On Saturday evening, the United States launched new airstrikes to punish Iran for its attacks against US forces in Jordan that resulted in the deaths of two soldiers, the first such casualties since the renewal of hostilities.

Washington reported that the strikes began at 22:00 GMT to undermine Tehran's ability to threaten commercial navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and to immediately punish it for the attacks it launched against service members in Jordan last night.

Meanwhile, the Fars and Tasnim news agencies reported that US attacks occurred near the city of Sirik in the south of the country, and that the US military targeted the Hajiabad area in southern Iran, according to local media, while explosions were heard in Bandar Abbas and Qeshm Island overlooking the Strait of Hormuz, as well as Bushehr.

Fri, 17 2026

Suspension of implementation of commitments under the Islamabad agreement

It is noted that this is the eighth consecutive night of US airstrikes on Iranian territory, and US forces had earlier Saturday announced the deaths of two of their personnel and the loss of another as a result of Iranian strikes on Jordan on Friday, amid an exchange of attacks between Washington and Tehran.

It is recalled that the interim agreement concluded last month to end the war collapsed on July 7, when Tehran targeted ships in the Strait of Hormuz, while Washington responded with airstrikes, and since then Tehran has declared the strait closed, while Washington has re-imposed its blockade on ports.

Sat, 18 2026

America: Our goal is to prevent Iran from possessing nuclear weapons

On Saturday, US President Donald Trump reiterated that the primary goal of the war is "to never allow Iran to possess a nuclear weapon," and in his first comment on Iran's announcement of suspending its commitments under the memorandum of understanding, Trump said in a phone interview with NewsNation, "I don't care about that at all."

This comes after Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Abadi said earlier Saturday that Washington "has violated all its commitments stipulated in the framework of the Islamabad memorandum of understanding and has completely stopped implementing them," and added, "We have also stopped implementing our commitments and are not currently implementing them, as we are busy defending the country."

It is recalled that the memorandum, signed remotely by Trump and Pezeshkian on June 17, aimed to end the war that began with the US attack on Iran on February 28, by cementing the ceasefire declared since April and negotiating a final agreement within a 60-day deadline.

Thu, 16 2026

Attacks on Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan are war crimes

Gulf states affirmed that Iran's actions constitute a very dangerous escalation, a serious violation of international law and the UN Charter, and war crimes that require accountability and international prosecution, as they involved targeting infrastructure and civilian facilities in flagrant violation of all international norms and an intensification of efforts to destabilize the region's security and stability.

In a statement, they condemned in the strongest terms Tehran's treacherous attacks that targeted Manama, Kuwait, and Amman, and its targeting of infrastructure and civilian facilities, which resulted in injuries to a number of civilian workers.

Sat, 18 2026

Khamenei attacks Americans and calls for Iranian unity

Following the expansion of the escalation between the US and Iran, Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said that the breach of the memorandum of understanding between Tehran and Washington proved the lack of credibility of the US president's signature, according to his expression.

In a message on his X account, he added that Washington's repeated violations of its commitments reflect its tyranny, domination, and brutality, and accused it of breaking promises and being unreliable, considering that recent developments have revealed its "true face," as he put it.

Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had been absent from his father's funeral at the beginning of this month, keeping speculation about his condition alive amid rumors that he was injured in US strikes that resulted in his father's death at the start of the war. This came at a time when an Iranian official said that Mojtaba would not appear in public until the end of the war.