US strikes Iran for ninth straight day amid Hormuz shipping standoff and reciprocal attacks

• US embassies urge citizens to ‘consider departing’ the region• Iran says any country acting as US defensive shield will be engulfed by flames of war• Official insists Tehran planning for worst-case scenarios• 30 commercial vessels redirected by US naval blockade, says Centcom• Tanker struck by ‘unknown projectile’ off Oman; Kuwait destroys hostile drones• Houthis deny plans to impose fees on ships sailing through Red Sea TEHRAN: United States embassies in capitals across the Middle East urged Ame­rican citizens to beware of an “unforeseen escalation” in the regional conflict and asked them to be ready to leave on Saturday as Iran’s military accused the US of “escalating tensions” in the region and warned countries against cooperating with Washington. US embassies in Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates posted the alerts online. “Americans in the region should consider departing, or be prepared to depart should there be escalation,” said the security alert. The messages urged citizens to check flight details and to follow safety advice from local authorities. “Americans currently in the Middle East should exercise caution and heightened vigilance and should be prepared for flight cancellations, periodic airspace closures, and potential travel disruptions,” it said. Americans in Jordan were told not to visit US military bases there, which have recently come under Iranian missile att­ack, and in Israel they were urged to seek the location of the nearest bomb shelter. “The Iranian regime is unpredictable, as seen by its recent decisions to attack areas in the region without warning or provocations as well as to expand attacks to areas not previously targeted [such as Egypt],” said a post on the US Embassy Jerusalem site. The US embassy in Beirut said that the mission remained on “ordered departure status”, meaning that non-emergency US government personnel were still relocated outside of Lebanon. Iran’s warning “The United States is rapidly moving down the path of escalating tensions in the region,” said Ali Abdollahi, head of Iran’s military central command. “Any country serving as a defensive shield for criminal and aggressive America will be engulfed by the flames of war,” he said in a statement read on state television. The remarks came after US President Donald Trump reiterated threats to hit Iran “very hard”. US media reported he was considering renewed heavy attacks as soon as this weekend, including against energy infrastructure targets. This week, Iran and the US resumed overnight exchanges of fire after a days-long lull in fighting although there were no reported strikes overnight Friday to Saturday. Mohammad Mokhber, adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, also warned against any attacks on Iranian infrastructure. “You calculate through military equations, but we respond with the logic of history,” he wrote on X. “Attacking Iran’s infrastructure directly awakens the fault lines on which 250 years of your hegemonic architecture have been built.” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian praised the Iranian people as “heroes” for enduring the US-Israeli war on the country, Al Jazeera reported. Despite having endured “wars, pressure, and relentless hostilities”, Pezeshkian wrote on X, “The future of Iran will be shaped by the people of Iran.” Separately, Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref was quoted by the semi-official Fars news agency as saying that the country was preparing supplies for the next two years, without elaborating on the types of supplies, Al Jazeera reported. The official said maintaining peace among the people would continue to be the main priority and that the government was planning “even for the worst conditions”. Kuwait ‘destroys hostile drones’ On Wednesday a drone struck a US-owned gas vessel moored in an Egyptian port, causing a fire. Egypt is investigating but has not yet accused any group of launching the attack. Meanwhile an “unknown projectile” struck a tanker off the coast of Oman, a British maritime agency said on Saturday, as the United States and Iran vie for control of the Strait of Hormuz. Kuwait’s army also said on Saturday it had detected and destroyed hostile drones in the country’s airspace since dawn, and that what it described as an Iranian attack had targeted several vital facilities. A government facility in northern Kuwait and civilian property belonging to a company on Bubiyan Island were hit, it said, adding that falling shrapnel caused material damage but no casualties. Iran has effectively maintained control over navigation through Hormuz since the outbreak of