US-Iran conflict escalates as strikes, retaliation spread across Gulf
At least 14 people were killed and 78 injured in US airstrikes on five Iranian provinces over the past two days, according to Iran's Health Ministry, as hostilities between Washington and Tehran intensified following the collapse of last month's ceasefire.
Iranian officials said 47 of the wounded remain hospitalized, while local authorities reported that three people were killed in a strike near the southwestern city of Ahvaz.
The latest escalation follows US accusations that Iran attacked commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, prompting American strikes on Iranian military infrastructure. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said more than 170 military targets were hit over two days, including air defense systems, missile and drone facilities, coastal surveillance assets, naval capabilities and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) sites.
Iran launches retaliatory attacks
In response, Iran said it launched drone and missile attacks targeting US military infrastructure in Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain.
The Iranian army said the strikes targeted a Patriot air defense system in Kuwait, an early-warning satellite site in Qatar and fuel storage facilities in Bahrain. The IRGC also claimed responsibility for attacks on US military facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain, warning that any further US action would trigger a broader regional response.
Hormuz warning
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said the Strait of Hormuz would only remain open under "Iranian arrangements," rejecting what he described as US pressure.
"The US has yet to learn that bullying and breaking promises no longer come without cost," Qalibaf said, warning that any future attacks would be met with retaliation.
Regional security alerts
The exchange of attacks triggered security alerts across the Gulf.
Bahrain said its air defense systems intercepted and destroyed multiple Iranian aerial attacks after warning sirens sounded nationwide. Kuwait also activated warning sirens.
Qatar, which earlier urged residents to remain indoors due to a high security threat, later announced that the threat had ended and the situation had returned to normal, without providing further details.
Ceasefire agreement abandoned
The renewed fighting comes after the collapse of a Pakistan-brokered memorandum of understanding reached on June 17 to halt the conflict.
US President Donald Trump declared on Wednesday that the agreement was "over," effectively ending the ceasefire and paving the way for the latest round of military confrontation between the United States and Iran.
Source:AA
