it is not an escalation but would be a retaliatory response on equal level to Trump's escalation after he ended the ceasefire, included in the MoU, unilaterally and without plausible and justified reason.

Iranian official says the policy of negotiating during war is over

Mohsen Rezaee, a senior Iranian military adviser, has warned that if the US continues bombing Iran, Tehran will escalate the conflict into a full-scale war.

Rezaee says that so far, Iran has limited its retaliations, but this won’t last for long.

Power facilities and desalination pumps hit in Iran’s Jask, says Iranian media

There is more information on the missile strikes targeting the city of Jask that we reported earlier.

Iranian media say that electricity facilities and desalination pumps have been hit during the attack in Hormozgan province.

A deputy to the Hormozgan governor said US rockets struck pumps on the dock of the coastal Bunji village, in Jask county, cutting drinking water supplies to several villages in the area.

An official in Hormozgan told the Mehr news agency: “We are assessing the damage and working to restore drinking water to areas that were cut off due to last night’s attacks.”

Warning sirens activated for fourth time in Bahrain

Warning sirens have been activated in Bahrain for the fourth time in a matter of hours. The Ministry of Interior told people to “remain calm and head to the nearest safe place”.

Missiles targeted US military assets and fuel tanks in Bahrain, says Iran’s military

US military assets and fuel tanks have been struck during Iranian missile attacks on a US base in Bahrain, according to an Iranian military statement reported by the Tasnim news agency.

In the statement, Iran’s military said “in response to the crimes of global arrogance”, it has targeted the “aircraft hangar and parking lot” as well as “fuel tanks” at the Sheikh Isa airbase and several communication bridges in Bahrain.

The statement said the US had used the base to launch “operations against regional targets, especially our country”.

US warns citizens to reconsider Middle East travel amid rising tensions

The US State Department is urging heightened vigilance across the region as regional hostilities intensify.

In a statement posted on X, the department warned that “due to high tensions in the Middle East, the security environment remains complex with the potential for unforeseen escalation”, prompting a strong recommendation for citizens to evaluate their plans, noting that “Americans should reconsider travel to/through the Middle East”.

The department reminded citizens already in the region of the “continued need for caution” and encouraged them to “monitor the news for breaking developments”. Furthermore, travelers navigating the region were advised to “check with their air carriers to make sure their flights are still scheduled”.

Kuwait says responding to Iranian missile and drone attacks for third time

The Kuwaiti army says it is again responding to Iranian missile and drone attacks, urging the public to “adhere to the authorities’ safety and security instructions”.

Any explosions heard are the sounds of air defenses engaging hostile attacks, the army added in a statement shared on X.

Iran’s IRGC warns countries hosting US forces to prepare for ‘corresponding response’

Iran’s IRGC is warning countries hosting US military forces to prepare for a “corresponding response”, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

The IRGC demanded that such nations “activate their civil defense units to protect their citizens and move them away from potential military targets”, stating that their territories are being used as launchpads for aggression against Iran.

According to the Tasnim report, the IRGC Ground Forces used drones and missiles to target a US military logistics hub at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait, claiming to have caused casualties among the personnel there.

Simultaneously, the IRGC said it had struck the US Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait and claimed to have disabled its radar systems. The operation also reportedly hit and destroyed a weapons maintenance hangar and a drone facility at the site.

Air raid sirens sound for the fourth time in Kuwait

Kuwait says air sirens are sounding for a fourth time as attempts to intercept incoming missiles continue.

Kuwaiti army has said in a statement that its air defenses are currently “confronting hostile missile and drone attacks following the sinful Iranian aggression.”

“The General Staff of the Army notes that if explosion sounds are heard, they are the result of air defense systems intercepting the hostile attacks,” the statement noted.

Kuwait Airways flights rescheduled as airspace closes

Kuwait Airways has announced the rescheduling of most flights due to the closure of the airspace today, the company said in a post on X, following the latest Iranian attacks.

“The company calls on all esteemed passengers to follow up on updates to their flights, as notifications and text messages will be sent to the phone numbers registered in the bookings to inform them of any updates,” the statement added.

Operations suspended at Kuwait International Airport, national carrier says

In a new update, Kuwait Airways has informed passengers that takeoff and landing operations at Kuwait International Airport have been temporarily suspended following the latest rounds of Iranian attacks.

