US strikes on Iran trigger new escalation as Tehran targets American bases in the Gulf
A wave of US airstrikes on Iranian military sites sparks retaliation from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, raising fears of a wider regional confrontation as both sides exchange threats and attacks.
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Three people were killed and others were injured in a US strike on western Iran, according to Iran’s official news agency IRNA, which cited a local official on Thursday.
Khuzestan Deputy Governor Valiollah Hayati told reporters that three people were killed and others were injured in a US attack on the outskirts of the city of Ahvaz, the official Iranian news agency reported.
Iran’s Ministry of Health said that 14 people were killed and 78 others were injured as a result of US airstrikes on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The governor of the city of Iranshahr said that an employee of the meteorological department was killed during the attack on the city’s airport.
It added that technical teams were present at the site of the incident and were continuing repair work on the damaged section in order to resume railway operations as quickly as possible.
It explained that the necessary arrangements had been made to transport passengers from the suspended route to the city of Mashhad by buses.
“Deal”
In his latest remarks, US President Donald Trump said: “We received a call, and Iran is strongly seeking to reach a settlement deal with us.”
Meanwhile, the US military said in a post on the platform X that it had targeted around 90 Iranian military sites, including air defense systems, coastal surveillance facilities, and locations used to store missiles and drones along Iran’s southern coast.
It noted that the aim of these strikes was “to further undermine Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping and innocent civilian sailors in the Strait of Hormuz.”
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 9, 2026
In response to these strikes, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that it had launched missile and drone attacks against the US bases of Arifjan and Ali Al Salem in Kuwait, as well as the Al Jufair and Sheikh Isa bases in Bahrain. It threatened to expand the scope of its response to include other bases in the region if Washington carried out further strikes, according to a statement broadcast on state television.
The Iranian military said: “As part of the continuation of the attacks by the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran against US bases in the region,” it targeted a Patriot missile interception system in Kuwait, an early warning system in Qatar, and fuel depots in Bahrain, using “a large number of various types of attack drones.”
For its part, the Bahrain Defence Force said: “We intercepted a number of treacherous Iranian aerial attacks this morning.”
Amid this escalation, Iranian Parliament Speaker and senior negotiator Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said that the Strait of Hormuz would only be reopened under “Iranian arrangements.”
He added in a post on X: “The United States has not yet learned that intimidation tactics and breaking promises will no longer pass without consequences.” He added: “I will be clear: if you strike, you will be struck.”
Iranian state media reported hearing explosions in the cities of Bandar Abbas in the south, Konarak in the east, and Chabahar in the east.
In Bushehr in the southwest, where Iran’s only civilian nuclear power plant is located, a military base was hit in an attack, according to a local official. A railway bridge in Golestan Province in northern Iran was also targeted, according to several media outlets.
Qatar and Pakistan called for respect for the memorandum of understanding signed on June 17 under their mediation and urged efforts to reduce tensions.
The exchange of strikes led to a rise in oil prices on Wednesday, with Brent crude prices jumping by more than 7%. The increase continued on Thursday in Asia, rising by more than 1% to reach $78.85 per barrel.
On Tuesday, Washington reinstated sanctions on Iranian oil after they had been lifted under the memorandum of understanding.
This new escalation comes as ceremonies are being held to mourn Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed on the first day of the war. His burial ceremony is scheduled to take place on Thursday in the city of Mashhad in northeastern Iran.