US-Iran news highlights: US disables Iranian oil tanker, launches new strikes on Bandar Abbas, Chabahar, Ahvaz

Track latest updates on US and Iran here.

US-Iran war latest updates: A hospital that treats cancer patients in Ahvaz, in southwestern Iran, was evacuated late Wednesday night after US projectiles struck the surrounding area, according to Iran's state broadcaster and a health ministry official cited by The New York Times.

The report said families gathered outside Shahid Baghaei Hospital as patients were moved out of the building. It did not say the hospital itself had been hit and there was no immediate word on any injuries.

An official in Iran's Health Ministry, Hossein Kermanpour, said on social media, “Some patients and their relatives left the hospital because of the terrifying noise and severe shaking.” He added, “Only the most critically ill patients are now said to remain inside.”

US-Iran war latest updates: Kuwait's air defenses are responding to hostile drone attacks, the army's General Staff said in a post on X, describing them as part of an Iranian attack.

The statement said, “The Kuwaiti air defenses are currently confronting attacks by hostile drones, following the sinful Iranian aggression. The General Staff of the Army notes that the sounds of explosions, if heard, are the result of air defense systems intercepting the hostile attacks. Everyone is requested to adhere to the security and safety instructions issued by the competent authorities.”

US-Iran latest updates: President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Iran has released an American woman he says had been wrongfully detained in the country since December 2024.

“Iran has allowed an American Citizen, who was wrongfully detained in December of 2024 under the 'presidency' of Sleepy Joe Biden, to leave the Country,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “She is now safely outside of Iran, and in good condition. The United States of America appreciates this gesture of Goodwill by Iran!”

The woman was later identified by her attorney as Dena Karari. International human rights lawyer Jared Genser wrote in a post on X, “I am delighted and excited to report that my client U.S. citizen #DenaKarari, who had been trapped in #Iran since December 2024 on bogus charges is now free.” He thanked Trump and said his client “is now safe and traveling back to the United States.”

US-Iran war latest updates: Explosions were heard late Wednesday in several Iranian cities, including Bandar Abbas, Ahvaz and Chabahar, according to Iranian media outlets.

In Ahvaz, patients at a children's cancer hospital were temporarily evacuated after a US projectile landed nearby and a strike damaged nearby homes, as per IRIB. IRNA later confirmed four locations around Ahvaz were struck, with no casualties reported, as per CNN.

US projectiles hit Qeshm island in the Strait of Hormuz and Sirik, near the Gulf of Oman, according to Hormozgan provincial authorities. Part of a fishmeal factory on Qeshm was damaged, but no injuries were reported since it was empty, as per NYT.

Iranian state media reported additional US strikes across southern Iran on Wednesday night, including near Bandar Abbas, Chabahar, Konarak and Rask. Local sources in Sistan and Baluchestan Province, near the borders with Pakistan and Afghanistan, told IRNA that projectiles struck a location in Rask. Explosions were also heard along a road in Chabahar and in nearby Konarak, though further details were not immediately available. Chabahar and Bandar Abbas, both key port and naval areas, have faced repeated attacks this week, per NYT.

Earlier SNN reported cited by CNN that US also struck Iran's Hengam Island near the Strait of Hormuz.

US-Iran war latest updates: Iran's operations are currently focused on destroying US “offensive infrastructure” across the region, IRGC spokesperson General Mohammadi said in a post on X.

Mohammadi also warned that the United States should not assume the current pattern of fighting could continue indefinitely, turning the conflict into a war of attrition, per Al Jazeera.

US-Iran war latest updates: Speaking at the US Army War College in Pennsylvania, Trump called the war with Iran “incredible” for the United States. “It hasn't made a dent,” he said, even as oil prices rose on Wednesday and the US military reimposed its blockade on Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz, as per The New York Times.

He said oil prices “went up a little bit, because I had to take tough action because they did not obey what they were supposed to obey,” referring to the memorandum of understanding he brokered with Tehran last month.