IRGC claims strikes on US naval pier in Kuwait and airbase in Bahrain

Iran’s IRGC says its naval forces hit the US fleet’s fuel support pier at the Al-Ahmadi port in Kuwait, as well as the gathering location of US warplanes at the Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain, deploying drone and missile operations.

According to the Tasnim news agency, the group also claimed to have destroyed a US intelligence data centre in Bahrain known as Batelco.

Additionally, the IRGC said its naval fighters destroyed a US signals and telecommunications centre in Kuwait.

‘Some 10,000 people across 20 Iranian villages’ without water after US attack

The US attack that hit water desalination pumps in the coastal Bunji village, in Iran’s Jask county, has “completely disrupted the supply of drinking water to 20 villages with a population of approximately 10,000 people”, Hamzeh Pour, the CEO of the Hormozgan Water and Wastewater Company, was quoted as saying by Tasnim.

Pour referred to the US strikes as “a series of crimes and terrorist attacks”, wherein a pumping station for extracting water from the sea and a power transformer at the Bunji desalination plant were “completely destroyed”.

“These villages are facing a severe water shortage,” he added.

Fire breaks out at power and water desalination plant in Kuwait

Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy has said that a fire broke out in one of the components of a power and water desalination plant after the latest round of Iranian attacks.

“This necessitated precautionary operational measures, consisting of disconnecting a number of generating units to preserve the safety of the plant and its workers, and to ensure the stability of the electrical grid,” the ministry said in a statement.

“The Ministry confirms that all operational and emergency plans were activated immediately upon the occurrence of the incident, ensuring the continuity and stability of both the electricity and water networks and limiting any potential impact on service, with technical and operational monitoring continuing around the clock,” it added in the statement.

Bahrain says it intercepted several Iranian aerial attacks

Bahrain has said its defense forces have intercepted and destroyed several Iranian aerial attacks.

“The General Command affirms that all its weapons systems and units are at the highest level of readiness and remain fully prepared to defend the Kingdom,” the defense forces said in a statement.

It also stressed that “the deliberate use of missiles and drones to target civilians and private property constitutes a blatant violation of international humanitarian law”.

Iran’s UN envoy calls out US attacks on civilian infrastructure in letter to Guterres

Amir-Saeid Iravani, Iran’s permanent representative to the UN, has condemned the US attacks against Iran’s civilian infrastructure in a letter to Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary-general.

Iravani wrote in the letter that the US attacks “targeted and caused extensive damage to ports, transportation networks, communications facilities, logistics hubs, radar installations, coastal defense systems and other infrastructure indispensable to the civilian population, and to the functioning of the national economy”.

He further noted in his letter that the US bears full international responsibility for all deaths, injuries, damage to vital infrastructure and environmental harm caused by the attacks.

“The continued commission of these unlawful armed attacks poses a grave threat to international peace and security, freedom of navigation, regional stability, and the security of the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz,” added Iravani.

Air raid sirens sound in Bahrain for fifth time

Air raid warning sirens have been activated in Bahrain for the fifth time in the last few hours. The Interior Ministry told people to “remain calm and head to the nearest safe place”.

Closure of Kuwait’s airport evokes previous escalation

Kuwait Airways has issued a statement on social media announcing it is rescheduling flights due to airspace closures.

The last time we saw this was during the previous escalation from February to April, when there were closures of airspace around airports across the Gulf nations that really caused chaos for hundreds of thousands of passengers.

Some were only passing through the region and had to stop and stay for sometimes weeks on end, because no flights were taking them out.

Iran cancels final exams in four southern provinces amid escalation

The Iranian Education Ministry has announced the cancellation of final exams for 11th and 12th-grade students on Sunday and Monday across four southern provinces.

The suspension applies exclusively to Hormozgan, Bushehr, Khuzestan, and Sistan and Baluchestan due to “ongoing unstable conditions in the southern region of the country”, Tasnim reported.

According to the ministry, the affected exams will be rescheduled for a later date. Final exams in all other provinces, as well as subsequent testing dates for the affected areas, will proceed as originally scheduled.

IRGC claims attacks on US military’s Azraq airbase in Jordan

Iran’s IRGC says it launched “a devastating and simultaneous missile and drone attack on fighter jet shelters and a large aircraft parking ramp at a US base in Al-Azraq, Jordan”.

The IRGC claimed that the attack “completely [destroyed] at least two American fighter jets and [caused] significant damage to several others”.

Iran also called on the Jordanian army to target the US forces, saying that “the invading, infidel military forces are considered legitimate targets”.

