Summary of developments so far
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The US military said it has launched a new wave of strikes against Iran as the warring countries continue their back-and-forth attacks in the Middle East. US Central Command (Centcom) issued a statement today announcing the strikes that took place during daylight hours. In its attacks over recent days, the US has struck Iran only at night.
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Centcom said the strikes were “designed to further degrade military capabilities Iranian forces have used to attack commercial shipping in the strait of Hormuz”.
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The Iranian army vowed a “decisive response” after seven personnel were reported killed in a US attack on an Iranian military base. Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported a number of personnel were also wounded in the incident at the base in Bampur in south-eastern Iran.
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More than 30 people have been killed in southern Iran in US attacks in recent days, said government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani. Iran’s health ministry said more than 260 people have been injured across the country in the latest wave of US strikes.
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Sirens rang out in Bahrain, while Kuwait and Jordan reported intercepting drones and missiles fired from Iran. The Iranian state news agency IRNA reported that Tehran forces launched a drone attack on a military base in Jordan that hosts US warplanes, while the IRGC claimed to have hit American facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait.
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US strikes targeted Iran’s southern port city of Bushehr, home to the country’s only civilian nuclear plant, according to state media. It was the second day in a row that the city has come under attack, according to IRNA.
Key events
An image has been shared on the newswires of Sami Abu Qassem, a Palestinian boy who was wounded in an Israeli strike in Gaza that killed his parents and six-year-old sister, leaving him the sole survivor of his family (read more in a previous post at 10:11).
In a further update, US Centcom said it has redirected two commercials ships since reimposing the naval blockade on Iranian ports.
In a post on X, it said:
Since restarting the naval blockade against Iranian ports 17 hours ago, US forces have redirected 2 commercial vessels attempting to run the blockade. The US military remains vigilant and prepared to ensure full compliance.”
Emma Graham-Harrison
The third time Anna Liedtke was subjected to an illegal strip-search in Israeli detention, female prison guards forced her on to her knees, covered her mouth to stop her screaming and raped her, according to interviews and a criminal complaint filed in Israel.
She described hearing male guards laughing during the attack, which she believes they watched and may have filmed. It took place in an area separated from the prison hallway by a partially drawn curtain that her attackers had left open.
Liedtke, 25, joined a flotilla sailing from Europe to Gaza with humanitarian aid last autumn. Israeli forces intercepted her boat in international waters on 8 October and took her to Israel, where she was detained for five days.
The abuse and violence directed at flotilla participants in Israeli prisons, including rape, was intended to intimidate, Liedtke said. “It’s clear they want to break our will and silence us, making this so traumatic that we will never talk about Palestine again,” she told the Guardian.
Read more:
Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, travelled to Doha on Wednesday to attend the funeral of former Qatari emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Iran’s ISNA reported, days after Iran attacked Qatar.
Iran has attacked what it says are US targets in Qatar – a mediator between Washington and Tehran in the Iran war – most recently on Sunday when the death of the former emir was announced.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Sunday it was targeting Qatar’s Al Udied, the biggest US base in the Middle East, with ballistic missiles.
US Centcom has issued another statement saying it has completed its round of strikes against Greater Tunb island near the strait of Hormuz, which is administered by Iran but claimed by the UAE.
In a post on X, it said:
US Central Command (CENTCOM) completed a morning round of strikes against Iran at 7.30am ET (12.30pm BST) on July 15.
CENTCOM launched precision munitions against coastal defence systems and cruise missile storage and launch sites on Greater Tunb Island during the 90-minute wave. The strikes further degraded Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping in the strait of Hormuz.”
In an earlier statement (see post at 11:38) Centcom said it began launching strikes at 6am ET (11am BST).
US is listening to Lebanon’s position in talks with Israel, says Aoun
The Lebanese president, Jospeh Aoun, said Washington was listening to his country’s position in ongoing talks with Israel and that the US-backed framework for negotiations were already producing results.
“The option of negotiation may not be the safest, but it is currently the only way to achieve the results and objectives we all desire,” he said during a meeting with an Orthodox Christian delegation today, according to a readout released by his office.
“The framework agreement is beginning to bear fruit, Washington is now listening to us, and the issue of Lebanon is on US president Donald Trump’s agenda.”
His remarks came as Israeli and Lebanese teams resumed talks for a second day in Rome, with Beirut hoping for progress towards securing an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon.
Summary of developments so far
-
The US military said it has launched a new wave of strikes against Iran as the warring countries continue their back-and-forth attacks in the Middle East. US Central Command (Centcom) issued a statement today announcing the strikes that took place during daylight hours. In its attacks over recent days, the US has struck Iran only at night.
-
Centcom said the strikes were “designed to further degrade military capabilities Iranian forces have used to attack commercial shipping in the strait of Hormuz”.
-
The Iranian army vowed a “decisive response” after seven personnel were reported killed in a US attack on an Iranian military base. Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported a number of personnel were also wounded in the incident at the base in Bampur in south-eastern Iran.
