Iran war live: Middle East on high alert as IRGC, US military trade blows

Live updates,

Published On 12 Jul 2026

• Iran claims attacks on Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and Oman as the United Arab Emirates also reports intercepting Iranian missiles and suicide drones.
• The US military says it struck more than 140 targets in Iran with explosions reported in the southern port cities of Bandar Abbas, Sirik, Chabahar, Bandar-e Deyr, Jask and Asaluyeh

75 Updates

• 3m ago

   (09:00 GMT)

  Lebanon PM expresses support for nations targeted in Iranian attacks

  Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has condemned Iran’s attacks on Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar.

  “We reiterate our full solidarity with our brothers in these countries, and our unwavering support for them,” he said in a statement carried by the National News Agency.

  Israel’s invasion has deepened tensions between Iran, which backs Hezbollah, and the Lebanese government, which is seeking exclusive control over weapons in the country.

  Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has said “there will be no calm in the region” if Israel continues its occupation of southern Lebanon.

• 13m ago

   (08:50 GMT)

  UAE says missiles ‘detected outside its borders’

  The United Arab Emirates says “monitoring and tracking systems are operating with high efficiency around the clock at the highest levels of readiness” after Iran launched strikes throughout the Middle East.

  The Defence Ministry said on X “missile threats detected this morning were outside the country’s borders”.

  After the US and Israel launched the war on Iran in February, the Revolutionary Guard hit the UAE hard with drone and missile attacks. However, strikes have not been made on it in recent months.

• 23m ago

   (08:40 GMT)

  Saudi Arabia denounces Iran’s ‘destabilising behaviour’

  Saudi Arabia is the latest Middle Eastern nation to condemn the Iranian attacks throughout the region.

  The Foreign Ministry denounced Iran’s “violation of the principles of international law, the Charter of the United Nations, the Charter of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and the rules of good neighbourliness, through repeated Iranian attacks on commercial vessels that threaten the security and freedom of navigation”.

  The kingdom was not targeted in the latest round of Iranian strikes, but a Saudi oil tanker was damaged while transiting the Strait of Hormuz last week.

• 33m ago

   (08:30 GMT)

  

  US intensifies military pressure on Iran to fully reopen Hormuz

  Iran’s continuing strikes on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz go against the memorandum of understanding it signed with the US last month, an analyst says.

  “I don’t see anything in the MoU that allows Iran to exert pressure on Oman and to claim sovereignty over Oman’s territorial waters,” said Wolfgang Pusztai, a former Austrian defence attache.

  “In other words, there is nothing in the MoU that allows for attacks by Iran on ships on the Omani side of the Strait of Hormuz.”

  For the US, it’s crucial the strait reopens without any restrictions imposed and “this is the reason they’re striking Iran,” he added.

  Washington is now combining economic and increased military pressure, which will make it more difficult for Iran to attack ships, Pusztai said.

  “Economic pressure will be in the long run much more efficient than the military pressure. But without the military pressure, the other one won’t work.”

  

• 43m ago

   (08:20 GMT)

  At least 2 people wounded in US attack on Iran’s Kerman

  A communications tower in southern Iran has been targeted in the latest wave of US attacks.

  The tower was located in Kerman province, according to ISNA.

  Quoting local official Rahman Jalali, the news agency reported two people were injured in the attack and transported to hospital by helicopter.

  The US Central Command said earlier its forces hit 140 Iranian military targets on Saturday after the IRGC announced the Strait of Hormuz was closed “until further notice”.

• 53m ago

   (08:10 GMT)

  ‘Highly dangerous escalation’: Kuwait condemns Iranian attacks

  Kuwait has denounced “heinous Iranian attacks” that targeted the Gulf country.

  “The continuation of these attacks constitutes a highly dangerous escalation that will exacerbate tension and instability in the region, threaten regional peace and security, and undermine diplomatic efforts aimed at de-escalation and resolving crises by peaceful means,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

  Kuwait “reserves all its rights to take whatever measures are necessary to protect its security and preserve its sovereignty in accordance with the provisions of international law and the United Nations Charter”, it added.

• 1h ago

   (08:00 GMT)

  

  Iran ‘appears to be strategically in a superior position’ to the US

  Harlan Ullman, chairman of the strategic advisory firm The Killowen Group, says the leverage Tehran holds over the Strait of Hormuz has placed Washington in a difficult strategic position.

  “From the very beginning, it was unclear what America’s objectives and aims were in this,” the former US naval officer told Al Jazeera. “People question the strategy – what was the United States hoping to achieve?”