“It is your religious and humanitarian duty to eliminate them by any means necessary and to cleanse the sacred land of Jordan of these killers of innocent Muslims,” the statement added.

Iran’s Bushehr areas hit in US attacks, says official

Ehsan Jahanian, the deputy political and social affairs governor of Bushehr, has told Iran’s Islamic Republic News Agency that the US forces hit an area in Dashti county.

“The explosion caused by this attack did not cause any casualties,” he said, noting another attack in Choghadak city.

US attacks on Hormozgan province killed at least seven people, official says

Recent US attacks on Hormozgan province in southern Iran have killed “about seven to eight people”, all of whom were civilians, Ahmad Moradi, a representative for the province, told Iran’s Tasnim news agency.

The report added that the attacks took place in the past two nights, with one US attack targeting one of the bridges in the province, hitting two family cars and killing six people.

The Tappeh Allaho Akbar neighborhood in Bandar Abbas was also hit, killing a woman and leaving a one-year-old with an amputation. A driver who was supplying fuel to stations was killed in a fire.

Kuwait says several firefighters injured after Iranian attacks

Kuwait’s Fire Force has said that a number of its firefighters and a worker were injured while responding to the fire at two places following the Iranian attacks this morning.

“The first incident resulted, during the firefighting operation, in a number of injuries among the firefighters and one of the workers, where the site was evacuated and they were transported to provide them with the necessary medical assistance,” it said in a statement.

Gulf counties reacting to latest Iranian attacks

The situation is incredibly fluid but Gulf countries have already adopted a multiple-pronged approach.

First of all, it’s reassurances.

Gulf countries want to reassure citizens and the people living here that they are trying to keep them as safe as possible – and this is with a multi-layered defense architecture, including air defenses. The majority of missiles in this escalation and previous ones have been intercepted.

They’re also telling people to stay in touch with the relevant authorities and only get information from them as there can be a lot of misinformation.

They are also condemning Iran for the continuous attacks by drones and different types of missiles.

They’re calling for diplomacy – but this escalation is making the jobs of the people pushing for diplomacy incredibly tricky, and neither side, nor the US or Iran, seems to want to off-ramp just yet.

Jordan says it shot down four drones over its airspace

Jordan says it has intercepted and shot down four drones in its airspace over the past 24 hours.

The statement by the Jordanian Armed Forces said no casualties or material damage were reported.

Kuwait says oil facility hit by Iranian attack

Kuwait Petroleum Corporation says “one of the vital sites in the oil sector was subjected to repeated brutal Iranian attacks, resulting in a number of injuries and significant material losses”.

“The injured were provided with medical assistance and the site was evacuated, while the response to the attack is being handled in coordination with the relevant state authorities,” the statement noted, according to the country’s Kuna news agency.

Kuwait condemns ‘heinous’ Iranian attacks

Kuwait has condemned and denounced in the “strongest terms the heinous Iranian aggression” against the country this morning, state news agency Kuna reported.

“The repeated targeting of vital facilities reveals a systematic, aggressive approach that targets civilian structures and essential infrastructure, endangering the lives and safety of civilians,” the ministry stated.

“The State of Kuwait reserves its full right to take all necessary measures to preserve its security and defend its territories and vital facilities, based on its inherent right to self-defence.”

Kuwait has engaged in military agreements with a alien military power from another continent, which the US is, knowing that this power wants to be on Kuwait soil for own interest. The Kuwaitis just contribute to insecurity and instability in its own region.

When the guest, the US as an alien military power, became a war belligerent on February 28th, and the host country Kuwait allows its guest to carry out attacks on Iran, Kuwait has made itself co-belligerent of its 'guest,' the United States.

The war on Iran has no approval or mandate from the UN therefore illegal.

Kuwait has international law not on its side because it contributes to the violation of the UN Charter by its guest, the US.

As the attacked country, Iran has the right to consider the host countries in the region, including Kuwait, as military objectives.

Kuwait bears full responsibility for its actions under states responsibility laws.

US attacks killed at least 50 people in Iran since July 6: Health Ministry

Iran’s Health Ministry says US attacks on the country since July 6 have killed at least 50 people and wounded more than 500.

Iran warns US pressures could disrupt global energy, impacting Europe as well

Hamid Reza Moghaddamfar, a spokesperson for the IRGC chief commander, says the consequences of the US military pressuring Tehran by maritime and economic means would spill over into the energy and economy sectors – not just in the US but in European countries as well.

Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported that Moghaddamfar further positioned the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb as “two important and strategic passages in regional and global equations” where they can influence global energy, trade, and security balances.

Cargo vessels from China, South Korea and Japan to Canada and the United States are not really effected as they use the Trans-Pacific shipping lines.

US hits 95 locations in Iran’s Khuzestan, says provincial official

Valiollah Hayati, the deputy governor of Khuzestan for security affairs, says the US has attacked at least 95 locations in the province in southwestern Iran in the last 10 days.

The US hit 12 counties of Khuzestan province “which demonstrates the boundless criminality of the enemy”, Hayati told Iran’s Tasnim news agency.

At least eight civilians were reported to be killed.

US attacks take out 116 telecommunication towers in southern Iran

Hormozgan’s chief of communications and information technology says the US’s overnight attacks disrupted telecommunications in Bandar Abbas and Hajiabad, in the northern part of the province.

After the US attacks, 116 telecommunication towers were taken out of service, and fixed-line, mobile, and internet services are currently experiencing disruptions in some areas of the northern province, reported Iran’s Tasnim news agency.

Bahrain sounds air raid warning sirens for sixth time

Air raid warning sirens have been activated in Bahrain for the sixth time in the last few hours.

The Interior Ministry told people to “remain calm and head to the nearest safe place”.

Satellite images reveal damage inside Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant

Satellite imagery reveals new damage inside Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant complex following the latest wave of US strikes.

A comparison of European Sentinel-2 satellite images captured on July 7 and July 12 shows newly formed impact scars inside the Bushehr complex, along with another apparent strike site within nearby support facilities.

Above: July 12, 2026

Iran’s deputy FM says MoU suspended after US violations

Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi says Iran has suspended its commitments to the MoU as US attacks continue, Iran’s Fars news outlet reports.

“The US has violated and suspended all its commitments within the framework of the Islamabad MoU,” Gharibabadi said.

He added that Tehran has suspended its commitments and implementation of the agreement and is “busy defending the country”.

How is it called when one of the involved signatories keeps "violating" the Memorandum of Understanding?

Well, it is confusing if we keep talking about "violation," the way we all know.

In the context of the MoU between the US and Iran, repeated acts and behavior of disregard, dishonor, and deliberate obstruction, we consider such development a pattern of willful non-compliance or a willful habitual breach.

Because the MoU is not binding.

Iran saying for the first time that the MoU is over

Iranian officials have again and again accused the US of violating the MoU and also putting some conditions if the aggression continues.

Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister, who is also head of the Iranian technical negotiating team, says that in practice, the US has violated all the commitments and suspended the MoU entirely.

“We also likewise have suspended all of our commitments as a result; we are no longer implementing those commitments,” he added.

So, officially, this is the first time the Iranians are saying the MoU is over and they’re not going to implement any clause.

On July 8, 2026, Trump promptly answered in the Oval Office a reporter's question: "The ceasefire is over" without having any plausible and justified reason to make this sudden decision.

As we have commented before, it is all about the way you wish to interpret the MoU. Well, Trump has interpreted his destructive way with the suspension of the entire MoU by Iran as a result.

Trump may even risk an annulment of the MoU.

US restarted war contrary to MoU terms: Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan

Reza Amiri Moghadam, Iran’s ambassador to Pakistan, says that the US interpreted the MoU “contrary to its terms and gained control over parts of Strait Hormuz to obtain what it couldn’t in the battlefield”.

In a social media post, Moghadam said “it was obvious that the Iranian side would not accept this arbitrary interpretation which blatantly violated” the MoU signed by the two sides last month.

“Now, the US has started a war contrary to the terms” of the deal “and international principles destroying the infrastructures,” he added.

“The international community is expected to strongly condemn this aggressive and reckless act.”

See previous comment.

Absence of UN, international law has placed ‘heavy responsibility’ on US and Iran

Zeidon Alkinani, founding director of the Arab Perspectives Institute in Doha, says that where the war is heading is “very concerning” and it is turning into a much more expanded conflict.

“It was very evident that it would reach this level if it were to continue. I think one of the concerning, alarming flags that we’re noticing is the absence of international institutions, the absence of international law despite the regional mediatory efforts,” Alkinani said.

“We’re noticing the UN not being able to play the role it has committed to play for many years, which is why the direct confrontation and the direct responsibility is very heavy on both the US and Iran.”

Alkinani explained that the MoU has “always been seen as a temporary ceasefire”, adding that Trump is trying to “reassess” what concessions can be given so that it does not seem “as if Iran won this war and he didn’t”.

