We’re closing this page now and will continue our live coverage of the Middle East crisis on a new blog here, including a summary of the latest key developments. Thanks for following along.
US says latest strikes on Iran completed
US Central Command says it has finished the military’s latest wave of strikes against Iran.
It said in a statement posted on X:
During the five-hour mission, U.S. forces successfully struck military targets across Iran including Bushehr, Chah Bahar, Jask, Konarak, Abu Musa, and Bandar Abbas to further degrade Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping
Centcom said it targeted “Iranian coastal defense systems, missile and drone sites, and maritime capabilities”.
More than 50,000 US service members were currently deployed across the Middle East, it added.
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Looking more widely at the latest US strikes, Iranian media have reported explosions in the port city of Bandar Abbas, Iran’s Kish and Qeshm islands and on Abu Musa Island in the Gulf.
Residents in the city of Jam in Iran’s Bushehr province also heard several explosions, Iran’s Fars news agency said, but the exact location of the blasts was not clear. No casualties were reported.
Iranian media reports of explosions continued for more than three hours, Reuters is saying.
Iran’s south-western Khuzestan province was hit by US projectiles early on Tuesday, Iran’s official news agency Irna reported, citing a provincial security official, adding that four people were wounded and rescue operations were under way.
A loud explosion was also heard in Iran’s southern city of Bushehr, according to Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency.
Iran’s state TV cited the Iranian army as saying that it targeted a “hostile” US vessel with cruise missiles and US facilities and equipment in Kuwait with drones.
Iranian media also said Iran’s Revolutionary Guards shot down a US MQ-1 drone over Hormuz, while sirens sounded early on Tuesday in Bahrain – home to another US military base.
Bushehr in southern Iran has been hit in a renewed US attack, according to Iran’s Nournews.
Explosions had earlier been heard in the port city of Bushehr, according to Iranian media, after earlier reports of several blasts being heard in Bushehr province.
The province is home to Iran’s only civilian nuclear plant.
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Oil prices jump to highest level in a month
Oil prices have risen 2% to their highest in four weeks as the renewed US-Iran hostilities heighten uncertainty about energy flows through the strait of Hormuz.
Brent crude futures climbed $1.68, or 2%, to $84.98 a barrel by 0051 GMT on Tuesday, while US West Texas Intermediate crude rose $1.65, or 2.1%, to $79.79 a barrel.
Brent crude surged 9.6% in the previous session, its biggest daily gain since May 2020, Reuters reports.
Oil prices are now at their highest since the US and Iran signed their memorandum of understanding on 17 June aimed at ending their war.
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Bahrain’s air defences have intercepted and destroyed Iranian aerial attacks on the country, an adviser to the king has posted on social media.
Sirens sounded earlier in the Gulf nation – continuing their activation a number of times in the past day – and people were urged to seek safe shelter.
Bahrain’s military has accused Tehran of targeting civilians in its latest attacks there, which Iran said targeted US military facilities and infrastructure.
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Explosions have been heard again in southern Iran’s port city of Bushehr, according to the Mehr news agency, which reportedly said earlier that several blasts had been heard in the Jam governate of Bushehr province.
The semi-official Iranian agency was earlier quoted as saying US projectiles had hit several areas in Omidiyeh in Khuzestan province to the north.
The US has been carrying out a third day of strikes that Donald Trump says is targeting Iran’s attack capabilities over the strait of Hormuz as both sides assert they control the vital energy route.
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Alarm sirens have sounded in Bahrain and people should head to the nearest safe location, the interior ministry is saying on social media.
The country earlier accused Iran of targeting civilians with its latest attacks on Bahrain, after Tehran said it had struck US military facilities and infrastructure there.
Donald Trump’s announcement that the US will start charging ships for safe passage through the strait of Hormuz comes after his administration has until now insisted the waterway should remain open to all without tolls – as it was before the US and Israel attacked Iran in late February.
Any attempt by Washington or Tehran to charge fees would violate global norms on freedom of navigation and raise tensions, likely causing further economic disruption far beyond the region
The price of Brent crude oil, the international standard, rose 7.8% to $81.92 a barrel on Monday, although it is still well below the nearly $120 reached at the height of the war.
The US launched its third consecutive night of strikes on Iran hours after Trump announced the tolling plan and said Washington would also reinstate its maritime blockade on Iran.
He said:
We’re going to hit them very hard tonight and we’re going to hit them hard tomorrow – and there’s not a damn thing they can do about it.