the war, requiring vessels to obtain permission and pay transit fees before using the waterway. Maritime trade tracking firm Kpler said on Friday that traffic through the Hormuz strait has dropped “sharply”. US Central Command (Centcom) said that as part of the naval blockade of Iranian ports, American forces have redirected 30 commercial vessels, boarded two and disabled two others. Meanwhile, a merchant vessel safely passed through the Red Sea under the protection of the Italian frigate Bergamini, the European Union naval mission ASPIDES said on Saturday. ASPIDES, the EU’s defensive maritime security operation in the Red Sea, did not identify the vessel or disclose its flag, ownership or cargo details. Houthis deny plans to impose fees Separately, Yemen’s Houthi-run maritime coordination body denied on Saturday that it planned to impose fees on commercial ships transiting the Bab al-Mandeb strait, saying no such decision had been taken and that passage through the strategic waterway remained free. The Houthi-run Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center (HOCC) said its “safe transit service was a voluntary and cost-free service”. “The HOCC categorically confirms that any individual or entity requesting the payment of money in exchange for transiting the Bab el-Mandeb strait does not represent the Republic of Yemen or HOCC in any capacity whatsoever,” it said in a statement. “The HOCC urges shipping companies not to make any payments or provide any information to unauthorized individuals or entities,” it said. Published in Dawn, August 2nd, 2026

There were no U.S. strikes on Iran overnight, but Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said on Friday (July 31, 2026) it had struck another two tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, and Kuwait said it intercepted drones

IRGC Strikes Jordan Again After 2-Hour US Bombardment Kills Iranian Troops, Civilians - Hormuz Traffic Creeps Higher In the wake of the overnight fresh round of US airstrikes on Iran, which resulted in destruction and casualties especially along coastal areas, Iran's military has retaliated once again especially on Jordan. US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that it completed a "heavy" wave of strikes on the Islamic Republic, in response to "attempted missile attacks" on American bases in the region earlier this week. This US wave lasted two hours, the Pentagon said, striking "military command centers, missile and drone facilities, coastal surveillance and defense sites, and maritime capabilities".  via Iran state media It accused Iran of a "surprise attack" the prior night, Tuesday, but said that "all Iranian missiles were successfully intercepted." As a result of the US bombing, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRTC) said three of its troops were killed in a missile attack, according to semi-official Tasnim. The three IRGC members died while "defending Iran’s borders and people" in what it described as a "brutal attack by the criminal terrorist regime of the United States." Iranian officials are also saying that US bombardment of Qeshm island has killed a family. In Qeshm island, the Director General of Crisis Management of the Hormozgan Governorate said search and rescue efforts are underway amid mounting casualties there. "So far, two children have been pulled out from under the rubble and transferred to medical centers, and efforts are ongoing to rescue three other members of this family," Mehrdad Hassanzadeh said.  Iran launched ballistic missiles at Jordan's Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in response to US strikes, but Jordan says it intercepted all five missiles. pic.twitter.com/25MxHgn1LR — Clash Report (@clashreport) July 30, 2026 In response Iran says it has again targeted a US airbase in Jordan, and claims to have taken out three F-35 stealth fighters, though there's been no indication of this from the Pentagon side. According to details via Al Jazeera: In a statement directed to Jordan, the IRGC says in response to a US attack on Qeshm island that killed two parents and their child, aerospace fighters targeted a ramp and maintenance shed at the al-Azraq airbase, which hosts US F-35 fighter jets, with several ballistic missiles, state news agency Fars reports. The IRGC said that it had completely destroyed three F-35 aircraft and caused “heavy damage” to three others. The IRGC stated that "A number of enemy officers and technical and maintenance personnel were also killed in this attack. Our region is no place for the infanticidal army that cruelly slaughters innocent families in the middle of the night while they sleep." They added that the war will continue until "the last American occupier is expelled