Qatar condemns Iran’s attacks on Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry has condemned the attacks, calling them a “flagrant violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the targeted countries, and a blatant breach of international law, the Charter of the United Nations, and the principles of good neighborliness”.

It described these attacks as a “dangerous escalation” that would “complicate efforts to contain tensions and undermine political and diplomatic endeavors aimed at achieving security and stability in the region”.

Qatar has been condemning Iran on the regular basis, while Doha is a co-belligerent of the American war belligerent, and who wants to continue to engage in "dialogue with all regional parties."

Doha never condemned the United States as our summaries are showing.

Attack on Kuwaiti desalination plant ‘will have significant impact’

Kuwait’s civilian infrastructure is certainly being hit hard by the IRGC.

A power and desalination plant was hit for a second day. That is significant because that is critical infrastructure for Kuwait. The country doesn’t have permanent lakes or rivers. It has very little rain. So, 90 percent of its drinking water comes from seawater desalination.

Two plants have been attacked over the past few days, out of nine major desalination plants in the country, according to Kuwaiti figures.

This has been a significant attack and will have a significant impact.

Iranian society ‘caught between both sides’ amid attacks on infrastructure

Ali Fathollah-Nejad, founder and director at the Center for Middle East and Global Order, says the US is trying to act as a “military guardian” for the Strait of Hormuz through its “sustained military campaign” on Iranian infrastructure sites.

“From the perspective of the US military, certainly, its targets are dual-use. So those could also be used for military logistics and so forth, but then again the reality is those infrastructures are also used for civilian purposes as well,” Fathollah-Nejad said.

“So the Iranian population and society are caught in between the two sides and are held hostage also by the kind of strategy that is employed by the Islamic republic by retargeting the Strait of Hormuz.”

Iran is using Kuwait as ‘an example’ of what it can do in retaliation

Within Iran, there is “a gradual lack of feeling that any kind of restraint is going to be beneficial to negotiations”, Roxane Farmanfarmian, a professor of Middle East politics at the University of Cambridge, says.

“I think we’re seeing from the op-eds that we’re reading in Iran’s newspapers and media, that there is a hardening generally in feeling that Iran needs to hit hard, to sustain and show endurance, but also to affect American ability to maintain too much of a time on this war.

“I think what we’re seeing is that they’re using Kuwait, in particular, as an example of what they can do in retaliation.

“The US is clearly hitting the south in Iran and hitting airports, desalination plants and bridges, and so the same kinds of things are being hit now in Kuwait to show what kind of effect Iran really can have on those countries that are hosting American bases.”

GCC chief says Iran’s targeting of civilian facilities a ‘war crime’

The head of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Jassim al-Budaiwi, has accused Iran of carrying out “war crimes” in its latest attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, saying they intentionally targeted infrastructure and civilian facilities.

“Iran’s actions constitute a highly dangerous escalation, a grave violation of international law and the United Nations (UN) Charter, as well as war crimes requiring international accountability and prosecution, given the deliberate targeting of infrastructure and civilian facilities in flagrant violation of all international norms and conventions and a persistent determination to destabilize regional security and stability,” al-Budaiwi said in a statement shared by the GCC’s general secretariat.

If war crimes have been committed, then on both sides with the US on a regular basis when looking at the scale of disproportionality in attacks on Iran.

But, an alliance, which member states are co-belligerent of the United States as one of the two attacking belligerents, does have no position to determine whether war crimes has been committed by Iran.

Like NATO, because of some of its member states, therefore responsible under states responsibility laws for any form of facilitation -assisting in logistics is assisting in the preparation of US attacks on Iran- so is the GCC because of all its member states are allowing the US to use their soil fro attacks on Iran.

Three US strikes hit Iran’s Hormozgan province: Iranian media

Three US air strikes have targeted areas near Sirik in Iran’s Hormozgan province today, reports Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency.

The latest was at 16:40 (13:10 GMT), reported Mehr.

Hormozgan’s governor said that no civilian casualties had been recorded.

Russia’s Lavrov speaks with Emirati counterpart about Gulf developments

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has spoken by phone with his Emirati counterpart Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Russia’s Ria Novosti news agency cited Russia’s foreign ministry as saying.

The ministry said the two officials exchanged views on the situation in the Gulf, and both stressed the need for an immediate ceasefire between the US and Iran and a return to negotiations.

