US and Iran exchange intensifying fire across Mideast, threatening
ceasefire deal
[July 10, 2026]
By JON GAMBRELL
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United States launched new
airstrikes against Iran early Thursday, and Tehran responded by
targeting U.S.-allied Mideast countries in an exchange of fire that
threatened an interim deal intended to help end the war in the Middle
East.
Back-and-forth attacks, including a day earlier, have repeatedly
threatened the ceasefire. But Thursday’s appeared bigger all around,
with sirens sounding at least three times in Bahrain, home to the U.S.
Navy’s 5th Fleet headquarters, and missiles targeting Kuwait and Qatar.
Sirens sounded Thursday afternoon in Jordan as well, where the U.S. has
stationed troops and aircraft.
An Iranian official accused the U.S. of launching an airstrike later
Thursday targeting the area around Iran’s sole nuclear power plant, and
other explosions were reported elsewhere in the country during the
afternoon.
Early Friday, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was laid to rest in
his hometown of Mashhad after days of public mourning. Khamenei was
killed in the opening salvos of the Iran war.
The strikes came hours after U.S. President Donald Trump said recent
Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz signaled the end of a
fragile ceasefire and threatened to escalate the conflict if they didn't
stop. That raised concerns that the region could tip back into a war
that would engulf several countries and could halt energy shipments
through the strait that are crucial for the global economy.
In Iran, the two days of American airstrikes have killed at least 14
people and wounded another 78, Iran’s Health Ministry said Thursday.
Most were reportedly members of the armed forces.
In Kuwait, the military said falling debris wounded one person as the
nation shot down three ballistic missiles, a cruise missile and 10
drones. Bahrain said it shot down incoming fire, without elaborating,
and Jordanian government spokesperson Mohammad al-Momani said all
incoming fire from Iran had been intercepted. Iranian state TV said the
country's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard fired missiles at a U.S. base
in Jordan.
There was no immediate word of damage in Qatar.
US strikes hit more targets
The U.S. military’s Central Command said it hit 90 targets across Iran,
releasing black-and-white footage of what appeared to be strikes on an
airport runway and missile launchers.
The U.S. said the strikes were intended to “further degrade” Iran’s
ability “to threaten freedom of navigation” in the strait, through which
a fifth of the world’s traded oil and natural gas passed before the war
began with U.S. and Israeli attacks on Feb. 28.
Traffic has picked up somewhat since a tentative deal last month
included opening the waterway. Maritime data company Lloyd’s List
Intelligence said Thursday that preliminary data showed at least 576
ships passed through the strait in June, compared with 233 in May. More
than 3,100 transited the strait in June 2025.
Iranian state media reported explosions in several locations, including
Bushehr, home to Iran’s nuclear power plant complex, and southern port
cities. The state-run IRNA news agency quoted Ehsan Jahanian, a local
official in Bushehr, as accusing the U.S. of striking near the plant
around noon, hours after Central Command said it had ended its latest
round of strikes. Asked for comment on Bushehr, Central Command referred
to a press release that detailed targets but made no mention of the
nuclear power plant.
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Thousands of mourners fill a square and adjoining avenues,
stretching for blocks, during the final stage of funeral ceremonies
for the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and
members of his family in Mashhad, northeastern Iran, Thursday, July
9, 2026. (Mohammad Hasan Salavati/Shahraranews via AP)
Streets are jammed for Khamenei’s final funeral procession
For the first time since April, U.S. strikes also appeared to target
Iranian bridges. State media reported a strike on a railway bridge in
Iran’s northeastern Golestan province, and the Revolutionary Guard said
two bridges were attacked on the route to Mashhad, where tens of
thousands of mourners thronged wide boulevards during the final funeral
procession for Khamenei on Thursday.
People pressed forward to touch a vehicle carrying Khamenei's body. Many
carried Iranian flags and images of the late leader or banners evoking
Shiite Islam’s long history of martyrs. Some signs called for the death
of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Khamenei ruled Iran for nearly 37 years before being killed in the U.S.
and Israeli airstrikes that started the war. The funeral processions
began last Saturday, with authorities shutting down streets, airspace
and daily life in Tehran and other cities as throngs commemorated the
man who led Iran for decades with an iron fist while confronting the
West.
Trump issues another warning to Iran if attacks on shipping happen
again
After leaving a NATO summit in Turkey, Trump posted several videos on
his social media site of what he said were explosions in Iran and issued
another 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 were attacked in the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump also renewed his past threats to hit Iran’s civilian
infrastructure, including electric and desalination plants, and to seize
Kharg Island, through which some 90% of Iranian oil exports pass.
Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, a key negotiator in talks
seeking a permanent end to the war, was defiant in a post 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 Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a post on Telegram that
he spoke by phone with his Saudi, Turkish and Omani counterparts and
with Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, who has been one
of the main mediators in the war. The outreach suggested efforts may be
underway to reduce tensions.
Talks on reaching a final deal were to begin after Khamenei's funeral
Trump said Wednesday that the interim ceasefire agreement was “over.” He
said he would allow negotiations to continue but thought negotiators
were “wasting their time.”
Negotiations to reach a final deal were due to start after the funeral
for Khamenei.
The talks are meant to focus on the toughest matters, including fully
reopening the strait and rolling back Tehran’s disputed nuclear program.
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