Seventh night of US strikes kills seven in Iran; Kuwait desalination plant hit in Iranian retaliation
For the seventh consecutive night, US warplanes struck Iranian infrastructure, killing seven people near Bandar Abbas, while Iran retaliated with missiles that set a Kuwaiti power and desalination plant ablaze, the countries said.
Renewed US bombardment
On 11 July, President Donald Trump rescinded the June memorandum of understanding with Iran after attacks on commercial ships in the Gulf, triggering nightly US air strikes. CENTCOM said the latest wave began at 20:00 Lisbon time on Thursday, targeting dozens of military sites to "continue to degrade Iranian military capabilities". In Hormozgan province, six bridges and a railway station were hit, likely cutting the road to the key port of Bandar Abbas; seven people were killed and 20 injured, Iranian state media reported. A surveillance tower at Chabahar port was also destroyed, with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth publishing video of the structure collapsing.
- Trump rescinds June MoU and US begins nightly airstrikes against Iran
- Iran declares closure of the Strait of Hormuz
- US reimposes naval blockade on Iranian ports
- Pakistan calls for an end to violence and return to negotiations
- Iran strikes Kuwaiti power and desalination plant
Iranian retaliation across the Gulf
Iran responded with ballistic missiles and drones against US allies. The Revolutionary Guards claimed to have destroyed several American tanker planes and fighters stationed in Jordan, though Jordan's military said it only intercepted three missiles. In Kuwait, an Iranian strike set fire to a power and water desalination plant, prompting the electricity ministry to urge consumers to ration use. The Kuwaiti government called it a "criminal aggression" and said some of its soldiers were wounded. Sirens sounded in Bahrain for the fourth time that night, and explosions were reported in Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan.
Our effective and targeted strikes, launched from across Iranian territory against the enemy, will continue until calm returns to the southern coast and the Strait of Hormuz.
The naval blockade tightens
On 14 July, two days after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, the US reimposed a naval siege on Iranian ports. CENTCOM said its forces had so far diverted four merchant ships, disabled one and boarded another. Since the original blockade began on 13 April, more than 140 vessels have been diverted, nine disabled and over 50 allowed passage carrying humanitarian aid. The IRGC claimed it maintains full control of the strait and vowed that "not a single drop of oil or gas will be exported from this region" while US operations continue.
- Diverted (since Apr)
- 140 vessels
- Disabled (since Apr)
- 9 vessels
- Allowed (since Apr)
- 50 vessels
- Diverted (Jul 14-17)
- 4 vessels
- Disabled (Jul 14-17)
- 1 vessels
- Boarded (Jul 14-17)
- 1 vessels
Diplomacy in ruins
The resumption of hostilities has all but killed the June deal brokered by Pakistan. Islamabad appealed on Thursday for both sides to "end the violence and resume negotiations", but the MoU is now void. Qatar, which had mediated, came under Iranian missile fire. The International Maritime Organization condemned the attacks in the Strait, where about 6,000 sailors remain stranded. Before the war, roughly one-fifth of the world's seaborne oil and liquefied natural gas transited the Strait; on Tuesday, monitoring firm Kpler counted only 13 commercial ships.
Toll and wider fallout
The conflict that began on 28 February with joint US-Israeli strikes has killed thousands. Iran's state news agency IRNA put the death toll from the latest US raids at eight, while seven others died in earlier strikes on bridges. In Gaza, eight people were killed and 22 wounded in an Israeli attack during a funeral. Tehran has threatened to destroy regional infrastructure if its own oil and gas facilities are targeted. Kuwait Airways suspended most flights after the airport's overnight closure due to the attacks.