 

‘Factional infighting’ between hard-line pragmatists, ultra hardliners in Tehran

There is a “clear shift in strategic thinking” in Tehran, especially after the killing of the former supreme leader who had been “cautious about directly confronting” the US, Ali Fathollah-Nejad, director of the Centre for Middle East and Global Order, said.

“Now we see escalating regional factional infighting within the regime in Iran between the hard-line pragmatists on one hand and the ultra hardliners on the other hand,” he said.

The latter seem to be “dictating the dynamic”, he said, adding that “this new Iranian strategy of escalation is formed from new strategic considerations of deterrence against a new full-fledged attack” on Iran that could “destabilise the regime”.

There is also a “sense of hubris, as well, from this ultra hardline camp, that … Iran has emerged victorious, plus the costs of confrontation are absorbable, and deep skepticism vis-à-vis the hard-line pragmatist camp that has been leading Iranian negotiations”.

Iran’s FM spokesman says US has violated every aspect of MoU

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei is the latest Iranian official to address the status of the US-Iran MoU, saying the US has violated every aspect of the agreement over the last week.

In comments cited by Iran’s Fars news agency, Baghaei accused the US of pushing ships to use a “parallel route” in in the Strait of Hormuz, away from the route designated by Iranian officials, which he said went against the MoU’s terms.

Baghaei said Iran has not sought war and has only defended itself in the “imposed” war.

Earlier, as we reported, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Iran has suspended its commitments to the MoU amid continuing US attacks.

Several Kuwaiti firefighters injured while putting out blazes caused by Iranian attacks: Kuwait Fire Force

Kuwaiti firefighters have contained two fires that erupted this afternoon as a result of Iranian attacks, according to the Kuwait Fire Force.

The force’s spokesman, Mohammed Bader Ibrahim, said several firefighters and an oil worker were injured in one of the affected areas, which was targeted again while firefighting operations were under way.

He said firefighters also extinguished three other fires that were triggered by shrapnel falling in residential areas, which did not cause any injuries.

Iran’s supreme leader says US president’s signature ‘worthless and invalid’

Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has released a written statement saying the US’s repeated breaches of agreements with Iran show that the US president’s signature is “worthless and invalid”.

The statement was released by Iran’s IRIB broadcaster.

• The US has “revealed its truce face,” exposing its “deceitfulness, irrationality, unreliability and wickedness”.
• The “noble Iranian nation” has unforgettable lessons in store for the US, as demonstrated by the courage and resolve shown in recent days by people in southern Iran.
• A major priority for Iran is “maintaining unity of purpose” and solidarity throughout society and government.
• Avoiding division, internal conflict and political disputes is everyone’s responsibility.

Saudi Arabia slams ‘brutal Iranian aggression’ against Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan

Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry has said it strongly condemns “the continued brutal Iranian aggression” against Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan.

In a statement, the ministry said it fully supports the measures those countries take against Iran’s attacks, which “violate international law and the principles of good neighborliness”.

The Saudi statement follows earlier condemnations of Iran’s recent attacks on Gulf neighbors by Qatar and GCC chief Jassim al-Budaiwi

Incident involving tanker, military forces east of Oman: UKMTO

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) says it has received reports of an incident between military forces and a tanker, 100 nautical miles (185km) east of the Omani port of Duqm.

“Reports indicate that the tanker was ⁠subject to interaction as ⁠part of ongoing military activity ⁠in the region,” ⁠UKMTO said in ⁠a note cited by Reuters.

US military says two US service members in Jordan ‘killed in action’ yesterday

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said two US service members in Jordan were killed yesterday as “partner forces defended against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks”.

Another is “missing in action,” CENTCOM added.

"Killed in action" is not loss of life on an airbase in Jordan where no combat activities taking place, but on a battlefield, which there isn't one on the ground in Iran.

Rising inflation, pressure on the Iranian rial – what to expect as US reimposes naval blockade

Iranian authorities have acknowledged that the previous US naval blockade drastically reduced Iranian crude exports.

Energy analyst Hamidreza Shokouhi says that the new US siege means that at least 1.5 million barrels per day of Iranian oil exports will be taken off the market.

That has contributed to pushing oil prices up to around $90 per barrel, and sustained conflict could cause further increases.

The previous US naval blockade also significantly impacted goods and markets in Iran, and although there were no widespread shortages of staples, Iran’s inflation rate – already one of the world’s highest – surged.

The price of some basic foodstuffs, such as eggs, chicken and cooking oil, has more than tripled compared to a year ago.

