No evidence attacks launched from its territory: Iraq military spokesperson
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Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said
Thursday that it had carried out attacks on US-linked military facilities in
Kuwait and Jordan, as the conflict between Tehran and Washington widened across
the Middle East.
The IRGC claimed that its forces struck Kuwait’s Ali Al
Salem Air Base, destroying two drone hangars and a fuel tank used to support US
military aircraft and helicopters. The claim was made in a statement issued by
the IRGC, but independent verification of the reported damage was not
immediately available.
In a separate statement concerning Jordan, the IRGC said its
aerospace forces had launched several ballistic missiles at the Al-Azraq
airbase after a US strike on Iran’s Qeshm Island. The base hosts US F-35
fighter jets.
Iranian state news agency Fars, citing the IRGC, reported
that three F-35 aircraft were destroyed and three others suffered heavy damage.
The IRGC also claimed that several military officers and technical and
maintenance personnel were killed. These claims could not immediately be
independently verified.
The IRGC accused the United States of killing a family on
Qeshm Island and said its attacks would continue until American forces were
expelled from what it described as “Islamic lands.”
IRGC reports deaths among its personnel
The IRGC also said three of its personnel were killed in a
US missile strike.
Its Zanjan province branch, Ansar al-Mahdi, identified the
men as Mahmoud Mollajabari, Mohammadreza Cheraghi and Jamal Amiri. According to
a statement carried by the semi-official Tasnim news agency, the three were
killed on July 30 while defending Iran’s borders and people.
Iranian media quoted the IRGC’s public relations department
as saying that the United States would be punished for the attack.
The statements came after the US military announced that it
had launched what it called “powerful” strikes against Iran overnight.
Explosions were reported in several locations, including Qeshm, Kish, Bandar
Abbas, Abadan and Bushehr.
Family killed in Qeshm strike
Iranian state media reported that three members of the same
family were killed in a US strike on a residential building on Qeshm Island.
Fars, citing the Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences,
reported that the victims were a couple and their two-year-old child. Iran’s
official IRNA news agency separately reported that two other children from the
family were injured and taken to a medical facility.
IRNA said search and debris-removal operations had been
completed at the site in the Chah Tangu neighbourhood.
The US has not publicly confirmed the circumstances
surrounding the reported civilian deaths.
Iraq denies attacks originated from its territory
Iraq’s military said there was no evidence that recent
attacks in the region had been launched from Iraqi territory.
Brigadier General Sabah al-Numan, spokesperson for the
commander-in-chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces, told the state-run Iraqi News
Agency that the government would not permit unilateral military actions from
within Iraq while also rejecting violations of Iraqi territory from outside its
borders.
He said Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief Ali Falih
al-Zaidi had visited the headquarters of the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF)
and received a briefing on attacks against PMF members in several Iraqi
provinces.
Al-Numan said the PMF remained part of Iraq’s national
defence system and that the country’s security establishment was preparing a
comprehensive plan to prevent further attacks and protect Iraq’s sovereignty.
He stressed that official state security forces were
responsible for the country’s security and that Baghdad would not permit armed
activity outside the state framework.
Iran and Oman continue talks over Strait of Hormuz
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said
discussions with Oman over the Strait of Hormuz were continuing in Tehran.
Baghaei said several rounds of talks had taken place,
including further meetings on Thursday. He blamed the closure of the
strategically important waterway and disruption to international shipping on US
and Israeli military operations.
According to Iranian media, Baghaei said the situation was
the result of what Tehran described as continued military aggression, including
attacks on Iranian vessels and restrictions on ports and shipping routes.
The Strait of Hormuz is a critical global energy corridor
through which a significant share of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas
trade passes.
Iran condemns US-Saudi strikes in Iraq
Iran also condemned US and Saudi military strikes against
targets in Iraq.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry said the attacks violated Iraq’s
sovereignty and territorial integrity and breached the UN Charter. Tehran
accused Washington and Israel of attempting to broaden the regional conflict.
The ministry also condemned strikes on locations it said
were associated with Iraqi state institutions and rest stops used by pilgrims
travelling for Arbaeen.
Arbaeen is one of the world’s largest annual religious
gatherings, bringing millions of Shia Muslims to Karbala to mark the end of the
40-day mourning period for Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.
Iran expressed condolences for those killed and said it
supported the Iraqi government and people.
Tasnim accounts suspended on X
Several accounts belonging to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim
news agency were suspended on the social media platform X.
The agency said its Farsi, Arabic, English and breaking-news
accounts had been suspended for violating the platform’s rules.
X did not immediately provide further details on the
suspensions.
Netanyahu warns of uncertainty over Strait of Hormuz
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was
impossible to accurately predict Iran’s next moves regarding the Strait of
Hormuz and global commerce.
Speaking to ABC News, Netanyahu described Iran as a major
threat to global peace and argued that the strategic importance of the strait
could eventually be reduced if energy routes were diverted.
