US-Iran highlights: 4 dead, 17 injured in Iran after fresh US strikes; Tehran calls Hormuz a 'red line'

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Hossein Moghimi, the head of Iran's public relations ministry, told Tasnim News Agency that power lines were damaged after the Bandar Abbas strikes. Power disruptions happened in multiple areas in southern Iran.

After power was restored in some places, the ministry urged that residents limit use of heavy equipment, such as ACs.

The US attacks on Iran early on early Friday morning led to the deaths of four people and injuries to 17, according to Iranian state media. In Iran's Hormozgan province, a strike killed three people and injured nine. In Bandar Abbas, one person was killed and eight were injured.

Iran's state media Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) reported that a projectile, possibly from the US strikes early Friday morning, hit the Iranshahr airport in Iran's southeastern province. The IRIB added that one person was injured from the resulting fire, while power at the airport remained out.

The US CENTCOM released a statement Thursday that they have redirected three commercial vessels trying to evade the US blockade around the Strait of Hormuz. One of the ships was disabled as it did not comply with the blockade, another was checked for compliance, and the other was blocked.

Kuwait's defense ministry said that Iranian drones targeted “several vital facilities,” which were intercepted. But debris from the operation landed in residential areas, causing some damage. As of now, 32 drones have been intercepted by Kuwait.

So far, there have been no casualties or injuries, the ministry added.

US Central Command announced on social media that a fresh round of attacks on Iran was launched early on Friday morning. Iran’s state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting reported explosions in Bandar Abbas, a key port city in southern part of the country. The source of the explosions was not specified in the report.

Iran, US war LIVE updates: The United States intensified its strikes on Iran Thursday, hitting targets farther north and firing into a ship the U.S. accused of trying to break its naval blockade on the Islamic Republic. Iran retaliated by launching missiles and drones at U.S. allies in the region, and warned its attacks may escalate.

The interim ceasefire agreed to last month has collapsed, and the region risks tipping back into all-out war after days of back-and-forth strikes by the U.S. and Iran as they wage for control over the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian officials say U.S. strikes have killed more than 35 people and wounded over 300 others.

For the first time in this latest round of violence, strikes also reached into areas around Iran’s capital, Tehran, showing a widening set of targets for the Americans.
(AP)

Iran, US war LIVE updates: US strikes hit areas near Iran's Qeshm Island, Iranian media reports.

Iran, US war LIVE updates: Pakistan said on Thursday it would encourage the United States and Iran to stop violence and resume talks under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) it helped mediate last month.

"While the implementation of the MoU is facing challenges, Pakistan will continue to encourage all sides to end violence and resume technical-level talks in accordance with the MoU," Tahir Andrabi, Pakistan's foreign office spokesman, told reporters in Islamabad.

"We express the hope for an early normalisation of the situation in Strait of Hormuz and underscore the importance of ensuring the continued safety, security and freedom of maritime navigation," he added.

The United States has this week been striking Iran, drawing retaliatory Iranian attacks on US interest in the Gulf as they battle over the strategic Hormuz shipping route.

That sent global oil prices soaring and led to concerns of spikes in inflation even in nations far from the conflict.

The key oil and gas artery, which Iran insists it controls, is central to the rekindled fighting that has entered its sixth day despite a preliminary deal in June aiming to end the war.

(AFP)

Iran, US war LIVE updates: The expanding US military campaign against Iran has put three small islands that sit at the confluence of the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz in the crosshairs once again.

The islands of Abu Musa and Greater and Lesser Tunb — which were seized in 1971 by Iran from what would become the United Arab Emirates — have become a garrison for Iran, helping it exert significant control over the strait, through which a fifth of all oil and natural gas passes in peacetime.

US strikes on two of the islands in recent days have renewed speculation about the fate of these small, rocky isles, whose ownership remains disputed.

Three islands sit along the route to the Strait of Hormuz

The land mass of all three islands totals just about 10 square miles (25 square kilometers). But they carry oversized strategic importance given they sit along the deep-water route taken by ships passing between the strait and the Gulf.

The largest, Abu Musa, has a village on it but primarily serves as a base for Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which has stationed fast boats and missiles — both of which have been used to harass ships in the strait — on the island. It also hosts air defense systems. The same goes for Greater Tunb Island, while the much-smaller Lesser Tunb only has a military presence.

