Air raids come after US revokes a waiver that allowed Iran to sell oil, citing the attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump criticises NATO allies over Iran conflict support
Oil prices have jumped, and bond futures have slid after the US launched strikes against Iran and reinstated trade sanctions in response to tanker attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Reuters.
US crude futures climbed 2.7 percent to $72.40 per barrel, while 10-year Treasury futures fell by seven ticks as market participants factored in the potential for increased inflation and higher interest rates.
The state broadcaster reports that “most of the attacks” by the US in southern Iran have “targeted civilian areas”.
This comes as the US claims its military hit Iranian missile and defence systems in its latest attacks.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has left the Iraqi city of Najaf to return to Tehran, according to the IRIB broadcaster, following the US’s latest strikes.
Pezeshkian had been in Iraq to attend funeral rites for Khamenei, whose body had arrived in Najaf on Tuesday night. According to Press TV, Pezeshkian had also planned to hold high-level talks with Iraqi government officials.
The slain supreme leader’s coffin will be taken from Najaf to Iraq’s Karbala before it is returned to the Iranian city of Mashhad for burial on July 9.
Iran’s state-owned Press TV reports renewed explosions on Qeshm Island, adding that several blasts were also heard on Kharg Island in the Strait of Hormuz.
We’ll bring you more when we have it.
reporting from the White House
We heard from US Central Command saying that it has launched a series of what it called “powerful strikes” against Iranian targets.
It attributed the strikes to what it describes as bad behaviour on the part of Iran for attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
We’ve also heard from a US official on the type of targets that US forces are hitting. The official said the strikes targeted Iranian air defence systems, coastal surveillance systems, surface-to-air missiles, antiship cruise missiles and drone launch sites. The official said the targets were linked to Iranian attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, where tensions have grown over who controls passage through different parts of the waterway.
Iran has been trying to get ships to go through the northern routes it controls. The US, meanwhile, has said it wants ships to take the southern route. Meanwhile, ships are unable to use the traditional route through the centre of the strait because it is believed to remain mined. All of these were supposed to be addressed in negotiations following the memorandum of understanding between Iran and the US.
Iran’s IRIB state broadcaster reports that several people were wounded after being hit by shrapnel from an “enemy projectile”, which hit a commercial dock in the southern port of Sirik.
It said the wounded were taken to the Minab Hospital.
Reporting from Tehran, Iran
Local authorities and state TV say at least six rounds of explosions have been heard on the island of Qeshm, in which a wharf is said to be targeted.
[Blasts were also heard] in Sirik, another critically important location that oversees the Strait of Hormuz. Between seven and nine explosions have been reported there, and a commercial and a fishing wharf are said to have been attacked.
And in the city of Bandar Abbas, the biggest port city of Iran, 10 explosions have been heard too, targeting different places. Again, according to initial reports, telecommunications towers and other places, including fishing wharfs, have been targeted.
The deputy foreign minister of the country says the US military operations are considered a violation of the MoU. And regarding the reports and the statements about the so-called Iranian attacks, Tehran has called them questionable accusations.
This is something that we heard from the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who also said that Iran’s authority and control over the Strait of Hormuz is something that has been given to it based on the MoU, and any passage through the trajectory of the Strait of Hormuz should be coordinated with the Iranian side to ensure the safe transiting through this waterway.
US President Donald Trump criticised several NATO allies for refusing to back the United States during its conflict with Iran, questioning why Washington spends heavily on the alliance if European countries are unwilling to provide support.
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Hello, and welcome to our live coverage of the United States and Israel’s war on Iran, as well as Israel’s attacks on Lebanon.
Stay with us for the latest news and analysis from across the Middle East and beyond.
You can find our updates from Tuesday, July 7, here.
US strikes in Iran come a day after Qatari, Saudi tankers hit in attacks in Strait of Hormuz.
US President Donald Trump criticised NATO allies for refusing to back the United States during its conflict with Iran.
While marine traffic in Hormuz has steadily risen, vague provisions on the strait remain contentious in peace talks.
Industry known for its resilience is likely to emerge from war relatively unchanged, analysts say.
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