There’s more in our latest full report here:
Updated
More now on Donald Trump saying a deal with Iran was still possible despite the latest outbreak of hostilities.
“Yeah, I think a deal is possible. Sure I do,” the president is quoted as telling reporters in the Oval Office.
We had a deal with them two days ago and then they said ‘Oh we can’t make that deal. We have to negotiate it further.’
Trump also said there might be Iranian drones in Cuba.
“If they do have that, and they might very well have that, we’ll take care of it,” the president reportedly said, adding:
We’re not going to have a problem. We’re not going to allow that to happen so it could be that they are storing some. We’re looking into it now.
Updated
UAE says Iran hit two tankers in Hormuz strait with missiles
The United Arab Emirates is saying Iranian cruise missiles have targeted two UAE tankers in the strait of Hormuz and that one crew member has been killed and eight injured.
The defence ministry said the attack in Omani territorial waters caused damage and fires onboard both ships but they had been brought under control.
It said in a statement posted on X:
The Ministry of Defense condemns this brazen attack, which constitutes a serious violation and a clear breach of international law, threatening the security and stability of the region.
The ministry named the ships as the Mombasa and the Bahia and said the attack occurred in the southern passage of the strait. The crew member killed on the Mombasa was Indian, while of the eight injured six were Indian and two Ukrainian, it said. Four of those were seriously injured.
Updated
Donald Trump is reportedly saying he thinks a deal with Iran is still possible.
He also says the US is knocking out Iran’s offensive capability and is carrying out another major attack on Monday evening (it’s now 6.10pm Eastern Time).
The president is also quoted as saying the US wants to be reimbursed for protecting countries it is helping in the strait of Hormuz.
We’ll bring you more on his comments shortly.
As mentioned earlier, Trump today announced the US will start charging fees on ships transiting through the vital energy route, saying there will be 20% fee to cover the costs of providing security for vessels.
Updated
US begins new round of strikes on Iran
US Central Command said that at 4.45pm ET it had begun a third consecutive night of strikes against Iran at Donald Trump’s direction.
“These strikes will continue imposing a heavy cost on Iranian forces and degrade their ability to attack innocent civilians and commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” Centcom said in a post on X.
The day so far
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Donald Trump has said the US plans to carry out further strikes against Iran, with the memorandum of understanding in a shambles after fighting reignited between the two sides last week. “We’re going to hit them very hard tonight, and we’re going to hit them hard tomorrow,” he said in a radio interview. Trump added that the MoU “didn’t mean much” because it had been a test, which Iran had not honoured.
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It came hours after Trump claimed that the strait of Hormuz is open and will “remain” open “with or without Iran”, and said the US will reinstate its blockade of Iranian ports. The US president also announced that the US would start charging fees on ships transiting through the narrow waterway, claiming the US would levy a 20% fee “for any and all costs necessary” to provide security and safety for vessels.
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The US military started preparing to resume blockading ships heading to and exiting Iranian ports from 4pm ET on Tuesday, US Central Command said, after Trump’s announcement. More on that here.
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Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi mocked Trump over his vow to impose hefty charges on all cargo shipped through the strait of Hormuz, saying Iran would charge a lower rate. “POTUS is absolutely right. Whoever provides secure and safe passage of commercial vessels through the strait of Hormuz should be compensated for this service. Iran has always been the GUARDIAN of the Strait and will remain so FOREVER. 20% is of course too much. We will be fair,” Tehran’s top diplomat wrote, in a social media post.
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The International Maritime Organization (IMO) said that passage through the strait of Hormuz “should remain free of any tolls and charges, in accordance with international law”. In a statement, the IMO Council reaffirmed its commitment to protecting vital shipping lanes, defending freedom of navigation, upholding international law and ensuring the safety of seafarers. It also condemned attacks on civilian commercial ships in and around the strait and called for de-escalation of tensions in the region. “The right of transit passage through straits used for international navigation should not be threatened, impeded, denied, hampered, impaired or suspended,” it said.
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Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said its air defences dealt with ballistic missiles launched by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis towards the kingdom’s southern region, as tensions rose after Sanaa airport was attacked. It comes after the Houthis said Saudi Arabia had launched a series of strikes on the airport in the Yemeni capital. The Saudi-backed Yemeni government claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it wanted to prevent an Iranian plane from landing.
