The USA attacks Iran again – Tehran responds with attacks on Gulf states.Image: keystone
The US military attacked Iran again on Thursday night, and Tehran responded with attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain. The latest developments in the Middle East.
July 8, 2026, 10:35 p.mJul 9, 2026, 6:08 am
This happened at night
The US bombed targets in the Islamic Republic for the second night in a row in the dispute with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz. The US military said around 90 military targets were hit along the Iranian coast, including air defense systems, coastal surveillance systems and missile and drone depots. In response, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards – the country’s elite armed forces – said they again attacked US bases in the two Gulf states of Kuwait and Bahrain, which are allies of Washington.
US President Donald Trump threatened Iran with even more violent attacks. The attacks by the US military were retaliatory measures for ships attacked by Iran, Trump said on his Truth Social platform. “If something like this happens again, it will get much worse!” Meanwhile, the responsible US regional command, Centcom, announced in the early hours of the morning that the new wave of attacks had been completed.
Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf wrote on Platform To put it bluntly: If you hit, you will be hit.”
According to the pro-government broadcaster Press TV, Tehran called on the United Nations Security Council to take immediate action after the renewed “large-scale” US attacks and warned Washington of the consequences.
Explosions in Iran again
Iranian media reported explosions in several areas along the country’s coast overnight. Among other things, there were detonations in the area of the large city of Bandar Abbas, the port city of Bushehr and the island of Abu Musa in the Persian Gulf. According to the state news agency Irna, buildings at the airport in the city of Iranshahr were also damaged. In addition, a railway bridge in the northeastern province of Golestan was hit, the state broadcaster Irib reported. According to Press TV, it was the first US attack in the region since the ceasefire began in April. According to the Revolutionary Guard, another bridge was hit.
The Gulf state of Kuwait then came under fire for the second night in a row. The army said the air defense is repelling missile and drone attacks. There were initially no details. In Bahrain, too, the alarm sirens wailed like the night before. Both countries are home to US military bases just a few hundred kilometers from Iran.
Dispute over Strait of Hormuz escalates
The US Institute for War Studies (ISW) wrote in a situation analysis that Iran is prepared to enter into a comprehensive conflict with the USA if this is necessary to secure its control over the Strait of Hormuz. According to experts, the strait, which is important for global trade in oil, gas and fertilizer, is Iran’s strongest economic and military leverage.
Iran insists that under the agreement it will be solely responsible for managing the strait.Image: keystone
The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz is a central element of the framework agreement that Washington and Tehran agreed to in mid-June. But the relevant passage in the agreement contains wording that leaves room for interpretation. Iran insists that under the agreement it will be solely responsible for managing the strait.
Report: Attacks could last even longer
According to information from the US news portal “Axios”, the White House is preparing for a possible military conflict with Iran in the Strait lasting several days or even several weeks. The duration and intensity of the new attacks depend on Tehran’s next steps, US officials said. They could last a day or two, a week or a month, depending on whether Iran continues its attacks on merchant ships in the Strait of Hormuz, it said.
According to Trump, the Iranians still want a peace agreement. “They recently called and said they really want to conclude an agreement,” he claimed on the flight back to Washington from the NATO summit. But he wasn’t sure whether they were worthy of an agreement or whether they would stick to one, Trump said. When asked by a journalist why Iran’s leadership was attacking merchant ships when it was interested in an agreement, he said: “Because… they are a little crazy.”
Trump on Iran’s leadership: “They are scum”
According to its own information, the US military had already attacked more than 80 targets in Iran on Wednesday night. Trump then openly questioned the ceasefire on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara and expressed doubts about continuing negotiations with Tehran. «I think it’s over. I don’t want anything to do with them anymore. They are scum,” he said. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on
On the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Trump openly questioned the ceasefire and expressed doubts about continuing negotiations with Tehran.Image: keystone
The renewed escalation occurred during the funeral ceremonies for Iran’s head of state Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. More than four months after he was killed in an Israeli airstrike, he is to be buried behind closed doors today in the Imam Reza shrine in his hometown of Mashhad – the most important center of Shiite Islam in Iran. After his killing, the US and Israel waged war against Iran for more than five weeks until a ceasefire was agreed in April.
Iran only wants to negotiate when threats stop
According to Iran’s Foreign Minister Araghchi, there will be no negotiations on a final agreement to end the war as long as threats continue. After the US attacks on Wednesday night, the mediating state Pakistan called on both parties to the conflict to show restraint.
All sides are called upon to fulfill their obligations under the framework agreement, it said. It was agreed to negotiate a final deal within 60 days. However, after recent fighting, it is unclear whether this schedule still holds. The points of contention continue to be Iran’s nuclear program, the safety of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s support for militant groups in the region.
Well-informed circles in the Pakistani capital Islamabad dismissed concerns on Wednesday that the latest escalation could jeopardize the negotiation process. A next round would therefore be possible again in Pakistan. The Qatari capital Doha is also being discussed. (sda/dpa)
The latest developments
تتصدى حالياً الدفاعات الجوية الكويتية لهجمات صاروخية وطائرات مسيرة معادية.
تنوه رئاسة الأركان العامة للجيش أن أصوات الانفجارات إن سمعت فهي نتيجة اعتراض منظومات الدفاع الجوي للهجمات المعادية.
يرجى من الجميع التقيد بتعليمات الأمن والسلامة الصادرة عن الجهات المختصة.… pic.twitter.com/jqR7huoRTO
— KUWAIT ARMY – الجيش الكويتي (@KuwaitArmyGHQ) July 9, 2026
According to media reports, the US military also bombed a railway bridge in northeastern Iran that night. Several projectiles hit the bridge in Golestan province, the state broadcaster Irib reported on platform X. According to the pro-government broadcaster Press TV, it is the first attack in the region since the ceasefire began in April. Well-connected journalist Barak Ravid wrote on
Meanwhile, the US military began another wave of attacks. Well-informed circles in the Pakistani capital Islamabad dismissed concerns on Wednesday that the latest escalation could jeopardize the negotiation process. A next round would therefore be possible again in Pakistan. The Qatari capital Doha is also being discussed, it was said. However, a specific date was not known. There is “no alternative” to continued dialogue and diplomacy “to achieve the common goal of peace in the region,” said the statement from the Pakistani Foreign Ministry.
According to Trump, Iran still wants an agreement. There was initially no confirmation from Tehran. Trump repeatedly reports on conversations or phone calls that are subsequently completely or partially disputed by the people he spoke to. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had previously said negotiations on a final agreement would not begin as long as the threats continued.
US President Donald Trump had previously announced the new attacks. The US military has “hit Iran hard” and “we will most likely hit them hard again tonight,” he said. He still believes that the conflict will be resolved soon.