US launches fresh Iran strikes as Tehran claims drone attacks on Kuwait, Bahrain

The General Command of the Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) said that its air defence systems successfully intercepted and destroyed several treacherous Iranian aerial attacks on Thursday.

In a statement carried by the Bahrain News Agency (BNA), the General Command said that Iran continues its systematic hostile approach through unlawful missile and drone attacks targeting civilians in the Kingdom.

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

India has directed shipping companies to stop deploying Indian seafarers on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz until further notice, citing heightened security risks in the Gulf.

The Directorate General of Maritime Administration (DGMA) said the order applies to ship owners, managers and RPSL companies. It also instructed maritime operators to maintain heightened vigilance in the Arabian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and nearby waters, closely monitor security advisories and comply with the ISPS Code. Ship operators have been told to report emergencies immediately through the IFC-IOR and DG Communication Centre as authorities continue to monitor the evolving security situation.

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Tehran warned Thursday it would target regional infrastructure if the United States carried out threats to attack Iran's infrastructure, as the war in the Middle East resumed.

The spokesman for Iran's military headquarters said that if the US followed through on its threats, "all infrastructure in the region" would be "crushed under the steel blows" of Iran's armed forces.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Thursday they had 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 Iran.

The IRGC said US forces had "used air bases located in Jordan to target various parts of Iran, including the vicinity of a children's cancer hospital", and that its aerospace force responded by "launching two waves of missile strikes" on the bases in Jordan, according to their website.

Iran's army said on Thursday it carried out drone attacks against US bases and facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain, state TV reported, after the United States carried out strikes on the Islamic republic.

Iran's military said it targeted "radar systems, a Patriot air defense system, and fuel storage facilities at Ali Al Salem Air Base" in Kuwait and US military facilities at the Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain, IRIB reported.

Jordan's Armed Forces said they intercepted and destroyed eight Iranian missiles that were headed towards the kingdom's territory.

The announcement came after the Iranian military said it had targeted US military facilities in Jordan.

The Iranian army said on Thursday that it targeted US military facilities in Jordan with drones, state media reported, after the United States carried out another wave of strikes on Iran.

"The Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran announced that... in response to the enemy aggression, it targeted the communication systems and fuel storage facilities of the U.S. military in Jordan using suicide (kamikaze) drones," state television IRIB said.

The US State Department said Wednesday it has approved the sale of an estimated $1.96 billion in weapons to Saudi Arabia, as the war ramps up in the Middle East.

"This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a Major non-NATO Ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in the Gulf Region," the State Department said in a release.

Air defences were heard in parts of Tehran on Thursday morning, state media said, and explosions rang out in northern and western parts of the country.

"So far, no casualties have been reported in Tehran by official authorities," state news agency IRNA reported. Explosions were heard in parts of the western Lorestan province, and Semnan in the north, IRNA and the Mehr news agency reported.

The U.S. military has completed another wave of strikes on Iranian military targets, according to US Central Command (CENTCOM).

CENTCOM said the operation concluded at 9pm ET on July 15, targeting Iranian command centres, air defence systems, missile and drone capabilities, and coastal surveillance facilities. The strikes, including those in Bandar Abbas, were carried out using precision-guided munitions and were aimed at further reducing Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that arch foe Iran has freed an American citizen detained since December 2024 and allowed her to leave the country.

"She is now safely outside of Iran, and in good condition," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, adding: "The United States of America appreciates this gesture of Goodwill by Iran!"

Trump - who in recent days has ordered a resumption of strikes against Iran and reimposed a naval blockade of its ports - did not name the woman or describe why she had been held, other than to say she had been "wrongfully detained."

US forces confirmed that they have enforced naval blockade measures against Iran from midnight on July 15, 2026 by disabling an unladen oil tanker attempting to sail toward an Iranian port in the Arabian Gulf.

US Central Command (CentCom) forces observed 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, according to the command.

A US aircraft disabled the vessel after firing hellfire missiles into the ship’s smokestack. The ship is no longer transiting to Iran.

Projectiles reportedly struck the southeastern Iranian cities of Rask and Chabahar in Sistan and Baluchestan province late on Wednesday, with Iranian media reporting explosions. Few immediate details were provided on the damage or casualties.

Subsequent reporting by Iran's semi-official Tasnim News Agency indicates that the Chabahar Port's maritime traffic control centre was hit in a renewed US strike, while Iranian authorities also reported attacks elsewhere in the province, including the Bampur Army garrison.

Tasnim said at least seven Iranian military personnel were killed in the Bampur strike.

Kuwait said on Thursday it was intercepting Iranian drones, while air raid sirens rang out in Bahrain, following another night of American strikes on Iranian territory.

In a statement on X, the Kuwaiti army said they were "engaging hostile drone attacks following the nefarious Iranian aggression". Bahrain's interior ministry urged citizens and residents to "remain calm and head to the nearest safe place".

US President Donald Trump has now openly threatened Pickaxe Mountain and Kharg Island. The US leader declared that the US would eventually "take out" the underground tunnel complexes deeply buried near Natanz, Iran, that Western analysts believe could support future nuclear activities.

Experts say the mountain complex is among the hardest military targets in the world because its tunnels are buried hundreds of feet beneath solid rock, potentially beyond the reach of even America's most powerful bunker-busting bombs.

Pickaxe Mountain forms part of several "options" reportedly now under consideration by Trump following a White House briefing by military leaders. Trump is also weighing a significant expansion of US military operations in Iran, including the possible seizure of Kharg, Tehran's main oil export hub.

President Trump is leaning toward expanding US military operations in Iran after days of briefings from top aides, U.S. officials said. Options include stepping up airstrikes, sending ground forces to seize Iranian islands near the Strait of Hormuz and bombing a fortified site that could be used for covert nuclear work.

Trump hosted a Situation Room meeting Tuesday evening to discuss the potential seizure of Kharg Island and other territory along the Strait of Hormuz using U.S. troops, as well as the potential bombing of a tunnel complex at Pickaxe Mountain.

Day 137: Iran says it is no longer bound by parts of US ceasefire deal

Day 136: 2 UAE tankers hit, US to resume Iran blockade

Day 135: US military launches another round of Iran strikes

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Day 133: US swaps strikes with Iran while keeping nuclear talks alive

Day 132: Israel vows stronger military action against Iran

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Day 130: Iran reports explosions on sites around Hormuz Strait

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