US military carries out fresh strikes on Iran, prompting Iran attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain

The US military said on Wednesday it launched fresh strikes on Iran to keep the Strait of ‌Hormuz open to shipping, triggering Iranian attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain in the latest escalation to derail efforts to end the war. The latest round of attacks, which the US said was carried out in response to Tuesday's assault on three cargo ships transiting the strait, came hours after President Donald Trump said he believed an interim ceasefire with Iran to be "over." "US Central Command forces have started conducting additional strikes against Iran to further degrade their ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz," CENTCOM, the US military's Middle East ​command, wrote on X. https://t.co/fiKJRI9zmE — U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 9, 2026 "The United States is holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews freely navigating a vital international waterway." The US strikes rattled several cities along Iran's southern coast ​and left some areas without power. Iran responded with a second day of attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain, both home to US military bases. "The US has yet to learn that bullying and breaking its commitments no longer come without a cost. Let me be clear: If you strike, you will be struck back," Iran's top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, wrote on X. آمریکا هنوز یاد نگرفته است که زورگویی و بدعهدی دیگر بی‌هزینه نیست. شفاف بگویم: بزنید، می‌خورید. دست و پای بیهوده نزنید که بیشتر فرو خواهید رفت: تنگه هرمز، فقط با «ترتیبات ایرانی» باز می‌شود نه با تهدیدات آمریکایی. — محمدباقر قالیباف | MB Ghalibaf (@mb_ghalibaf) July 9, 2026 "The Strait of ​Hormuz will be reopened only under Iranian arrangements, not through US threats." The latest exchange of strikes appeared to dim hopes of turning a memorandum of understanding signed on June 17 into a permanent deal to end the war, which began with ​US-Israeli attacks on Iran on February 28. Asked before a NATO summit in Turkey on Wednesday whether the memorandum of understanding was over, Trump said: "It's a very interesting question. To me, I think it's over. I don't want to deal with them." Read: Iran deploys air defences after explosions heard in Bandar Abbas, Chabahar; US confirms new strikes "If we ‌make a ⁠deal with Iran I'm not sure that will stick," Trump later said. "I found them to be very dishonourable people." But Trump, who has repeatedly threatened to escalate military action before backing off, said he did not expect a return to full-fledged war, and that it was not clear whether the negotiations on reaching a permanent deal would continue. Also on Wednesday, Trump said he did not think the war would restart: "Anything that happens is going to be over very quickly ... and will only make it safer, including for oil." Wednesday's attacks pushed oil prices higher, with Brent crude futures rising about 1% to $78.80 a barrel by 5:54am PKT. Even so, prices remained well below the late-April peak of more than $120 a barrel. Major Iran port city hit by strikes Iranian media reported strikes primarily along Iran's ​southern coast, from the Strait of Hormuz to the ⁠Gulf of Oman. Among the locations hit were Bandar Abbas, home to Iran's largest port and key navy and Revolutionary Guards facilities on the Strait of Hormuz, as well as Konarak and Chabahar, neighbouring coastal cities near Iran's border with Pakistan. Electricity had been restored to most areas of Chabahar after strikes knocked out power for some in the ​city, Mehr news agency reported, citing the local utility. Media also reported that a maritime traffic control tower in Chabahar was hit. A firefighter was killed in a ​strike on the airport in the ⁠southeastern city of Iranshahr, state media reported. In northern Iran, a US attack hit a railway bridge near the town of Aqqala, according to Press TV. Prior to the US attacks on Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei had said US strikes had violated the memorandum by challenging a clause that "emphasizes the Islamic Republic of Iran's responsibility in determining arrangements for the safe passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz". A spokesperson for parliament's National Security Commission had said options for ⁠retaliation included withdrawing ​from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), changing Iran's nuclear doctrine, and closing the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait at the mouth of the Red Sea, another crucial ​global shipping route. In a letter to the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday, Iran's mission to the UN accused the United States of "blatant violation of the Charter of the United Nations and its international obligations" and said its attacks violated the memorandum of understanding signed by the ​two countries.