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Earlier, the Houthis warned that the attack would end an informal truce between the two sides that has held since 2022. “In a flagrant and brazen act of aggression, the criminal Saudi enemy has targeted Sanaa International Airport with a series of airstrikes, thereby ending the de-escalation phase and bearing the consequences of its aggression,” Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said on X. It marks the biggest flare-up in years between the two sides that threatens to upend a frozen conflict.
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Iran condemned the attack on Sanaa airport. Baghaei described the attack “as a clear violation of international law and the United Nations Charter, as well as an affront to Yemen’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” state news agency IRNA reported.
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Israel tried to recruit Iran’s intensely anti-Zionist former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to lead a new post-Islamic regime in Tehran, and even sent its top spy to Budapest to meet him, according to media reports.
The remarkable quest to turn a leader who had denied the Holocaust and called for Israel’s erasure began in 2022, according to reporting by the New York Times and the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, and continued even after Israel became engaged in a brutal campaign in Gaza against Hamas, a key Iranian ally.
Ahmadinejad – who is now believed to be in the custody of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), according to a New York Times report citing Iranian officials – had begun in previous years to distance himself from the regime, improve his English and redefine his image.
Trump also told Hewitt that the memorandum of understanding the two countries signed was a “test” and that Iran had not honoured it.
It was sort of a test, and they weren’t there. They didn’t honor the test.
He added that it “didn’t mean much”.
Memorandum of understanding when you’re dealing with sleazebags don’t mean much, and they don’t mean much when you’re dealing with honourable people, too, because it’s a memorandum of understanding. It doesn’t mean much.
Per my last post, Trump has said that the United States plans to carry out further strikes against Iran, after fighting between the two countries reignited last week.
In an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, the US president suggested the US is closely tracking Iranian targets but would not discuss operational details.
We’re going to hit them very hard tonight, and we’re going to hit them hard tomorrow.
Asked whether the US or Israeli military knew the whereabouts of Iran’s remaining military leadership and whether they could target them, Trump responded:
Yeah, I do, but we don’t want to talk about that. But we certainly are watching.
Trump says Iran will be hit hard Monday and Tuesday
Donald Trump has said in an interview with Hugh Hewitt that Iran would be hit hard Monday and Tuesday.
I’ll bring you more lines from the interview as I get them.
Haroon Janjua
Fatemeh Aman, an Iran expert and a former non-resident fellow at the Middle East Institute and a former senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, has told the Guardian:
The UK’s decision to designate IRGC as a terrorist organization reflects a broader reassessment of Iran policy rather than a single triggering event. For years, British authorities have expressed concern about alleged IRGC-linked activities beyond Iran’s borders. These concerns include support for regional armed groups, intelligence operations, and what London has described as hostile activities targeting individuals in the UK. The designation signals that the British government increasingly views these activities as posing a direct national security concern rather than solely a foreign policy challenge.
At the same time, the move is likely to further strain an already fragile relationship between London and Tehran. Iran considers the IRGC an official branch of its armed forces, and it has consistently rejected efforts by Western governments to treat it as a terrorist organization. This designation will make diplomatic engagement more difficult, particularly on issues such as Iran’s nuclear program, regional security, detainees, and sanctions. It also raises legal and practical questions about future contacts involving Iranian state institutions in which the IRGC has a role.
Whether the designation changes the IRGC’s behavior is not certain. Organizations like the IRGC are generally driven by strategic and ideological considerations rather than reputational costs. The more immediate impact is likely to be legal and financial, giving British authorities broader powers to investigate, prosecute, and disrupt activities linked to the organization within the UK. In that sense, the decision is best understood as a domestic security measure with significant foreign policy consequences.
Fishermen’s comments
“For us, Hormuz is not a headline or a battlefield. It is where we earn our bread. When warships move and missiles fly, our boats stay tied and our families go hungry,” said Ahmed, a 52-year-old fisherman near the strait of Hormuz.
“The sea has become frightening. Earlier, we used to watch the weather before going out for fishing. Now we watch the news, the ships, and the sky,” said Khalid, another fisherman working near Bandar Abbas.
“If the strait closes, it will not only hurt oil companies. It will hurt small fishermen, port workers, drivers, and families who live from the sea every day,” remarked Ahmed, who has been fishing near Hormuz Island for three decades.
“Our fathers and grandfathers fished these waters long before the world called the Strait of Hormuz a strategic chokepoint. For us, it has always been our workplace, not a battlefield,” says Khalid.