from the Islamic lands" and that Muslims in Jordan and the region want this too. Aftermath of US attack on a residential area of Iran's Qeshm Island: Footage shows aftermath of a US missile strike on civilian residences in Qeshm. As a result of the US attack on homes in Qeshm's Chah-Tangu, three members of the family were killed, while two of their children sustained injuries and were taken to a hospital for ongoing care. pic.twitter.com/43vjC6qjw5 — IRNA News Agency ☫ (@IrnaEnglish) July 30, 2026 Despite the new fighting, shipping data surprisingly suggests an uptick in transit in the Strait of Hormuz. "Shipping across the crucial Strait of Hormuz has picked up in recent days despite a continuation of hostilities in the Middle East, with the US claiming its navy escorted some tankers across the waterway," Bloomberg writes. But this still constitutes a tiny trickle compared to pre-war normal times: The Al Areesh openly exited the Persian Gulf early Thursday carrying a liquefied natural gas cargo from Qatar, the country's first shipment in three weeks, while the liquefied petroleum gas carrier CYH Yongchun appeared to transit the strait with its transponder off, according to ship-tracking data. Fourteen commodity vessels crossed Hormuz in both directions on Wednesday, data from market intelligence firm Kpler shows, up from single digits last week. The figures may still be revised with new information. A crude supertanker has also been provisionally booked at nearly $500,000 per day to collect a cargo at an unnamed Persian Gulf port next week for delivery to China. Simultaneously the Bab El Mandeb strait is getting choked off to Saudi shipping and is being squeezed by Yemen's Houthis. Per a Bloomberg note, the British marine insurance market has widened the area in the Red Sea it deems as high risk in the wake of new Houthi targeting of foreign vessels. Iran may be responsibility for Wednesday's unprecedented alleged (and still subject to contradictory reporting) drone attack on a tanker docked at Egyptian port: Two Iranian sources said the drone strike on the U.S.-owned LNG vessel in Egypt was intended to demonstrate that Iran could disrupt global shipping and energy supplies more broadly if it chose to escalate. Source: NYT pic.twitter.com/UWWyK6oCkH — Clash Report (@clashreport) July 30, 2026 However... NYT didn't even say they are Iranian "source". Just two Iranian "individuals", whom NYT thinks their statements are important to manufacure a narrative. pic.twitter.com/F1kqJ15yzl — Monjed Al-Tarifi منجد الطريفي (Uncivilized) (@MonjedTarifi) July 30, 2026 The Lloyd's Market Association expanded the areas where underwriters can charge war risk premiums after a meeting earlier this week. Per Bloomberg: Listed area in the Red Sea increased to 25.5 degrees north, but doesn’t include Egyptian territorial waters. That would, however, include Saudi Arabia’s port of Yanbu, which has been a vital lifeline for the kingdom’s oil exports “The decision today to amend those Listed Areas reflects the recent escalation by the Houthis and their attacks on Saudi vessels in the Red Sea,” said Neil Roberts, Head of Marine and Aviation at the Lloyd’s Market Association President Trump is said to be 'exasperated' by the situation and frustrated at his advisors' inability to agree on war strategy, meanwhile. BREAKING: Trump exploded and lost his temper during a security meeting, shouting and cursing out of frustration over the military options presented to him and the lack of progress toward a deal with Iran, per NBC News. A US official adds "after all this time, there is no unity"… — The Hormuz Letter (@HormuzLetter) July 30, 2026 NBC on Thursday cites that "The president is exasperated" citing a Trump ally. "I don’t think he believed it was going to be this difficult to get the Iranians to agree to a deal.” The source added "there was not a real strategy for how long or what they should do to get to the endpoint." Reported new Iran strikes on Kuwait as well on Thursday... Video shows the aftermath of missile strikes from US forces in Kuwait on targets in Abadan, Iran, with fires burning following the attacks tonight. pic.twitter.com/eFAu0iqamV — Faytuks Network (@FaytuksNetwork) July 30, 2026 As a reminder, University of Chicago political scientist and foreign policy realist author Robert Pape that the war will stumble along and likely expand even through the midterms: "The victory rhetoric [from Trump] doesn't match escalation reality," he said. "It is out of sync." Then he emphasized: "I think it will actually be after the midterms," he said. "Between now and January, this is not going to be over." Tyler Durden Thu, 07/30/2026 - 08:35