Trump's first naval blockade in April had caused oil prices to rise above $120 a barrel.

US-Iran war latest updates: US forces enforced naval blockade measures against Iran on July 15 by disabling an unladen oil tanker attempting to sail toward an Iranian port in the Arabian Gulf, according to US Central Command (CENTCOM).

CENTCOM forces observed the Curacao-flagged M/T Belma transiting international waters toward Kharg Island. The commercial vessel ignored multiple warnings as it attempted to violate the US blockade. A US aircraft disabled the vessel after firing Hellfire missiles into the ship's smokestack. The ship is no longer transiting to Iran, as per CENTCOM.

“U.S. forces resumed the naval blockade against vessels transiting to or from Iranian ports and coastal areas at 4 p.m. ET on July 14. During the first 24 hours of enforcement, CENTCOM has redirected two compliant commercial vessels and disabled one non-compliant vessel,” they said.

US-Iran war latest updates: Greece's Aegean Airlines, Air Canada and Air France-KLM have all suspended scheduled flights to Dubai, Tel Aviv and other destinations across the region.

Air Canada has cancelled flights to Tel Aviv and Dubai until October 24. Greece's largest carrier, Aegean Airlines has cancelled flights to Dubai until August 31 and to Erbil and Baghdad until September 30.

Air France has suspended its Beirut flights until August 2 and KLM has suspended flights to Riyadh, Dammam and Dubai until July 15.

Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific plans to resume its flights to Dubai and Riyadh from September 1.

US-Iran war latest updates: Eight drones carrying explosives were shot down on Wednesday night over the skies of Erbil, in Iraq's semiautonomous Kurdistan region, a close ally of Washington, according to a statement from Iraqi Kurdistan's counterterrorism force cited by The New York Times.

The statement did not say who was behind the attack. However, during earlier phases of the war, the region was repeatedly targeted by Iran.

US-Iran war latest update: President Trump is leaning toward expanding US military operations in Iran after days of briefings from top aides, according to US officials, Wall Street Journal reported.

US-Iran war latest updates: Explosions have been reported in Bandar Abbas, according to Iran's Mehr news agency, which added that US projectiles hit a location near the city.

Three explosions have also been reported in Chabahar, as per Mehr news agency. Iranian media said earlier that US missiles hit a naval watchtower in Chabahar. The watchtower is a civilian facility used for maritime security and search-and-rescue operations for fishermen.

Mehr news agency also reported the sound of explosions in Ahvaz, near the border with Iraq. Ahvaz has been repeatedly targeted by US forces since hostilities restarted this month.

-Al Jazeera

The US military has launched a second wave of strikes against Iran.

US CENTCOM said the strikes are targeting Iranian military capabilities used to threaten vessels freely moving through the Strait of Hormuz, an international waterway that is vital to global trade.

According to CENTCOM's statement, “At 3 p.m. ET, U.S. forces launched operations for a second wave of strikes today against Iran. The strikes are targeting Iranian military capabilities used to threaten vessels freely transiting through the Strait of Hormuz, an international waterway vital to global commerce. The U.S. military is holding Iran accountable at the Commander in Chief's direction.”

US-Iran war latest updates: Explosions have been heard in the Iraqi city of Erbil, according to Al Jazeera.

Iran will keep responding “firmly” to US strikes and has no plans for negotiations, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told Iranian media on Wednesday.

“We currently have no plans for negotiations and remain focused on defending the country,” Baghaei told reporters outside a Tehran memorial service for the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's son-in-law, according to video from Iran's Student News Network (SNN) cited by CNN.

Baghaei said Iran will not stick to any agreement if the US “breaches its obligations.” “This is a principle, and we will continue to follow it,” Baghaei said, adding that Iran believes the United States has ignored the ceasefire from the very start, per CNN.

US-Iran latest updates: Iran's top negotiator and parliamentary speaker Ghalibaf says the country has “never welcomed war, nor do we now,” adding that “we must always be prepared for battle and stand firm to protect our national security and interests.”