(AP)

Iran, US war LIVE updates: The United States intensified its strikes on Iran early Thursday, hitting targets farther north and firing into a ship the US accused of trying to break its naval blockade on the Islamic Republic. Iran retaliated by launching missiles and drones at US allies in the region, and warned its attacks may escalate.

Days of back-and-forth strikes by the US and Iran across the Middle East — and renewed threats to the Strait of Hormuz — have shredded the interim deal to end the Iran war and could tip the region back into all-out war. Iranian officials say U.S. strikes have killed more than 35 people and wounded over 300 others.

For the first time in this latest round of violence, strikes also reached into areas around Iran’s capital, Tehran, showing a widening set of targets for the Americans.

(AP)

Iran, US war LIVE updates: Oil prices rose over 1% on Thursday as concerns over Middle East energy supplies increased after Iran asked Yemen's Houthis to stand ready to close the Red Sea oil route.

Brent crude futures were up 88 cents, or 1.04%, to $85.83 a barrel at 1237 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures were up 94 cents, or 1.18%, to $80.54 a barrel.

"Simultaneous disruptions affecting Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb would significantly amplify supply chain stress, increase tanker availability constraints, and raise insurance premiums," said Wael Makarem, financial markets strategist lead at Exness.

Iran has asked Yemen’s Houthi movement to stand ready to close the Red Sea oil route if the United States strikes Iranian power infrastructure, three sources told Reuters on Thursday, posing a potent new threat to global energy supplies.

Closure of the Bab el-Mandeb strait — gateway to the Red Sea — would open a new front in the energy crisis and Iran's overarching conflict with the U.S.

Total volumes of petroleum transiting Bab el-Mandeb amounted to 7.4 million barrels per day in June, or about 7% of global oil output, according to Kpler data, up from 4.2 million bpd last year.

(Reuters)

Iran, US war LIVE updates: The United States struck Iran and Tehran hit back at US allies in the Gulf on Thursday, as the foes battled over the vital Strait of Hormuz in the renewed Middle East war, despite a call from mediator Pakistan to resume talks.

The rekindled fighting came a month after a preliminary deal was signed that aimed to end the conflict, which broke out in late February with massive US-Israeli strikes on Iran.

On Thursday, Tehran threatened to target infrastructure across the region if US President Donald Trump followed through on a threat to attack power plants and bridges in Iran.

It followed another exchange of strikes between the two countries, with Iran's Revolutionary Guards saying they struck a US air base in Jordan with ballistic missiles, in response to what they described as an American attack near a children's cancer hospital in the Islamic republic.

State media said the hospital in Ahvaz, in the southwest, was evacuated following US airstrikes on the area and the patients transferred to other medical centres.

Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei slammed the attack as "barbaric".

Iran, US war LIVE updates: The Kuwait military has said it is responding to new Iranian drone strikes, AFP reported.

Iran, US war LIVE updates: A drone struck a ship located off the port in Iraq's southern province of Basra on Thursday, a security official told AFP.

The ship, which was "carrying American-branded cars", had arrived from the United Arab Emirates and was hit near an oil terminal, the official said.

Iraq's oil ministry said it was verifying reports of an unspecified "object" falling on a tanker.

(AFP)

Iran, US war LIVE updates: Oil prices eased on Thursday as traders weighed escalating tensions between the United States and Iran and the risks to oil supplies moving through the Strait of Hormuz.

Brent crude futures were down 27 cents, or 0.32%, to $84.68 a barrel at 1011 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures were down 11 cents, or 0.14%, to $79.49 a barrel. Both contracts remain close to one-month highs.

"The market is still reacting with a surprising degree of calmness," said Ole Hvalbye, market analyst at SEB Research.

"It seems reasonable that prices could continue to climb towards $90-$95 and maybe even touch the $100 mark again and that is because the Strait of Hormuz is repeatedly being disrupted, creating uncertainty over oil flows from the Gulf."

The U.S. struck Iran's coastal defences and missile sites on Wednesday after reimposing a naval blockade of its ports, while Tehran threatened to shut off more regional energy exports, saying it was engaged in an "existential war" with America.

(Reuters)

Iran, US war LIVE updates: The United States intensified its strikes on Iran early Thursday, hitting targets further north as American forces also fired into a ship the U.S. accused of trying to break its naval blockade on the Islamic Republic. Iran retaliated with missile and drone fire targeting U.S. allies in the region before dawn and warned its attacks may escalate.

