Seven people were killed after the US conducted a fresh wave of airstrikes on Iran, targeting military as well as civilian infrastructure.
American marines, meanwhile, boarded a vessel in the Gulf of Oman “to ensure full compliance” with the US naval blockade of Iran, Centcom said.
They also redirected three ships trying to run the blockade.
The latest airstrikes, launched overnight into Friday, damaged power and transport infrastructure, including bridges, in Bandar Khamir, a coastal city on the Strait of Hormuz, in Semnan province and around Tehran.
In an address to the nation, president Donald Trump said the US was “winning big in Iran” and would “see the fruits of that labour very, very shortly”.
Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks on US allies in the region, including Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait.
The Iranian military chief warned of widespread attacks on “all the infrastructure in the region” if Trump continued to strike bridges in the Middle East country.
US military board vessel in Strait of Hormuz
The US military said it has boarded a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz “to ensure full compliance with the ongoing U.S. naval blockade against Iran”.
In a post on X, Centcom wrote forces had also “redirected” three commercial vessels trying to run the blockade, and “disabled” one that didn’t comply.
Nicole Wootton-Cane16 July 2026 22:30
US airstrikes on bridges kill at least 7 people: report
US airstrikes on bridges have killed at least 7 people, according to a new report.
The strikes were launched overnight into Friday in Iran’s southern Hormozgan province, the Associated Press reported, citing Iranian state media.
The Thursday attacks reportedly hit Bandar Khamir, a coastal city on the Strait of Hormuz, as well as around Tehran and in Semnan province. The Semnan province holds Iran’s ballistic missile production and space program.
The Independent has reached out to US Central Command for comment.
Rachel Dobkin17 July 2026 02:16
Three killed and several injured in US strikes, Iran says
Three people were killed and several others injured in Washington’s latest wave of attacks against Tehran, Iranian state media said today.
The airstrikes hit multiple locations in Iran’s Hormozgan province, marking the sixth consecutive night of attacks against Tehran, according to the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).
“With great regret, one of our compatriots has also achieved the highest degree of martyrdom in this attack,” Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences said in a statement.
Two people were killed and four others injured in strikes on bridges in Iran’s Khamir County, according to state media.
Vishwam Sankaran17 July 2026 06:00
Oil prices surge as Iran steps up attack on Gulf countries
Oil prices have risen higher today as the US and Iran stepped up attacks, with Tehran’s attacks on Gulf countries limiting supply coming out of the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has also asked the Houthis to remain on standby to shut the Red Sea export route.
The price of Brent Crude rose by about 1.25 per cent today, reaching near $85.28 a barrel, while the US WTI Crude also climbed by about the same rate to around $79.98 a barrel.
“Oil security is still a critical issue…We should be worried, and I am worried, if the situation does not improve in the next few weeks,” International Energy Agency executive director Fatih Birol said.
Vishwam Sankaran17 July 2026 05:15
Fruits of Iran war will be seen ‘very shortly’, Trump says
In his address to the nation on Thursday night, US president Donald Trump said Washington was “winning big in Iran” as the country expanded its airstrike campaign against Tehran today.
The airstrikes targeted bridges in Iran as part of a broader strategy to attack the nation’s infrastructure and pressure Tehran to ease its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz.
“You will see the fruits of that labour very, very shortly,” Trump said.
Vishwam Sankaran17 July 2026 04:45
Iranian military warns Trump of attacks on ‘all infrastructure’
An Iranian military chief has warned Iran could launch widespread attacks on “all the infrastructure in the region” if the US acted on President Donald Trump ‘s repeated warnings that America could hit Iranian bridges and power plants.
“Under no circumstances and in no way will we allow America, as a foreign and extraregional country, to interfere in the Strait of Hormuz,” said Col Ebrahim Zolfaghari, a spokesperson for the Iranian military’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters.
“This is Iran’s invincible red line.”
Jane Dalton17 July 2026 04:15
US ends latest round of strikes against Iran
US Central Command has announced that it ended its latest round of airstrikes against Iran.
“U.S. forces, including fighter jets, aerial drones, and warships, launched precision munitions that hit dozens of Iranian military targets such as coastal surveillance and air defense sites, military logistics infrastructure, and maritime capabilities”, CENTCOM wrote on X.
The sixth consecutive night of strikes ended at 9:40 p.m. ET/1:40 a.m. GMT.
“At the Commander in Chief’s direction, CENTCOM is further degrading Iranian military capabilities and holding Iran accountable for recent attacks on commercial shipping”, the US military said. “More than 50,000 U.S. service members are operating across the Middle East and remain vigilant, lethal, and ready”.
Rachel Dobkin17 July 2026 03:05
Syria ‘foils attempt to smuggle weapons to Hezbollah from Iraq’
Syrian authorities foiled an attempt to smuggle a shipment of advanced weapons and missiles over the border from Iraq, the state news agency SANA says.
An Interior Ministry source told Reuters that preliminary investigations showed the shipment was intended for Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
Hezbollah, the Lebanese militants aligned with the Iranian regime, are currently engaged in conflict with neighbouring Israel.
After two days of US-mediated talks in Rome, Lebanon and Israel have taken steps toward implementing “pilot zones” in southern Lebanon where Israeli forces would withdraw and turn over control to the Lebanese army, the US State Department said Wednesday.
Jane Dalton17 July 2026 03:00
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