Smoke rises following explosion at an unknown location, during what US Central Command (Centcom) says are strikes on Iran (Picture: Centcom via Reuters) The US has carried out another ‘heavy wave of strikes’ on Iran in response to attacks on its bases in the Middle East. US Central Command (Centcom) said the ‘powerful’ two-hour bombing raid hit ‘dozens’ of military command centres, missile and drone facilities, and surveillance and defence sites. The new strikes came hours after President Donald Trump vowed to strike back ‘very hard’ after it targeted a US base in Jordan. Speaking yesterday, he vowed to ‘beat the f***ing s**t’ out of Iran for firing on American troops days after he halted air strikes. Iran’s official IRNA news agency said three people were killed and two were wounded in a strike on the island of Qeshm, which lies just off the Iranian mainland in the Strait of Hormuz. The latest barrage came after the U.S. partnered with Saudi Arabia to strike Iran-backed militias in neighboring Iraq, killing at least 20 fighters and six Iranian advisers on Wednesday. The new strikes came hours after President Donald Trump vowed to strike back ‘very hard’ after it targeted a US base in Jordan (Picture: EPA) The flare-ups on multiple fronts after several days of relative calm raised the risk of a return to all-out war. It also underscored the difficulty of winding down a five-month conflict that has jolted the world economy and is unpopular among Americans. The fighting was likely to add to concerns that the US is further drawing down already diminished stockpiles of sophisticated munitions needed to defend its bases and allies. Earlier on Wednesday, US and Saudi forces launched strikes against Iran-aligned groups in eastern Iraq, in retaliation for drone attacks on Saudi oil targets launched from Iraq. The joint attack marked the first time Riyadh has publicly joined strikes alongside Washington. In Egypt, a drone hit a US-owned gas storage tanker at Egypt’s Mediterranean port of Damietta, British maritime security firm Ambrey said in an initial assessment on Wednesday. A plume of smoke rises after reported strikes in Qeshm, Iran (Picture: Reuters) A statement from Egypt’s Petroleum Ministry confirmed a fire at the port but made no mention of a drone attack. It was not immediately clear who was responsible. Egypt, a close US ally and regional mediator, is one of the only countries in the Middle East to have been spared direct military action during the war. A strike by Iran or its allies, if confirmed, would mark a significant widening of the conflict. Asked during an Oval Office event if Iran was responsible for the strikes on the natural gas vessels, Trump responded: ‘It’s a little more of the same.’ He added: ‘In the meantime, we’re going to be hitting them very hard because it’s our turn to hit them.’ Oil prices shot up on Wednesday in one of the sharpest spikes of the five-month war. Brent crude futures rose more than 8% to push the benchmark well above $90 a barrel, reversing much of a plunge earlier this week when Trump had unexpectedly halted U.S. strikes. On Thursday prices retreated slightly. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. For more stories like this, check our news page. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

Morning update Good morning Middle East Eye readers, US attacks on Iran escalated overnight, following president Donald Trump's remarks on Wednesday that Washington would hit Iran "very hard". Several cities, especially in the south of the country, were targeted during a two hour-long wave of attacks.  Here are the latest developments:  A US strike on a residential house in Qeshm, located in Iran's Hormozgan, killed three members of a family and injured two others, aged 7 and 9. Hormozgan official Ahmad Nafisi said that the family members killed included a father, mother and their two year-old child. The latest statement by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned that countries who aid the US will face consequences. The IRGC also doubled down on Iran's control over the Strait of Hormuz, saying that the strategic waterway will not be opened for as long as "US threats" continue.  The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine told US President Donald Trump that the situation regarding munitions stockpile could impact military operations in Iran, according to AP based on a US official source US President Donald Trump met with Saudi Arabia's Defense Minister, Prince Khalid bin Salman, on Wednesday for urgent discussions following the two countries' joint strikes on Iraq, Axios reported citing an American official.  The Israeli army has intensified its attacks across the Gaza Strip, killing at least three - including a child - and wounding several others. 