For Khalid, when naval vessels and military aircraft fill the horizon, we stay closer to shore. The fish are farther out, but so is the danger.” “The sea doesn’t care about politics, but fishermen end up paying the price for every confrontation. We don’t follow the movement of oil tankers; we follow the movement of fish. Yet every regional crisis affects our nets, our income, and our families.”
“Some days we return with empty boats because we are afraid to venture into our usual fishing grounds. Fear has become as common as the tide,” he said.
Donald Trump has said he will make a primetime address to the nation on Thursday, in an announcement that comes amid a major flare-up of hostilities with Iran.
“President Trump will be making a Speech to the Nation on Thursday evening, at 9 P.M. Eastern (0100 GMT Friday). Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump said in a post Monday on his Truth Social network.
US military preparing to reimpose blockade, Centcom says
The US military is preparing to restart blockading ships heading to Iranian ports, US Central Command has said, after Trump’s announcement.
Centcom said in a post on X:
At the Commander in Chief’s direction, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces will resume blockading maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports on July 14 at 4 p.m. ET.
CENTCOM forces will enforce the blockade against vessels transiting to or from Iranian ports and coastal areas. The U.S. military continues to support traffic flow through regional waters for all vessels not violating the blockade.
The resumption of the U.S. blockade against Iran follows the initial implementation from April 13 to June 18. CENTCOM forces redirected more than 140 compliant vessels, disabled nine non-compliant ships, and allowed over 50 commercial vessels supporting humanitarian aid to pass through the blockade during the two-month period.
All mariners are advised to monitor Notice to Mariners broadcasts and contact U.S. naval forces on bridge-to-bridge channel 16 when operating in the Gulf of Oman and Strait of Hormuz approaches.
Additional information will be provided to commercial mariners through a formal notice.
Iran foreign minister mocks Trump over tolls for Hormuz strait passage
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday mocked Donald Trump over his vow to impose hefty charges on all cargo shipped through the strait of Hormuz, saying Iran would charge a lower rate.
“POTUS is absolutely right. Whoever provides secure and safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz should be compensated for this service. Iran has always been the GUARDIAN of the Strait and will remain so FOREVER. 20% is of course too much. We will be fair,” Tehran’s top diplomat wrote, in a social media post.
IMO says transit through strait of Hormuz should remain toll-free after Trump claims US will levy fee for passage
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has said that passage through the strait of Hormuz “should remain free of any tolls and charges, in accordance with international law”.
It comes shortly after Donald Trump’s announcement that he would reinstate a US blockade of Iranian ships in the strait and levy a 20% fee “for any and all costs necessary” to provide security and safety for ships transiting through the critical waterway.
“The right of transit passage through straits used for international navigation should not be threatened, impeded, denied, hampered, impaired or suspended,” said IMO Council, the IMO’s executive body. There are 40 member nations including the United States.
“Any measures taken by coastal States to regulate traffic in vital shipping lanes should be done with accordance with IMO regulations under the International Convention on the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS),” it added.
The IMO reaffirmed its commitment to protecting vital shipping lanes, defending freedom of navigation, upholding international law and ensuring the safety of seafarers.
It also condemned attacks on civilian commercial ships in and around the strait and called for de-escalation of tensions in the region.
Updated
Iran condemns attack on Yemen's Sanaa airport
Iran, meanwhile, has condemned the attack on the airport in Yemeni capital Sanaa, after Yemen’s internationally-recognised government said it struck the facility following a dispute over an Iranian plane carrying a Houthi delegation.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei described the attack “as a clear violation of international law and the United Nations Charter, as well as an affront to Yemen’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” state news agency IRNA reported.
Updated
Saudi-led coalition intercepts Houthi missiles as rebels accuse Riyadh of attacks on Sanaa airport
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen has said that its air defences dealt with ballistic missiles launched by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis towards the kingdom’s southern region, as tensions rose after Sanaa airport was attacked.
It comes after the Houthis said Saudi Arabia had launched a series of strikes on the airport in the Yemeni capital. The Saudi-backed Yemeni government claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it wanted to prevent an Iranian plane from landing.
It came after they failed to convince a Houthi delegation that went to Tehran for the late Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei’s funeral to board a flight on domestic carrier Yemenia instead.
“Air defences intercepted a ballistic missile threat launched by the terrorist Houthi militia towards the southern region,” coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said, in a social media post.