There has also been intense pressure on the Iranian rial due to the reimposition of the naval blockade.

The rial changed hands for over 1.93 million against the US dollar in Tehran’s open market on Saturday, the first day of the Iranian week, registering a new all-time low.

There could be more ‘intensive hostilities’ in the coming weeks

The latest announcement by CENTCOM might be “a preface toward further escalation,” Abas Aslani, a senior fellow at the Centre for Middle East Strategic Studies in Tehran, says.

“What we have been witnessing in the past few days is a limited and calibrated exchange of fire between the two sides, and it seems that … it is not yet the final stage of the conflict between the two sides,” Aslani said.

“Maybe in the days to come or weeks to come, we might be witnessing more, let’s say, intensive hostilities between the two sides,” he added.

News of US service members’ deaths ‘comes at a very tough time for Trump’

The US military’s statement that two service members in Jordan were killed in action yesterday, with another service member missing in action, is going to add to the people who are outraged about this war.

Thirteen US service members had already been killed in the initial phase [of the US’s war on Iran]. Then, we saw a pilot killed in a crash, so that brought the number to 14. The latest casualties will bring the total number of US service members killed to 16, possibly 17.

Obviously, this comes at a very tough time for US President Donald Trump. The American people overwhelmingly do not support this war. This will likely make them support it even less.

US attacked Iran before ink on MoU had even dried: Iran’s First VP

Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref has said the US initiated its attacks on Iran before the ink on the US-Iran MoU had even dried.

In comments carried by Iran’s Fars news agency, Aref said the US attacks occurred despite the MoU assigning Iran responsibility for managing traffic in the Strait of Hormuz during the first 60 days.

The US and Iran have both accused each other of violating the terms of the MoU, including Article 5, which calls for safe passage for commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

War ‘spiralling in wrong direction’ for US

The US appears to have “‘no real strategy” in its war against Iran and has trapped itself in an “endless cycle of escalation,” says former senior US naval officer Harlan Ullman.

Ullman said the conflict is “spiralling in the wrong direction and could potentially push the US to mount a dangerous land operation or attacking civilian infrastructure out of desperation”.

“I do not see a clear and convincing strategy on the part of the Americans, other than try to out-escalate Iran, and as we saw in Vietnam, as we saw in Afghanistan and the second Iraq war, that led to grief on our side,” said Ullman.

“I hope there are reasons for both sides at some stage to de-escalate because it’s not in their best interests,” he added.

Gulf states ‘extraordinarily vulnerable’ as conflict escalates

Harlan Ullman, a former senior US naval officer, has said Gulf states are likely to put “huge pressure” on Trump over the war.

“Their revenues are cut off and they’re extraordinarily vulnerable [because of their dependence on] desalination plants – without them, they can’t exist because they won’t have fresh water,” Ullman said. “This is even more tenuous for them [the Gulf states] than what’s happening to the Iranian economy.”

“For those reasons, I think there will be sufficient pressure put on both sides for some kind of negotiation,” added Ullman, though noting that the situation could still “escalate badly”.

‘Americans don’t take kindly to Americans getting killed,’ says retired US general

There seems to have been somewhat of a gradual increase in the pressure on the Iranians, retired US General Mark Kimmitt says.

“I think at this point, when you’re starting to send American troops back home in body bags, President Trump is not going to take kindly to that. So I would expect to see a significant number of raids, more so than just the tit for tat that we’ve been seeing over the past seven days,” he said via video link from Washington, DC.

The death of two US soldiers could “lessen the pressure on President Trump he said, adding that although there will be some that ask if it is worth it to lose American soldiers, there will be others, “probably in the majority, that say this demonstrates who we’re fighting and why we’re fighting”.

“Americans don’t take kindly to Americans getting killed,” he said.

Kimmitt predicts that fighting will probably move “further inland” as the US will plan to hit tertiary targets following its strikes along the Strait of Hormuz.

".. President Trump is not going to take kindly to that. So I would expect to see a significant number of raids .."

This is no other than saying that Trump will retaliate of not revenge, something that wouldn't surprise us, as we have seen this kind of behavior in his sanction politics.

The US has lost huge numbers of soldiers in previous wars where no American president had behave like that.

US defence secretary says deaths of US service members ‘stiffens our resolve’

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has reacted to the news of two US service members being killed during Iranian attacks on Jordan yesterday.

“Their sacrifice only stiffens our resolve,” said Hegseth in a post on X.

