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US and Iran Exchange Strikes After Ceasefire Ends
American forces hit air defense and logistics sites along Iran's coast on 8 July 2026. Iran responded with missile and drone attacks on US-linked sites in Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar.
Jul 9, 9:29 AM·2m read1 source
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The US conducted strikes on 90 military targets in Iran on the night of 8 July 2026, according to US Central Command. The targets included air defense systems and military logistics infrastructure along Iran's coastline. Iran reported 14 people killed in the past two days and 78 injured across five provinces, with 47 still in hospital, Iran's health ministry said.
Iranian state media reported explosions in Bandar Abbas, hits on the ports of Sirik and Jask, and strikes on Abu Musa island. Iran launched strikes on US assets in Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar on 8 July, followed by additional strikes on sites in Kuwait, Jordan and Iraq, state-linked media reported.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps confirmed retaliatory strikes on US military bases in Kuwait and Bahrain, calling them the first phase of its response.
Gulf nations reported explosions in Bahrain's capital Manama, Kuwait intercepting missiles and drones, and Qatar issuing a security alert. Power cuts occurred in Chabahar and a fire broke out at an IRGC barracks in Bushehr. US President Donald Trump stated late on 8 July that Iran had called and wanted to make a deal so badly.
He said the ceasefire agreement signed with Iran on 17 June 2026 was now over. Iran's foreign ministry denounced the US strikes as a grave war crime and described the US administration as evil and psychopathic. Parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf wrote on X that if you strike, you'll get hit, and that the Strait of Hormuz will only open under Iranian arrangements.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded to Trump's comments by saying Iran does not answer vulgarity with vulgarity but with action fearlessly and with great valour. Daily ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz dropped to single figures on the southern route, down from about 70 a week ago and a normal level of 130 before the Iran war began earlier in 2026, marine director Phil Belcher at Intertanko said.