Earlier, the Houthis warned that the attack would end an informal truce between the two sides that has held since 2022.
“In a flagrant and brazen act of aggression, the criminal Saudi enemy has targeted Sanaa International Airport with a series of airstrikes, thereby ending the de-escalation phase and bearing the consequences of its aggression,” Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a post on X.
It marks the biggest flare-up in years between the two sides that threatens to upend a frozen conflict.
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The UN’s shipping agency said on Monday that it opposes fees on ships passing through maritime waterways but would await more details after US president Donald Trump said he would reinstate a naval blockade on Iran and charge 20% on all cargo shipped through the strait of Hormuz.
Trump said in a Truth Social post the process would begin immediately, but did not elaborate.
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Israel’s attacks on Lebanon since 2 March have killed at least 4,324 people and wounded 12,221, Lebanon’s health ministry says.
Israel has continued its assault on southern Lebanon despite a the ceasefire.
Updated
Donald Trump has once again threatened to take control of the strait of Hormuz, as he announced the reimposition of a naval blockade on Iran and demanded a 20% tariff for all cargoes shipped through the key maritime passage.
Declaring the strait “open”, Trump suggested in a post on his Truth Social platform that the US should be known henceforth as the “Guardian of the Strait of Hormuz”, as Iran and the US engaged in some of the heaviest drone and missile exchanges since an interim deal was negotiated to bring an end to the conflict.
Trump has made numerous previous claims and threats over the months of the war with Iran, including frequent claims of victory, many of which have had little grounding in reality, and it remained unclear whether he had given orders to the US Navy to force transit passage. It also remains unclear in practical terms how easy it would be for the navy to do so.
Trump’s demand for a 20% tariff comes despite his administration’s previous insistence that no country should be allowed to charge fees for passages used for international navigation.
That stance was reiterated last month by the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, who said: “No country is allowed to charge tolls or fees on an international waterway. That’s existing international law.”
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said earlier on Monday that the June memorandum of understanding that formed the basis for the negotiations and lifted the US blockade was “in crisis”.
The previous blockade, in place from April to June, cut off Iranian oil exports and threatened a damaging shutdown of the industry.
Baqaei said Iran would ignore its obligations under the deal if the US did the same, but nonetheless added that Tehran was continuing talks with mediators from Qatar, Pakistan and Oman in an effort to prevent further escalation.
A small number of vessels crossed the strait of Hormuz on Sunday, despite the heightened security threats as Tehran and Washington battle for control of the strategic waterway.
Just 14 vessels – half of which were commercial ships – crossed on Sunday, according to data from maritime tracker Kpler, suggesting the waterway is not completely closed as Iran had announced.
At least three commodity vessels crossed so far on Monday, according to Kpler.
However, traffic is significantly disrupted by security risks after Iran attacked another ship on Saturday and exchanged strikes with the United States near the waterway.
US forces struck a submarine and ship maintenance facility in Iran on Sunday using one-way attack drones, the Central Command said on Monday.
“Last night’s strikes degraded Iran’s ability to continue attacking commercial shipping,” Central Command said in a post on X.
Trump says US is reinstating blockade on Iranian ports
In a new Truth Social post, the US president, Donald Trump, has claimed that the strait of Hormuz is open and will “remain” open “with or without Iran”, and said the US will reinstate its blockade of Iranian ports.
He said the US would start charging fees on ships transiting through the narrow waterway, claiming the US would levy a 20% fee “for any and all costs necessary” to provide security and safety for vessels.
Trump wrote:
We are reinstating the THE IRANIAN BLOCKADE, so named because it is only stopping Iran’s ships or customers from entering or leaving.
All other countries will have fair and open use of the Strait. The U.S.A. will be, from this point forward, known as “THE GUARDIAN OF THE HORMUZ STRAIT,” but as such, and as a matter of FAIRNESS, will be reimbursed, at the rate of 20% on all cargo shipped, for any and all costs necessary to do the job of providing safety and security to this very volatile section of the World. The process and formation will begin immediately.
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The leader of Yemen’s internationally recognised governing council said he would not expand his confrontation with the Iranian-backed Houthis after his forces hit Sanaa airport, apparently to prevent an Iranian plane from landing.
“I have also ordered that the scope of the confrontation not be expanded in a manner that would achieve Iran’s objective of dragging Yemen and its people into wars,” Rashad al-Alimi said.
The Houthi militant group controls Sanaa, while Yemen’s internationally-recognised government, backed by Saudi Arabia, is based in the southern Yemeni city of Aden.