The US military completed a “heavy wave of strikes” against Iran on Thursday in retaliation for Tehran targeting American bases in Jordan, as fighting intensified in the Middle East war after a nearly week-long pause. The reignited hostilities appear to have dashed hopes of a quick return to negotiations between the foes. US President Donald Trump had vowed to hit Iran “hard” after Tehran launched missiles at Jordan, its first regional strike in days. American forces “successfully completed a heavy wave of strikes against Iran”, and struck dozens of Islamic Revolutionary Guard targets including military command centres, US Central Command (Centocom) said. “The strikes aimed to further diminish threats posed by Iran and its proxies to American forces, commercial shipping, and neighboring Gulf countries,” it said. Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported hits on several cities in the southwestern Khuzestan province, as well as on Qeshm island in the Gulf. Areas around the cities of Abadan, Shadegan, Arvandkenar and Ahvaz — all in Khuzestan — were struck, the agency said, citing provincial authorities. The attack on Qeshm island killed three people, including a two-year-old, the Fars news agency reported on Thursday. “A US attack on a residential home in the Chah Tangu neighbourhood of Qeshm killed three members of a family: the father, the mother, and their 2-year-old child,” Fars reported citing the Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, adding that two other children were injured. In a sign of the war’s spread, Saudi Arabia and the United States announced strikes on Wednesday on militant bases in Iraq, while US ally Israel accused Hezbollah of a truce violation. The world’s biggest oil exporter Saudi Arabia has reported two days of drone attacks targeting crude facilities that it blames on Iraqi armed groups allied with Tehran. Meanwhile, Jordan’s army said on Thursday it had intercepted five Iranian missiles, after Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said it had targeted US bases there. “As long as the threats against the Islamic Republic of Iran continue … the resistance will continue,” the IRGC said. On another front, Israel accused Hezbollah of deploying a drone overnight against an Israeli vehicle inside Lebanon, in what the military called “a blatant violation of the ceasefire”. Israel fought alongside the United States in the first weeks of the war against Iran, while battling Hezbollah in Lebanon, but it has yet to join the latest round of strikes against the Islamic republic. ‘Dangerous’ In Iraq, the joint US-Saudi air operation followed attacks by what Riyadh called “terrorist militias loyal to Iran” on its oil facilities. The US military said logistics and weapons sites belonging to an Iran-aligned group were targeted in the strikes. Iraq’s Hashed al-Shaabi alliance said the attacks killed at least 20 of its members. It denounced a “dangerous escalation” against an “official security institution”. Two Hashed officials said five Iranian advisers were among those killed, and AFP correspondents saw coffins draped with Iranian flags. Iraq denounced the US-Saudi strikes and said it rejects “all acts of aggression, regardless of the party responsible or the justifications presented”. The Ministerial Council for National Security said it would “confront any violation of Iraq’s sovereignty, and prevent any source from using Iraqi territory to threaten neighbouring states”. According to Fox News, however, Trump said the strikes were “coordinated with the Iraqi government”. The strikes follow growing US pressure on Iraq to disarm pro-Iran groups. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi visited both the US and Iran. Red Sea The United States had said the days-long cessation in fighting was aimed at kickstarting a new round of negotiations, including over the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has blockaded throughout much of the war. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Wednesday they had attacked and stopped three tankers in the strait, insisting Iran has “full control” of the waterway that was previously free to transit. Tehran has insisted it will retain control of the crucial conduit for energy shipments, and has also announced plans to collect fees for passage, which Washington opposes. Crude oil prices slipped on Thursday after a jump the day before. The US also announced new sanctions targeting entities linked to Iran’s Guards that it accused of extorting ships transiting the strait. The Iran war began on February 28 when the US and Israel attacked Iran and Tehran responded with its own strikes on Israel and Gulf states that host US bases. US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Israeli attacks on Lebanon have since killed thousands and displaced millions.