  Ullman said the US faced a “huge problem” in translating military superiority into strategic advantage. “It’s using military force, where it has tremendous superiority. But can the US put enough pressure on Iran to do what it wants and change Iran’s attitudes? I don’t think that’s going to happen,” he said.

  He argued that Iran “appears to be strategically in a superior position” to the US. “All it has to do is say, ‘We’re going to close the Gulf. We’re going to attack our neighbours in the Gulf region, and let that put huge pressure on you,'” he said. “All the US can do is continue to attack its targets from the air, which to me does not seem to bring an outcome that is favourable to either side.”

  Ullman cautioned that the conflict risks escalating into a wider regional war, an outcome he said the global economy was ill-prepared to absorb. “Twenty percent of the energy the world needs comes through the [Strait of Hormuz]. If that were to be interrupted for a week, a day, a month, a year, that would have a catastrophic impact.”

• 1h ago

   (07:50 GMT)

  India condemns attack on Indian-crewed ship as 1 still missing

  India’s Foreign Ministry has condemned an attack on the GFS Galaxy, the container ship struck off the coast of Oman this morning.

  It said 10 of the 11 Indian nationals on board have been rescued, while one remains missing.

  “Our embassy in Oman is closely monitoring the situation and proactively coordinating with the Omani authorities in the ongoing search-and-rescue operation,” it said in a statement.

  Ongoing attacks on commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz are “deeply worrying” and the ministry called for immediate de-escalation.

  “The targeting of commercial shipping and civilian infrastructure in the region must end, and free and unimpeded navigation and commerce through the international waterways in the region, in keeping with international law, must be restored at the earliest.”

  

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• 1h ago

   (07:40 GMT)

  Military facility in Iran’s Yasuj hit in US strikes

  Iranian security officials have told the IRIB news agency US forces attacked a military installation on the outskirts of Yasuj, in southwestern Kohgiluyeh Boyer-Ahmad province.

  The US launched three rounds of air strikes targeting Iran in the last week over Iranian attacks on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz using a route seeking to avoid Iran’s territorial waters.

  Iran retaliated by attacking countries in the region hosting US forces, insisting it must control the strait and potentially charge vessels for travelling through it.

• 1h ago

   (07:30 GMT)

  US attacks on Iran mark ‘heaviest bombardment’ since MoU

  Reporting from Tehran, Iran

  The attacks over the past three or four nights marked the heaviest bombardment since the announcement of the MoU, which was supposed to pave the way for a limited period of ceasefire between the two sides and to give a chance for diplomacy to resolve the conflict.

  There is a relatively long list of cities along the country’s south as well as islands, such as Qeshm Island, that were attacked [overnight]. These are geostrategically significant locations.

  For instance, in Sirik and Jask, explosions were reported, and these two cities oversee the Strait of Hormuz. Other cities attacked include the important port city of Bandar Abbas, where several explosions were reported, as well as Kangan, Bandar-e Deyr, Asaluyeh and areas in the vicinity of Konarak and Chabahar located in southeastern Iran.

  Explosions were reported targeting not just military sites, but also reports are coming in that there are also some commercial and economic centres that were targeted. Some wharves are also reportedly targeted, not only last night but also over the course of the past three or four nights.

  Iran, on the other hand, is saying that it’s ready for retaliation while we also hear Tehran’s readiness for diplomatic engagement. The stakes are high at this point. Uncertainty remains the name of the game.

• 1h ago

   (07:20 GMT)

  

  Iranian official says Iran has ‘taken control of Hormuz with power’

  Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesman for the Iranian parliament’s Commission on National Security and Foreign Policy, says in a post on X: “We have taken control of the Strait of Hormuz with power, and we will preserve it with power as well.”

• 1h ago

   (07:10 GMT)

  

  Omani state media say drones targeted sites in Musandam

  The Omani government has condemned Iran’s attacks on the country, with a security source telling the Oman News Agency (ONA) that “sites in the Musandam governorate were targeted by drones”.

  Musandam is a mountainous enclave of Oman that juts into the Strait of Hormuz and is bordered by the UAE.

  The government condemned the attack and said it is taking “all necessary measures to deal with the developments to preserve the safety of the country and its residents”, ONA reported.

  Iran’s IRGC earlier claimed it carried out a “heavy and surprise” attack on logistics support centres and refuelling platforms used by US aircraft carriers at the port of Duqm in Oman’s al-Wusta governorate.

• 2h ago

   (07:00 GMT)

  

  Iran’s and Pakistan’s foreign ministers discuss ‘evolving regional situation’

  Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has talked by phone with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, during which the two “exchanged views on the evolving regional situation”, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad.

