Iran, US exchange fresh attacks, fueling regional escalation UPDATED

Iran’s armed forces said they carried out a drone attack on a US air base in the Sheikh Isa area of Bahrain.

According to a statement from the Iranian military, the strike was conducted in response to what it described as “aggressive actions by the American adversary.”

The military also warned that all US facilities in the region would become legitimate targets for attack if Washington violates the terms of the ceasefire.

08:19

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had carried out large-scale strikes against US military facilities in the Middle East. According to a statement carried by Tasnim, the operation was launched in response to overnight US attacks on coastal bases and civilian sites in Iran’s Hormozgan Province and the city of Mahshahr.

The IRGC claimed that 85 targets at key US military installations across the region were struck. According to the statement, targets were hit at Salman Port, within the area of responsibility of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, and at Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait. The IRGC also said its forces shot down an American MQ-9 Reaper reconnaissance and strike drone that allegedly attempted to intercept Iranian weapons systems during the operation.

The Guard Corps described the US actions as an attempt to disrupt mourning ceremonies commemorating former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. It emphasised that the strikes constituted only an “initial response” to what it called US aggression.

Earlier, the United States carried out strikes on port cities in southern Iran in response to what it said were Iranian attacks on Qatari and Saudi tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the US Central Command (CENTCOM).

The command explained that the operation was triggered by Iran’s attack on commercial vessels the previous day.

“The unwarranted aggression by Iranian forces is a clear and dangerous violation of the ceasefire and undermines freedom of navigation,” CENTCOM said in a statement posted on X.

https://t.co/7YDsfu5x84

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 8, 2026

Iranian broadcaster Press TV also reported strikes in the southern port city of Sirik. Explosions were heard on Qeshm Island and in the port city of Bandar Abbas.

According to NBC News, the US operation was larger in scale than previous strikes. Following the attack, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf wrote on X that Washington had violated the terms of the memorandum of understanding signed by Tehran and Washington in June. He added that Iran would not surrender.

Major MOU Violations by the US:

Violating Iranian adjustments in the Strait

Persistent threats of further strikes

Reinstating oil sanctions

Attacks on southern Iran

Continued Zionist aggression on🇱🇧

The era of bullying and extortion is over. It leads nowhere. We don’t fold.

— محمدباقر قالیباف | MB Ghalibaf (@mb_ghalibaf) July 8, 2026

The day before, Qatar and Saudi Arabia accused Iran of attacking the tankers Al Rekayyat and Wadiyan. According to Reuters, the Qatari vessel was damaged in a drone strike during the night of July 7.

The previous breakdown in the ceasefire between the United States and Iran occurred in late June, when the two sides again exchanged strikes. Those hostilities were also triggered by attacks on commercial shipping. After two days of hostilities, the sides once again agreed to restore peace, and Iran pledged to stop interfering with maritime traffic, according to Axios.

By Jeyhun Aghazada