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Iran won't let US intervene in management of strait of Hormuz, top joint military command says
In a fresh statement, Iran’s top joint military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, warned that Iran will not allow the US to intervene in the management of the strait of Hormuz.
The statement, attributed to a spokesperson, was published through Iranian media and said the Iranian armed forces will “deal severely” with any “disruption” caused to the passage of commercial vessels through the strait of Hormuz by the US “outside of Iran’s designated route and without the permission of the armed forces”.
In a warning to other countries in the region, the spokesperson added that any cooperation with or logistical support for the US “will be considered a war against Iran’s sovereignty and national security”.
“If the war expands in the region, the flames of war will engulf all countries in the region.”
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We can now bring you some more comments from Donald Trump’s phone interview with Fox News on Monday morning.
“We’re taking over the strait. They’ve got nothing,” the US president told Fox & Friends.
Referring to the strait of Hormuz, he continued: “We’re going to guard it. We’re going to get paid for guarding it - a lot of money.”
“We’re going to be reimbursed, because the other nations are very wealthy. They’re on our side, and we can’t be expected to do that for nothing,” Trump said, as he suggested the US would charge countries for safeguarding passage through the dangerous waterway.
During the phone interview, Trump complained about the tactics of Iranian negotiators seeking changes in what he suggested was agreed during hours of talks over the weekend.
“Yesterday, they had an 11-hour meeting ... And everything was agreed to yesterday. And they leave the room, and they call back, and they say we had to make a couple of changes,” he added, without elaborating.
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An Iranian plane carrying a Houthi delegation back from Tehran has landed in Yemen, the rebels said, after Yemen’s government said it struck Sanaa airport to prevent the aircraft from landing.
Houthi broadcaster al-Masirah quoted the group’s transport minister as saying “the Iranian plane has landed on the homeland’s soil, carrying a number of medical patients and stranded citizens, accompanied by the official delegation of the Republic of Yemen”.
It did not specify where the plane landed.
Trump claims the US will control strait of Hormuz and get paid for it
The US president, Donald Trump, said on Monday that the United States would probably take over the strait of Hormuz and should be reimbursed for controlling the vital waterway.
“We’re going to keep the strait, and we’ll probably run it. We’ll become the guardian of the strait.
“Maybe we’ll call it the guardian angel of the strait. And we should be reimbursed for that,” he said in a phone interview on Fox News’ Fox + Friends program.
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Yemen’s internationally-recognised government said it struck Sanaa airport on Monday, as the Houthis blamed the government’s Saudi backer for the attack.
The government said it wanted to prevent an Iranian plane from landing in the Yemeni capital, after they failed to convince the Houthi delegation that went to Tehran for the late supreme leader’s funeral to board a Yemenia flight instead.
“The terrorist Houthi militias – backed by the Iranian regime – prevented Yemeni national aircraft from landing at the airport in the capital, Sanaa, while insisting on allowing an Iranian plane to violate Yemeni territory; consequently, the airport runway was targeted,” the Yemeni defence ministry said.
The Houthi’s al-Masirah TV had previously reported that “Saudi aggression targeted the departure and landing runways at the Sanaa international airport”.
The UK government has announced that it is in effect proscribing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). It is doing so using new powers under the National Security (State Threats) Act 2026.
Ministers have been under pressure for years to proscribe the IRGC, which backs terrorist activity outside Iran.
But the last Conservative government, and Labour when it took power, argued that it would be difficult to use laws intended to target terrorist organisations against a state-run organisation.
You can read more in our UK politics live blog:
UK to list Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as terrorist organisation
The UK will list Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation, ministers have announced, in a major escalation of the diplomatic tensions between London and Tehran.
The Home Office said on Monday it would ban support for the IRGC, a central branch of the Iranian military, after years of political division over the issue. The move is equivalent to proscription, though not legally identical.
Ministers are also set to outlaw the the Islamic Movement of Companions of the Right (IMCR), which has been blamed for a series of attacks on Jewish targets in the UK, and the Russian Federation Volunteer Corps (GRU), an international branch of Russian military intelligence.
The Home Office said in a statement:
Having carefully considered all the evidence, the home secretary has concluded that there is sufficient basis to reasonably believe that each of these bodies is engaged in foreign power threat activity, and that each designation is necessary to protect the safety and interests of the United Kingdom.
