Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday condemned US attacks on several areas in the country’s southern coastal provinces and on two bridges in eastern provinces along the railway route to Mashhad, describing them as flagrant war crimes and violations of the UN Charter and the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), according to IRNA.
In a statement, the ministry called the US strikes “criminal” and said they were carried out under the “false pretext” of responding to alleged attacks on vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday. It said the attacks violated Article 2(4) of the UN Charter as well as Paragraphs 1 and 5 of the MoU on the Cessation of Hostilities.
Jordan’s armed forces said they intercepted eight Iranian missiles after air raid sirens sounded across the country. Authorities said falling debris caused neither casualties nor material damage.
Several explosions were heard on Thursday in Chaghadeh in Iran’s southern Bushehr province, according to the semi-official Fars News Agency. Residents also reported blasts in other parts of the province, although officials had not confirmed the exact locations or causes. The explosions came after US forces reportedly targeted sites in Bushehr earlier in the day, amid a second consecutive day of military exchanges between Tehran and Washington.
Iran’s Health Ministry said US strikes on five provinces over July 8 and 9 killed at least 14 people and injured 78 others. Hossein Kermanpour, head of the ministry’s Public Relations and Information Centre, said 47 of the injured remain hospitalised while the others have been discharged after treatment.
According to IRNA, three people were killed in a strike near the southwestern city of Ahvaz, citing Khuzestan Deputy Governor for Security Affairs Valiollah Hayati. The latest casualty figures come after a fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran collapsed last month.
Iran again rejected Washington’s justification for the attacks, saying claims that the strikes were in response to incidents involving ships in the Strait of Hormuz were a “false pretext”. The Foreign Ministry said the attacks, including those on two railway bridges, violated both the UN Charter and the ceasefire agreement.
Bahrain activated air raid sirens for the third time on Thursday as possible Iranian aerial attacks were reported. The Interior Ministry urged residents to remain calm and move to the nearest safe location. Earlier, Bahrain’s Defence Force said its air defence systems had intercepted and destroyed several Iranian aerial threats.
Iran also summoned the UK ambassador in Tehran over what it called repeated “false and baseless accusations” by British officials. Assistant Foreign Minister Alireza Yousefi handed the ambassador a formal protest note rejecting British claims that Iran had attempted to carry out security-related activities in the UK.
Yousefi accused Britain of projecting blame to avoid accountability for its own actions and alleged that London was complicit with the United States and Israel in what he described as crimes and efforts to destabilise West Asia.
The head of the International Maritime Organization said around 6,000 seafarers remain stranded around the Strait of Hormuz as fighting between the US and Iran continues. Arsenio Dominguez said innocent sailors should not have to risk their lives because of the conflict and stressed the human cost faced by maritime workers and their families.
Maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has slowed dramatically, according to Bloomberg News. Ship-tracking data showed only a US-sanctioned supertanker and an Iranian-flagged container ship leaving the Gulf, while just 14 cargo ships crossed the strait in both directions on Wednesday—the lowest figure since the US-Iran MoU on June 16. The average had been about 34 ships per day during the previous three weeks.
Explosions were also reported in Bahrain’s capital, Manama, after air raid sirens sounded for a third time. The Interior Ministry again advised citizens and residents to seek shelter.
Iran’s military claimed it launched drone strikes targeting what it described as US bases and strategic sites in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. It said the attacks targeted a Patriot missile system in Kuwait, an early warning satellite antenna site in Qatar and US military fuel tanks in Bahrain, using a large number of drones.
The military vowed it would continue defending the Islamic Revolution and would not allow what it called the goals of US President Donald Trump to succeed.
Bahrain’s Defence Force said its air defence systems intercepted and destroyed several Iranian aerial attacks during the early morning hours, following Tehran’s claims of strikes against US facilities in the Gulf.
Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani reaffirmed support for efforts to contain the regional escalation during a phone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. The two discussed the latest military developments between Iran and the United States.
Sheikh Mohammed condemned attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, warning they threaten international maritime security and regional stability. He stressed the importance of dialogue, diplomacy and adherence to the memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot blamed Iran for triggering the latest US strikes, saying Tehran had violated both international law and the ceasefire agreement by targeting ships in Omani waters. He called for such actions to stop so negotiations could continue.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei criticised NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, accusing European countries of deliberate complicity in what he described as the US-Israeli war against Iran. He said nations that provided military bases and logistical support could not avoid responsibility for the consequences of the conflict.
Baghaei’s remarks followed Rutte’s comments backing the latest US strikes and noting that NATO countries had previously provided logistical support to American military operations.
US President Donald Trump warned that American bombing of Iran would intensify if Tehran continued attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Posting on social media, he said the strikes were retaliation for attacks on commercial vessels and warned, “If it happens again, it will get much worse.”
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One after attending a NATO summit in Türkiye, Trump said the United States had responded with overwhelming force and would continue doing so if Iran launched further attacks.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said US strikes hit two bridges leading towards Mashhad, where former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is due to be buried. It said the attacks were intended to overshadow the funeral and warned that any future US strikes would prompt broader retaliation against additional American bases in the region.
Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported that US forces fired seven missiles at the Aq Tekeh Khan Bridge near Aqqala, causing two explosions on a railway line.
The US military said it launched fresh strikes to protect freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz following Tuesday’s attacks on three cargo ships. US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the operation aimed to reduce Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping.
The strikes hit several cities along Iran’s southern coast and caused power outages in some areas. Iran responded with a second day of attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait, both of which host US military bases.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned that the United States would face consequences for violating its commitments, declaring that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen only under Iranian arrangements rather than through US pressure.
The latest exchanges have further weakened hopes of turning the memorandum of understanding signed on June 17 into a permanent agreement to end the conflict, which began with US-Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28.
Asked whether the MoU was effectively over, Trump said he believed it was and questioned whether any future agreement with Iran could be trusted. However, he added that he did not expect a return to full-scale war and said any renewed conflict would be brief.
Trump also said he believed any future action would improve security, including for global oil supplies.
Oil prices rose following Wednesday’s attacks, with Brent crude climbing about one per cent to $78.80 per barrel by 5:54am PKT, although prices remained well below their late-April peak of more than $120 per barrel.
Iranian media reported that US strikes mainly targeted the country’s southern coastline, stretching from the Strait of Hormuz to the Gulf of Oman. Among the sites hit were Bandar Abbas, home to Iran’s largest port and major naval facilities, as well as Konarak and Chabahar near the Pakistani border.
Electricity was restored to most parts of Chabahar after strikes disrupted power supplies, while local media reported that a maritime traffic control tower had also been hit.
State media said a firefighter was killed in a strike on the airport in Iranshahr, while Press TV reported that another US attack struck a railway bridge near Aqqala in northern Iran.
Before the latest US strikes, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Washington had violated the memorandum by challenging Iran’s responsibility for ensuring safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
A spokesman for Iran’s parliamentary National Security Commission said possible responses included withdrawing from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), changing Iran’s nuclear doctrine and closing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, another key global shipping route.
In a letter to the UN Security Council, Iran’s mission accused the United States of blatantly violating the UN Charter and international law, saying the attacks also breached the memorandum of understanding signed between the two countries.