He said alternative infrastructure could allow energy
supplies to bypass the waterway and reach global markets through other routes.
Jordan says it intercepted five Iranian missiles
Jordan’s military said it intercepted and destroyed five
missiles launched from Iran toward the kingdom on Thursday.
The incident marked the fourth consecutive day in which
Jordan reported intercepting Iranian missiles or drones. No casualties were
reported.
Jordan said it had intercepted five missiles on Wednesday,
while one drone was reportedly intercepted on Tuesday and two more on Monday.
The escalation has increased pressure on Amman, which has
sought to prevent its territory from becoming another major front in the
widening conflict.
US strikes reported in Bushehr province
Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB reported that US forces struck
three locations in Bushehr province overnight.
According to a provincial official, areas around the cities
of Bushehr, Jam and Khormoj were targeted. No casualties were immediately
reported.
Bushehr province is home to Iran’s only nuclear power plant,
although Iranian officials did not report damage to the facility.
Two tankers turn back after fire in Strait of Hormuz
The IRGC said two oil tankers attempting to use an
alternative route south of the Strait of Hormuz turned back after a severe fire
broke out on one of the vessels.
The IRGC said the ships had been directed toward the route
by US aircraft but did not identify the tankers, their flags or operators. It
also did not provide details about possible casualties or the cause of the
fire.
Iran maintains that it controls the Strait of Hormuz and
warned that foreign military forces would not be allowed to interfere with
shipping in the area.
The IRGC said the waterway would remain closed while what it
described as US threats and military interference continued.
UAE condemns attacks on Saudi oil facilities
The United Arab Emirates condemned drone attacks on Saudi
oil facilities that it said were launched from Iraqi territory.
The UAE Foreign Ministry described the attacks as a
violation of Saudi sovereignty and a threat to the kingdom’s security and
stability.
Saudi Arabia had reported drone attacks earlier in the week
and subsequently joined the United States in strikes against Iran-aligned
groups in Iraq.
The Iran-aligned Popular Mobilisation Forces said at least
20 of its members were killed and 32 wounded in the US-Saudi strikes.
US expands strikes as conflict spreads
The latest developments followed a new round of US attacks
on Iran.
US Central Command said American forces began launching
strikes against Iran at 8 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, describing the
operation as a response to attempted Iranian attacks against US forces in the
Middle East.
The escalation came after Iran fired missiles at US forces
in Jordan and launched attacks involving shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,
according to Iranian and US officials.
A drone also struck a US-owned gas storage tanker at Egypt’s
Mediterranean port of Damietta, according to maritime security firm Ambrey.
Egypt’s petroleum ministry confirmed a fire at the port but did not publicly
attribute it to a drone attack.
The expanding violence has raised fears that additional
Middle Eastern countries could be drawn directly into the conflict.
US-Saudi strikes kill PMF members in Iraq
The US-Saudi strikes on Iran-aligned groups in Iraq marked
the first time Riyadh publicly joined Washington in military action against
targets there.
The Popular Mobilisation Forces said at least 20 members
were killed and 32 wounded in attacks on several bases.
Iraqi officials condemned the strikes as a violation of the
country’s sovereignty while also calling on armed groups not to launch attacks
against Iraq’s neighbours.
The attacks have exposed Iraq’s difficult position between
Washington and Tehran. Baghdad maintains close relations with both countries
and has repeatedly sought to prevent its territory from becoming a battlefield
in the wider regional confrontation.
Prime Minister Ali Falih al-Zaidi’s office called for
restraint and said Iraq should not be dragged into the conflict.
Washington faces pressure over wider escalation
The latest fighting comes as US officials face growing
concerns about the cost and sustainability of a prolonged conflict with Iran.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies has
estimated that US stocks of key air-defence interceptors, including Patriot and
THAAD missiles, could face significant pressure if the conflict continues at
its current intensity.
Meanwhile, Iran has denied directing attacks from Iraqi
territory, even as Iranian-linked groups in Iraq have been targeted by US and
Saudi forces.
The confrontation has also coincided with the annual Arbaeen
pilgrimage, bringing large numbers of Iranian pilgrims into Iraq at a time of
heightened security tensions.
UN calls for an end to fighting
UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on the United
States and Iran to halt hostilities and return to diplomacy.
UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said Guterres was increasingly
concerned that the failure to resume negotiations could lead to a broader
regional conflict.
He urged the parties to stop fighting and return to
diplomatic efforts, including mediation initiatives involving Pakistan, Qatar
and other countries.
With attacks now involving Iran, the United States, Israel,
Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and other regional actors, international
concern is growing that the conflict could expand well beyond its original
fronts.
The widening confrontation has also placed the Strait of
Hormuz — a crucial route for global energy supplies — at the centre of the
crisis, raising fresh concerns over international shipping, oil prices and the
broader global economic impact of the war.