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EXPLAINER
Iran struck Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Jordan and Syria in retaliation for US strikes.
For a sixth night in a row, the United States hit Iran in a wave of major attacks. Iran hit back, launching missiles and drones at multiple countries in the Gulf and at US bases in other regional countries.
Iran has said ۳۸ people have been killed, and more than ۴۰۰ injured, in the US attacks since the two sides met in Switzerland on June ۲۲ for talks to end the war through a ۶۰-day negotiation period, the AFP news agency reported. That includes at least eight people whom Iran said had been killed in overnight attacks by the US.
Here is a recap of what happened over Thursday night and on Friday so far.
Where was Iran attacked?
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that at ۰۱:۴۰ GMT on Friday, it completed its latest major wave of attacks against Iran. The US military did not provide many details about the specific sites it hit in Iran.
However, Iranian media reports said US forces struck at least six bridges, a railway station and other sites across Iran, killing at least eight people and injuring several.
Iran’s Fars news agency said the six bridges that were struck in the southern Hormozgan province include:
- The Gariveh bridge connecting Bandar Abbas to Khmeir and Lara
- A bridge near the village of Latidan
- Two bridges on the Kahoorestan-Lar route
- A partially constructed bridge connecting Bandar e-Khamir, Keshar and Bandar Abbas
- A bridge in the village of Maru, in the Khmeir district.
Iran’s Ministry of Energy says the latest US attacks have caused damage to power lines in Bandar Abbas and surrounding villages.
Power outages were reported in southern Iran, and electricity started to be restored in certain areas.
Which Gulf countries were attacked?
On Friday morning, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed a ۱۳th wave of retaliatory strikes against US bases since hostilities renewed.
Bahrain: Air raid sirens were activated in Bahrain on Friday morning as the Ministry of Interior urged people to remain calm.
Qatar: Early on Friday, Qatar’s authorities issued two separate alerts about an hour apart, after the country came under attack from Iranian projectiles, including at least one missile. The projectiles were all intercepted, the country’s Ministry of Defence said. Qatar’s Ministry of Interior reported that one child was injured by falling shrapnel during aerial interceptions over Doha. The child is receiving medical treatment.
Oman: Iran’s IRGC, on Friday, claimed to have destroyed a US air control radar in Oman’s Ghanim region and a maritime control radar on rocks in the Strait of Hormuz, in waters dividing Iran and Oman. A tanker was hit by an unknown projectile on Thursday while sailing about ۱۹ nautical miles (equivalent to about ۳۵km) east of Khasab, Oman, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency has said.
Kuwait: The IRGC said on Friday that it hit a US military base in Kuwait, striking a missile defence radar, several key weapons depots and two HIMARS surface-to-surface missile launchers, according to Iran’s Mehr news agency.
Jordan: The Jordanian army said on Friday that it shot down three Iranian missiles targeting the country after its air defence systems intercepted them. The army said the incident did not cause any human casualties, as Jordan’s Royal Engineering Corps teams dealt with falling shrapnel.
Syria: The IRGC said it attacked a US special operations command centre at the al-Tanf military base in Syria, the Tasnim news agency reported on Friday. The IRGC added that the attack was in retaliation for the killing of Iranian soldiers in Iranshahr.
What are Iranian and US leaders saying?
Iranian military spokesperson Ebrahim Zolfaghari said the Strait of Hormuz “will never return to what it was before the ۴۰-day war”, accusing the US of destabilising the waterway.
In a podcast episode with Joe Rogan on Wednesday, US Vice President JD Vance said several Israeli government members tried to influence US public opinion to oppose a deal in the US war with Iran.
“I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that there have been people within the Israeli government who are trying to, like, actually shift us away from that policy because they want to continue the military campaign,” Vance said.