In total, 16 US military personnel have been killed since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran and more than 400 wounded. Another service member in Jordan is missing after yesterday’s attacks.

US military pledges to keep strictly enforcing Iran naval blockade

CENTCOM has released a statement saying US forces are continuing to “strictly enforce” the US’s renewed blockade of Iranian ports.

As part of the blockade, which restarted on July 14, CENTCOM says it has redirected five vessels and disabled one vessel.

Trump has ‘destroyed two important diplomatic achievements’: Iranian ambassador

Iran’s Ambassador to Pakistan Reza Amiri Moghadam has said Trump, despite claiming to seek peace, has tanked two critical diplomatic agreements involving Iran.

“Mr. Trump has already destroyed two important achievements in the history of contemporary diplomacy and continues to talk about peace,” wrote Moghadam in a post on X.

“He destroyed the JCPOA agreement just 473 days after entering office in 2018,” Moghadam said, referring to the Iran nuclear deal agreed under the administration of former US President Barack Obama.

“And now, by arbitrary interpretation and out of ill-will he has already destroyed the Islamabad MOU in less than 20 days after signing,” added Moghadam.

"..by arbitrary interpretation.."

Exactly! We wish that we've came to that but stuck by the finding of different interpretations. Iran followed the MoU latterly, while the US followed what was not written in the MoU.

UAE urges ‘immediate halt to escalation’

The UAE is deeply concerned by the latest developments in the region and is calling for an immediate end to hostilities and a return to negotiations.

A foreign ministry statement said any attacks targeting civilian infrastructure violate international law and “cannot, under any circumstances, be accepted or justified”.

It also stressed “the importance of ensuring safe, uninterrupted navigation through the Strait of Hormuz”.

Saudi, Kuwaiti FMs condemn ‘heinous Iranian attacks’ in the region

The Saudi foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, and his Kuwaiti counterpart, Foreign Minister Sheikh Jarrah Jaber al-Ahmad Al Sabah, have discussed developments in the region and the two countries’ efforts to maintain security and stability over the phone, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reports.

“During the call, they condemned the heinous Iranian attacks targeting the sisterly State of Kuwait and a number of other countries in the region,” SPA stated.

See comment under "Kuwait condemns ‘heinous’ Iranian attacks"

US urges nationals abroad worldwide to ‘exercise increased caution’ due to Middle East tensions 

The US State Department has issued a travel advisory urging US citizens around the world to “exercise increased caution” amid “heightened tensions in the Middle East”.

“The Department of State advises Americans worldwide, and especially in the Middle East, to exercise increased caution,” says the alert.

It specifically warns that “groups supportive of Iran may target other US interests overseas or locations associated with the United States and/or Americans throughout the world”.

This is outright politics of spreading fear, while having it all created themselves on February 28th.

If you sow, you must harvest. But that is something the US never did even the consequences of its invention of nuclear militarization that brought nuclear powers in the world, including those who stole it from them: the Israelis.

Trump calls deaths of US service members ‘very sad’

US President Donald Trump has described the deaths of two US service members in Iranian attacks as “a very sad thing,” in his first reaction to the announcement.

“We hate to see it happen. It’s in service to our country,” Trump told NewsNation.

The president also reiterated that the US would “never” allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon.

Trump likely to expand attacks, but air power may fall short

US President Donald Trump is likely to “respond in force” and treat the latest Iranian attack as an escalation, according to David Des Roches, a retired US Army colonel, former Pentagon official and professor at the National Defense University.

Des Roches said the US military strategy appeared to focus on isolating southern Iran before striking capabilities used to attack “neutral civilian shipping”.

Trump may now consider targeting “national-level targets, command and control, and dual-use infrastructure around Tehran and other places in the interior of Iran”, he said, alongside renewed attacks on Iranian forces.

Des Roches said Iran’s missile barrages had so far “not been overwhelming” and appeared intended to “increase the pain calculus”.

“But one of the first rules of warfare is the enemy gets a vote, too,” he said, adding that Trump was likely considering options to increase the pressure on Iran.

However, Des Roches cautioned that a campaign conducted primarily from the air “usually doesn’t achieve the desired strategic effect unless there’s a lot of destruction”.

US launches new strikes on Iran after deaths of service members in Jordan

US forces have begun launching new air strikes against Iran at President Donald Trump’s direction, according to US Central Command.

CENTCOM said the attacks were intended to further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and to “swiftly punish” Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces it accused of killing US service members in Jordan last night.