Days of back-and-forth strikes by the U.S. and Iran across the Middle East — and renewed threats to the Strait of Hormuz — have shredded the interim deal to end the Iran war and could tip the region back into all-out war. Already, Iranian officials say U.S. strikes have killed more than 35 people and wounded over 300 others.

Strikes also reached into areas around Iran’s capital, Tehran, for the first time in this latest round of violence, showing a widening set of targets for the Americans.

(AP)

Iran, US war LIVE updates: Here are 10 latest developments as conflict intensifies:

1. Iran says US air base in Jordan was targeted

Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said they launched ballistic missiles at a US air base in Jordan, claiming it was retaliation for what it described as an American attack near a children's cancer hospital in Iran.

2. IRGC claims two waves of missile strikes

According to the IRGC, US forces had used air bases in Jordan to strike several locations inside Iran. In response, it said it carried out two waves of missile attacks on those bases.

3. Iranian military issues fresh warning

An Iranian military spokesperson warned that the country would "crush" regional infrastructure if the United States attacks Iran's key facilities.

4. Iran reports drone attacks on US facilities

Iranian state media said the country's military launched separate drone attacks targeting US bases and facilities in Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan.

5. Military says communication and fuel sites were hit

Iran's military claimed it targeted US communication systems and fuel storage facilities in Jordan during the strikes.

6. Kuwait and Bahrain also featured in Iranian claims

Iranian media reported that radar systems, a Patriot air defence system and fuel storage facilities at Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, along with US military facilities at Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain, were also targeted.

7. Kuwait intercepts drones, Bahrain issues public advisory

Kuwait's military said it intercepted drone attacks following what it described as Iranian aggression. Bahrain's interior ministry urged residents to remain calm and move to the nearest safe place.

8. US announces fresh round of strikes inside Iran

The US military said it completed another evening wave of strikes targeting Iranian command centres, air defence positions, missile and drone capabilities, and coastal surveillance facilities aimed at reducing threats to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

9. CENTCOM details locations of attacks

The US military said the strikes hit multiple locations, including Bandar Abbas. Earlier, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said American forces struck coastal defence and cruise missile sites on Greater Tunb Island during a 90-minute operation.

10. Pakistan pushes for renewed talks as casualties reported

Pakistan said it would continue encouraging the US and Iran to halt attacks and resume talks under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) it helped mediate last month.

(With inputs from AFP)

Iran, USA LIVE updates: India has directed shipowners, ship managers and recruitment companies not to deploy Indian seafarers on vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz as tensions between the United States and Iran continue to rise, the directorate general of maritime administration (DGMA) said in an order issued on Wednesday.

India is the world's third-largest supplier of seafarers, with more than 300,000 sailors working on ships worldwide, according to government data. The move comes after two Indian seafarers were killed in separate attacks on vessels in the region over the past three days.

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Iran, USA LIVE updates: Pakistan on Thursday urged the US and Iran to end hostilities and resume negotiations, as renewed military strikes between the two sides threatened to derail their interim peace arrangement and further destabilise the region.

Addressing the weekly media briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi acknowledged the challenges facing the interim peace deal.

The Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed last month, had led to the launch of technical-level talks aimed at reaching a permanent peace agreement within 60 days.

However, the process stalled after the US and Iran resumed attacks last week.

Andrabi said as hostilities have continued over the past week, "Pakistan reiterates its call on all parties to exercise maximum restraint and refrain from any actions that would further undermine peace and stability".

(PTI)

Iran, USA LIVE updates: A former US ambassador, David Hale, said Iran miscalculated US President Donald Trump’s willingness to continue military action, as per Al Jazeera.

Iran, USA LIVE updates: Syrian authorities have foiled an attempt to smuggle a shipment of advanced weapons, including missiles, from Iraq into Syria, state news agency SANA reported.

Citing an unnamed Interior Ministry source, SANA said preliminary investigations indicated that the weapons were intended for Lebanon’s Hezbollah and were to be transported through Syrian territory.

Iran, USA LIVE updates: Iran’s army has warned Gulf countries that relying on US security support will not provide lasting protection amid the escalating war. The statement said “security imported from the US will not last.”

Iran, USA LIVE updates: Final exams for graduating high school students in four southern Iranian provinces have been postponed due to ongoing US strikes and security concerns.

Iran’s Education Ministry said exams in Hormozgan, Bushehr, Khuzestan, and Sistan and Baluchestan will be rescheduled.

Exams in other provinces will continue as planned.

The move comes as US strikes continue along Iran’s southern coastline amid rising tensions between Washington and Tehran.