A truck carrying the coffins of the late Iranian Supreme Chief Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his household strikes via a major avenue lined with hundreds of mourners throughout the remaining stage of funeral ceremonies in Mashhad, northeastern Iran, Thursday, July 9, 2026.
Hasan Salavati/Shahraranews through AP
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Hasan Salavati/Shahraranews through AP
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — America launched new airstrikes in opposition to Iran early Thursday, and Tehran responded by concentrating on U.S.-allied Mideast international locations in an trade of fireside that threatened an interim deal meant to assist finish the struggle within the Center East.
Again-and-forth assaults, together with a day earlier, have repeatedly threatened the ceasefire. However Thursday’s appeared greater throughout, with sirens sounding a minimum of thrice in Bahrain, dwelling to the U.S. Navy’s fifth Fleet headquarters, and missiles concentrating on Kuwait and Qatar.
Sirens sounded Thursday afternoon in Jordan as effectively, the place the U.S. has stationed troops and plane.
An Iranian official accused the U.S. of launching an airstrike later Thursday concentrating on the world round Iran’s sole nuclear energy plant, and different explosions have been reported elsewhere within the nation throughout the afternoon.
Early Friday, Supreme Chief Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was laid to relaxation in his hometown of Mashhad after days of public mourning. Khamenei was killed within the opening salvos of the Iran struggle.
The strikes got here hours after U.S. President Donald Trump stated latest Iranian assaults on ships within the Strait of Hormuz signaled the top of a fragile ceasefire and threatened to escalate the battle in the event that they did not cease. That raised issues that the area may tip again right into a struggle that may engulf a number of international locations and will halt power shipments via the strait which can be essential for the worldwide financial system.
In Iran, the 2 days of American airstrikes have killed a minimum of 14 individuals and wounded one other 78, Iran’s Well being Ministry stated Thursday. Most have been reportedly members of the armed forces.
In Kuwait, the navy stated falling particles wounded one particular person because the nation shot down three ballistic missiles, a cruise missile and 10 drones. Bahrain stated it shot down incoming hearth, with out elaborating, and Jordanian authorities spokesperson Mohammad al-Momani stated all incoming hearth from Iran had been intercepted. Iranian state TV stated the nation’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard fired missiles at a U.S. base in Jordan.
There was no rapid phrase of harm in Qatar.
US strikes hit extra targets
The U.S. navy’s Central Command stated it hit 90 targets throughout Iran, releasing black-and-white footage of what seemed to be strikes on an airport runway and missile launchers.
The U.S. stated the strikes have been meant to “further degrade” Iran’s capacity “to threaten freedom of navigation” within the strait, via which a fifth of the world’s traded oil and pure gasoline handed earlier than the struggle started with U.S. and Israeli assaults on Feb. 28.
Visitors has picked up considerably since a tentative deal final month included opening the waterway. Maritime knowledge firm Lloyd’s Record Intelligence stated Thursday that preliminary knowledge confirmed a minimum of 576 ships handed via the strait in June, in contrast with 233 in Could. Greater than 3,100 transited the strait in June 2025.
Iranian state media reported explosions in a number of places, together with Bushehr, dwelling to Iran’s nuclear energy plant advanced, and southern port cities. The state-run IRNA information company quoted Ehsan Jahanian, an area official in Bushehr, as accusing the U.S. of hanging close to the plant round midday, hours after Central Command stated it had ended its newest spherical of strikes. Requested for touch upon Bushehr, Central Command referred to a press launch that detailed targets however made no point out of the nuclear energy plant.
Streets are jammed for Khamenei’s remaining funeral procession
For the primary time since April, U.S. strikes additionally appeared to focus on Iranian bridges. State media reported a strike on a railway bridge in Iran’s northeastern Golestan province, and the Revolutionary Guard stated two bridges have been attacked on the path to Mashhad, the place tens of hundreds of mourners thronged vast boulevards throughout the remaining funeral procession for Khamenei on Thursday.
The coffin of the late Iranian Supreme Chief Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is carried by mourners to the Imam Ali Shrine in Najaf, Iraq, Wednesday, July 8, 2026.
Anmar Khalil/AP
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Anmar Khalil/AP
Folks pressed ahead to the touch a automobile carrying Khamenei’s physique. Many carried Iranian flags and pictures of the late chief or banners evoking Shiite Islam’s lengthy historical past of martyrs. Some indicators known as for the loss of life of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Khamenei dominated Iran for practically 37 years earlier than being killed within the U.S. and Israeli airstrikes that began the struggle. The funeral processions started final Saturday, with authorities shutting down streets, airspace and every day life in Tehran and different cities as throngs commemorated the person who led Iran for many years with an iron fist whereas confronting the West.
Trump points one other warning to Iran if assaults on delivery occur once more
After leaving a NATO summit in Turkey, Trump posted a number of movies on his social media website of what he stated have been explosions in Iran and issued one other warning to the Islamic Republic.
“This is in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!” Trump wrote Wednesday, a day after three tankers have been attacked within the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump additionally renewed his previous threats to hit Iran’s civilian infrastructure, together with electrical and desalination vegetation, and to grab Kharg Island, via which some 90% of Iranian oil exports move.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, a key negotiator in talks looking for a everlasting finish to the struggle, was defiant in a submit on X on Thursday morning: “America still hasn’t learned that bullying and breaking promises are no longer cost-free. Let me put it plainly: If you strike, you’ll get hit.”
Iranian International Minister Abbas Araghchi stated in a submit on Telegram that he spoke by telephone together with his Saudi, Turkish and Omani counterparts and with Pakistan’s military chief, Discipline Marshal Asim Munir, who has been one of many major mediators within the struggle. The outreach steered efforts could also be underway to cut back tensions.
Talks on reaching a remaining deal have been to start after Khamenei’s funeral
Trump stated Wednesday that the interim ceasefire settlement was “over.” He stated he would enable negotiations to proceed however thought negotiators have been “wasting their time.”
Negotiations to succeed in a remaining deal have been on account of begin after the funeral for Khamenei.
The talks are supposed to give attention to the hardest issues, together with absolutely reopening the strait and rolling again Tehran’s disputed nuclear program.
