At least eight civilians killed as US jets bomb southern Iran

At least eight civilians were killed on Friday, July 17, in a series of airstrikes conducted by the United States Air Force against targets in southern Iran, according to Tehran’s state-affiliated Tasnim News Agency.

The state media outlet reported that US fighter jets struck multiple facilities across the coastal Hormozgan Province. Additionally, the US military reportedly launched three missiles targeting an observation tower at the strategic port of Chabahar, located in the neighbouring Sistan and Baluchestan Province.

The strikes represent a major spike in the rapidly deteriorating conflict between Washington and Tehran, which reignited on July 8. The initial friction began when the US military launched its first direct airstrikes on Iranian soil since the signing of the bilateral Washington-Tehran memorandum. Those strikes were ordered in retaliation for an attack on a commercial vessel navigating the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

On the same day as those initial strikes, US President Donald Trump declared that Washington was terminating its truce with Iran.

Tehran has since responded by launching its own retaliatory strikes against US military and diplomatic installations spread across the Middle East, including assets located in Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman.

By Tamilla Hasanova