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More than 30 people have been killed in southern Iran in US attacks in recent days, said government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani. Iran’s health ministry said more than 260 people have been injured across the country in the latest wave of US strikes.
-
Sirens rang out in Bahrain, while Kuwait and Jordan reported intercepting drones and missiles fired from Iran. The Iranian state news agency IRNA reported that Tehran forces launched a drone attack on a military base in Jordan that hosts US warplanes, while the IRGC claimed to have hit American facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait.
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US strikes targeted Iran’s southern port city of Bushehr, home to the country’s only civilian nuclear plant, according to state media. It was the second day in a row that the city has come under attack, according to IRNA.
US Centcom announces new wave of daytime strikes against Iran
In its latest update, US Central Command (Centcom) announced a new wave of strikes against Iran “designed to further degrade military capabilities Iranian forces have used to attack commercial shipping in the strait of Hormuz”.
AP reported that the statement acknowledged airstrikes during daylight hours, when in previous attacks in recent days the US has targeted Iran only at night.
Centcom said:
At 6am ET (11am BST) today, US Central Command forces began launching a wave of strikes against Iran. The strikes are designed to further degrade military capabilities Iranian forces have used to attack commercial shipping in the strait of Hormuz.”
Earlier, Centcom said it had hit “dozens of military targets” including missile and drone sites and defence systems near the strait and other Iranian coastal areas.
Bahrain’s defences forces said Iran has continued to launch “heinous attacks” against the country and that its air defences have thwarted “several” Iranian air attacks. It did not specify how many or what type of projectiles were intercepted.
Earlier today, the IRGC claimed to have destroyed what it described as the command and control centre, naval support management centre, warehouses and fuel tanks at the US Fifth Fleet base in Bahrain.
British man jailed in Iran given extra two-year sentence, family says
Meanwhile, PA has reported that a British man jailed in Iran on spying charges has been sentenced to an additional two years in prison, according to his family.
Craig Foreman and his wife, Lindsay, were sentenced to 10 years in prison in February after being convicted of espionage, charges they both deny.
According to his family, a judge had extended Mr Foreman’s sentence by two years for speaking to the media.
The couple, from East Sussex, were arrested in January 2025 while travelling through Iran during an around-the-world motorcycle trip. They are being held in Tehran’s Evin prison.
Their son, Joe Bennett, said the family was “extremely concerned” by the reports.
“We have received extremely concerning reports that Craig has been sentenced to a further two years in prison,” he said.
“We understand he was told he was being taken to see his lawyer but was instead brought before a judge and informed of the additional sentence.
“Despite requests, he was allowed no lawyer, no translator and no opportunity to defend himself. He was told the two years had been added because he had spoken to the press.
“We didn’t think we could be any more shocked at their appalling treatment, but in this case we are absolutely flabbergasted.”
The UK Foreign Office said it was “urgently following up with the Iranian authorities about the reported increased sentence”.
The IRGC claimed earlier today that it had struck a US army logistics and support centre in Mina Abdullah in Kuwait.
Kuwait’s state news agency (Kuna) reported last night that a fire had been brought under control by the army and national guard at an undisclosed location that it said was targeted in an Iranian attack. It was unclear whether this was the same incident reported by the IRGC statement.
The IRGC released a video purportedly showing the attack in Mina Abdullah, where a drone can be seen striking an already-burning warehouse.
Couple and daughter, 6, killed in Israeli airstrike in Gaza, Palestinian health officials say
In Gaza, where Israeli airstrikes have continued nine months after a nominal ceasefire was announced, a couple and their six-year-old child were killed in a bombing in the central city of Deir al-Balah, according to Palestinian health officials.
The Israeli airstrike this morning killed Omar Abu Qassem, his wife, Asma, and their daughter, Habeeba, medical sources told the Palestinain Wafa news agency. According to Reuters, their son had survived but sustained injuries.
There was no immediate comment from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The Times of Israel, citing a military source, reported the strike targeted a Hamas operative.
In its latest update on the number of casualties, the health ministry in Gaza said 13 people were killed and 18 others injured in the past day.
Since the ceasefire in October, a total number of 1,123 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, the ministry added.
According to Israeli media, Netanyahu is expected to attend memorial events for the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who he described as one of Israel’s “greatest friends”. However, a date for the funeral has not been publicly announced.
Graham died of a “brief and sudden illness” on Saturday, according to his office.
Netanyahu will travel to the US this weekend – Reuters
Reuters news agency, citing a senior Israeli official, has reported that Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to the US on Saturday.
The official told Reuters that the Israeli prime minister wants to meet US president Donald Trump, but it is not clear if he will.
If confirmed, it would be the first time Netanyahu has visited the US since the war against Iran began. His last visit was in February, about two weeks before the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran.
Tehran vows ‘decisive response’ after 7 personnel killed in US strike on Iranian military base – report
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency has reported that seven personnel were killed in US strikes on an Iranian military base in Bampur in the country’s south-east.
Quoting the Iranian army, the news agency reported that a number of personnel were also wounded and vowed a “decisive response” to the attack.