“We must also use the tools of diplomacy and negotiation to achieve and solidify our national interests,” he added.

“Negotiation at this stage is not equivalent to compromise, but along with war is part of the strategy of resistance and protection of national interests,” he said.

In a statement issued late on Wednesday, Ghalibaf said Iran's national security lies in “maintaining Iranian arrangements on the Strait of Hormuz.” He said in order to do so, “Iranian armed forces have complete freedom of action as always to confront the enemy's aggression.”

-Al Jazeera

US-Iran LIVE Updates: A key US central bank official expressed her readiness Wednesday to take action against inflation if price increases remain stubborn.

"If we do not see signs of disinflation soon, I am prepared to act," Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook said in prepared remarks to an event in Washington.

"I am fully committed to reaching our inflation target, and this commitment is unwavering," she added.

The Fed has a dual mandate of maintaining price stability and maximum employment, and generally keeps interest rates higher to curb inflation or lowers rates to boost the jobs market.

Cook has flagged greater concern surrounding inflation rather than the jobs market currently, implying that she could support a rate hike down the line.

But she stressed in her prepared remarks Wednesday that "at this juncture, I see it as prudent to give a bit more time to observe how inflation unfolds from here."

"Going forward, though, I believe the risks continue to be strongly weighted toward higher inflation," she warned.

This is because the artificial intelligence buildout "does not show signs of slowing," while tariffs and conflict in the Middle East "risk leading to persistently higher inflation."

Cook estimates that headline inflation this year will be about one percentage point higher than what was anticipated a year ago.

US inflation has also been above the Fed's two percent target for around five years now, fueling concerns.

Official data released this week showed consumer inflation at 3.5 percent in June, cooling from May's reading on lower energy prices amid hopes of a US-Iran deal.

But hostilities have since resumed in the Middle East, sending oil prices higher. This could keep inflation persistent.

The Fed's rate-setting committee is due to meet next between July 28 and 29.

(AFP)

US-Iran LIVE Updates: Iranian Health Ministry says recent US airstrikes have killed at least 35 people and wounded over 300 others.

US-Iran war today updates: The Gulf monarchies of Kuwait and Bahrain on Wednesday confirmed they had intercepted fresh aerial salvos from Iran as Tehran and Washington exchanged fire over control of the vital Strait of Hormuz.

Kuwait's military said it was intercepting attack drones, and blamed "nefarious Iranian aggression", with Bahrain's army later saying it "succeeded in intercepting and destroying a number of the treacherous Iranian aerial attacks".

In the early hours of the morning, Bahrain's interior ministry said it had sounded warning sirens and urged citizens and residents to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place.

Iranian state media reported Wednesday that Iran carried out separate attacks on US targets in Kuwait and on the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain after US forces struck the Islamic republic.

(AFP)

US-Iran war today updates: Oil extended gains as the US said it had begun a new wave of strikes against Iranian military installations on Wednesday, aiming to limit Tehran's ability to strike commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

Washington had earlier reimposed a naval blockade of Iranian ports and launched overnight strikes, prompting Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to threaten to close "all other export corridors that benefit the U.S. and its allies".

Brent futures gained 18 cents, or 0.2%, to $84.91 a barrel at 1214 GMT. West Texas Intermediate futures rose 26 cents, or 0.3%, to $79.60 a barrel.

Oil prices settled up 2% at a one-month high on Tuesday as attacks exacerbated a supply disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas passed prior to the war's outbreak.

(Reuters)

US-Iran war today updates: President Donald Trump said he would intensify the US’s bombardment against Iran until it stops attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz and agrees to open the waterway.

American forces hit Iranian military targets overnight for a fourth straight day, again prompting counterstrikes from Tehran on US bases in Gulf Arab states, including Kuwait and Bahrain.