  Dar “stressed upon the parties to follow the path of de-escalation and show restraint, as agreed in the Islamabad MOU in June 2026”, the statement said.

  He told Araghchi that dialogue and diplomacy remain the only viable path to resolving disputes and achieving lasting peace and stability in the region.

  Dar and Araghchi agreed to remain in close contact, the statement added.

• 2h ago

   (06:52 GMT)

  

  Air raid sirens sound again in Bahrain

  The Interior Ministry has urged citizens and residents to remain calm and go to the nearest safe place, according to a statement on X.

  This marks the third time sirens have blared in Bahrain this morning.

• 2h ago

   (06:50 GMT)

  

  Iran launched 3 missiles at Jordan, state media report

  An official military source has told Jordan’s Petra news agency that the three missiles launched from Iran fell in different locations at dawn today without causing any casualties.

  The damage was limited to minor material losses, the source told Petra.

  As we’ve been reporting, Iran earlier claimed a ballistic missile attack on Jordan’s Prince Hassan airbase, saying it had destroyed a command-and-control centre at the base, as well as hangars housing MQ-9 drones.

• 2h ago

   (06:40 GMT)

  IRGC warns of ‘crushing response’ if US strikes continue

  Reporting from Tehran, Iran

  A few hours after the commencement of the American strikes targeting different cities across the Iranian southern areas, the IRGC said there will be a crushing response ahead.

  We’ve got at least four statements here, three of them from the Revolutionary Guards and one of them from the army of the country. One of them gave a detailed account of the targeted areas in Oman, where the IRGC said that a logistics support centre and aircraft fuelling platforms in Oman were targeted.

  We’ve got another statement saying that areas in Qatar were targeted. The country’s army said Bahrain and Kuwait were also attacked with a Patriot air defence system as well as radar sites targeted. And last but not least, we’ve got this statement talking about attacks on a US military base in Jordan.

  Part and parcel of Iran’s strategy is to target US military bases across the region. They are warning that in case of continuing American strikes, there are going to be more repercussions.

• 2h ago

   (06:30 GMT)

  

  Israeli forces destroy homes in Lebanon’s Tyre

  Lebanon’s National News Agency is reporting that Israeli forces destroyed several houses in the village of Majdal Zoun this morning and fired on some houses in the town of al-Mansouri.

  Both are located in the southern Tyre district.

  The report follows the Israeli military’s attacks in al-Mansouri yesterday, which wounded several people.

• 2h ago

   (06:25 GMT)

  

  Iran says Qatar joined Saturday’s talks on Hormuz in Oman

  A delegation from Qatar was present during Saturday’s discussions between Iran and Oman on the Strait of Hormuz in Muscat, according to Tehran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman.

  Qatar joined the talks “as one of the countries in the region that has also acted as a mediator in the US-Iran negotiations in recent months”, Baghaei said in remarks quoted by Iranian media.

  He said earlier that the talks between Tehran and Muscat covered arrangements for managing traffic and shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

• 2h ago

   (06:15 GMT)

  

  Iran’s civilian leaders and hardline factions differ on Strait of Hormuz

  Kenneth Katzman, a senior fellow at The Soufan Center, says the US has a serious problem on its hands regarding the Strait of Hormuz due to differing viewpoints in Iran.

  The IRGC’s key commanders “insist on controlling the strait, not only that, but gaining revenge for the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei”, he told Al Jazeera. “They want to ensure the US never attacks Iran again.”

  “It seems that there’s a dedicated team of commanders and former commanders in the IRGC and other hardliners that insist on prosecuting the war further beyond what the civilian elected leadership would like to pursue. They want a deal,” Katzman explained.

  The US is not going to concede when it comes to the Strait of Hormuz, he added.

  “It’s a vital interest of the United States that the strait remain open.”

  If hardline factions in Iran continue to press this point, Katzman believes we will see “very substantial escalation” by the US. But he added that the civilian leadership in Iran, including President Masoud Pezeshkian and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, “are going to start putting pressure on the IRGC to stand down and accept some negotiated settlement involving Oman, Iran and the US”.

• 2h ago

   (06:10 GMT)

  

  Three injured, including a child, in Qatar following interception

  Qatar’s Interior Ministry has confirmed that falling debris from interception operations has injured three people, including a child.

  “The injured are receiving the necessary care,” it said in a statement.

  The ministry said following the Iranian attacks, security authorities and civil defence teams had initiated response procedures in accordance with approved emergency plans.