A US-Iran interim peace deal signed around a month ago has all but collapsed over the past week as the two sides feud over control of the vital strait, through which the likes of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates send most of their energy exports. Oil rose for a third day on Wednesday, with Brent jumping above $85 a barrel and taking its gain this week to 12%.

With Iran attacking vessels it says are crossing the chokepoint without its permission, Trump decided to end a waiver on Iranian oil sanctions and reimpose a naval blockade, before also striking the country again. So far, he’s mostly kept to military targets in the south of the Islamic Republic such as radar, missile and drone sites. The bombing campaign remains far less intense than during the height of the war in March and early April, when Tehran and other major cities were under constant fire.

Trump pledged to bomb again on Wednesday night and continue until Iran relents.

(Bloomberg)

US-Iran war today updates: The latest round of overnight U.S. airstrikes on Iran wounded more than 260 people, a Health Ministry official said Wednesday.

The comment by Hossein Kermanpour, a spokesperson for the Health Ministry, did not include fatality statistics.

However, far more people were reported injured than in any other round of recent violence between Iran and the U.S. as they vie over control of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which about a fifth of all oil and natural gas traded once passed.

The U.S. military early Wednesday reimposed a blockade on Iranian ports over Tehran’s attacks on ships trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, sparking new strikes on nations hosting American forces as an interim deal to end the war further unraveled.

(AP)

US-Iran war today updates: The US military's Central Command said on Wednesday it launched airstrikes on Greater Tunb Island in the Strait of Hormuz, targeting Iranian defence and missile sites.

The island, seized by Iran since 1971 from what would become the United Arab Emirates, is viewed as a strategic point in the strait.

Central Command said it launched a 90-minute attack targeting the island.

"The strikes further degraded Iran's ability to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz," it said.

(AP)

US-Iran war today updates: US President Donald Trump said “massive” new oil deals with Iraq would be announced soon as he hosted Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and hailed the prospect of American companies doing more business in the country.

“Iraq has tremendous potential because of their oil and because of other things,” Trump said Tuesday at the White House. “We’re going to create a lot of jobs for both countries, and we’re going to be taking out a lot of oil. A lot of oil is coming out, and the American companies are doing it.”

Trump said there would be “a lot of deals” and announcements could be coming “this week or next week.” He didn’t share any details, just describing them as “massive, among the largest.”

Securing such agreements would be a boost to al-Zaidi, who is eager to tap US investments to help raise Iraqi oil and gas capabilities. But his trip also comes at a delicate time for Iraq and the region, as the US and Iran clash over the status of the Strait of Hormuz.

Iraq’s finances were among the hardest hit of Persian Gulf nations when Iran effectively closed the critical waterway for energy flows following the start of US and Israeli airstrikes in late February.

The Iran war has spurred tension between Iraq and other nations in OPEC as Baghdad pushes for bigger production quotas in a bid to recoup oil sales lost because of the conflict. Iraq’s oil ministry has raised the prospect of exiting the group in the future.

(Bloomberg)

US-Iran war today updates: President Donald Trump said he would intensify the US’s bombardment against Iran until it stops attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz and agrees to open the waterway.

American forces hit Iranian military targets overnight for a fourth straight day, again prompting counterstrikes from Tehran on US bases in Gulf Arab states, including Kuwait and Bahrain.

A US-Iran interim peace deal signed around a month ago has all but collapsed over the past week as the two sides feud over control of the vital strait, through which the likes of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates send most of their energy exports. Oil rose for a third day on Wednesday, with Brent jumping above $85 a barrel and taking its gain this week to 12%.

With Iran attacking vessels it says are crossing the chokepoint without its permission, Trump decided to end a waiver on Iranian oil sanctions and reimpose a naval blockade, before also striking the country again. So far, he’s mostly kept to military targets in the south of the Islamic Republic such as radar, missile and drone sites. The bombing campaign remains far less intense than during the height of the war in March and early April, when Tehran and other major cities were under constant fire.

(Bloomberg)