The government said it was proscribing the IRGC after a number of threats on UK soil, including a plot to assassinate two Iran International television journalists, as well a cyber-attacks on British targets.
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US 'military aggression' turned strait of Hormuz into 'high-risk zone', Iran embassy in UK says
In a statement published to social media, the Iranian embassy in the UK claims Tehran is complying with the memorandum of understanding with the US, having established “a temporary safe and secure maritime corridor” free of “technical and military barriers”.
“Meanwhile, the US which has done nothing but violate the MoU since day one, is pushing vessels toward a dangerous southern parallel route,” it wrote on X. See the post at 11.18 which explains the southern vs northern routes through the strait of Hormuz.
“That route is not only legally questionable but also unsafe, unreliable, and prone to accidents. Adding to the threat, US military aggression, including attacks on Iran’s port & tower infrastructure, has turned the strait of Hormuz into a tense, high-risk zone for maritime traffic,” the embassy, based in London, wrote.
“Those who enabled this perilous situation must reconsider their stance, if they truly seek safe passage through the strait of Hormuz. Security is a two-way street.”
The US has said its forces were prepared to ensure “freedom of navigation” across the strait, declaring the waterway open to all commercial vessels.
The Joint Maritime Information Center, a US-led military organisation, has recommended vessels take a route through Omani territorial waters in the south of the strait, rather than the Iranian-approved northern route.
Explosions have been heard around Iran’s Bandar Abbas city and Qeshm island, according to Iranian media reports. There have been no immediate reports of any casualties or damage done to residential infrastructure.
Bahrain army accuses Iran of targeting civilians
Bahrain’s military has accused Iran of targeting civilians with its latest attacks on the country, after Tehran said it had struck US military facilities and infrastructure there earlier.
“Iran continues its systematic hostile approach through its heinous attacks with missiles and drones that target civilians in the Kingdom of Bahrain,” the general command of Bahrain’s military said, adding that air defences “intercepted and destroyed a number of Iranian aerial attacks” this morning.
Sirens have sounded a number of times in Bahrain today, with authorities urging citizens to head to safe locations.
Gaza’s health ministry said in its latest update that at least 7 people were killed and 32 others injured in Israeli attacks across the territory over the past day. It said one other person who had been previously wounded in an attack had died after succumbing to his injuries.
The health ministry says 1,108 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since the ‘ceasefire’ between Israel and Hamas came into effect in October 2025.
It says that 73,231 people, many of whom were women and children, have been killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza since October 2023, when Israel launched its assault on the territory following the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage.
Traffic through strait of Hormuz plummets after US-Iran strikes
Traffic through the strait of Hormuz dropped sharply after Iran attacked a Cypriot-flagged container ship on Saturday, triggering an exchange of attacks with the US.
There were only 14 crossings through the waterway on Sunday, according to data from maritime intelligence firm Kpler. This is reportedly the lowest level in at least a month. It is possible that other vessels could have crossed with their transmitters turned off.
Kpler said more vessels have been using so-called “dark routes” whereby ships limit or switch off their visibility so their position isn’t shown.
“Confirmed strait of Hormuz crossings declined by around 52% week on week over 10 to 12 July, with traffic reverting to more defensive routing patterns,” Kpler said.
“Renewed US Iran tensions and IRGC warnings continue to drive heightened caution across commercial shipping.”
The plummeting traffic through the strait suggests vessels are staying put out of fear of more attacks, even as the US insists the waterway is open to commercial traffic.
Before the US and Israel launched their war on Iran on 28 February, an average of more than 130 vessels transited the strait of Hormuz daily.
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Esmail Baghaei also told the media briefing that Iran is trying to agree a joint mechanism with Oman for the management of the strait of Hormuz but claimed that US pressure on Oman has hindered efforts. He did not say how exactly the US is pressuring Oman.
During talks on Saturday aimed at resolving the standoff over the strait, Oman proposed a plan to fully reopen both shipping lanes through the waterway, according to US outlet Axios, citing a diplomat briefed on the negotiations.
The report said that under the proposal the southern route through Omani waters would reopen without the need for prior approval, reverting back to the position in place pre-war.
The Iranian delegation, however, was unable to gain approval for the plan in Oman and took it back to Tehran for internal deliberations, the diplomat told Axios.
The US is demanding that Iran publicly state it will stop attacks on ships in the strait - and that all lanes will be open with no tolls through the waterway.
Iran has laid out a system of lanes through the north of the strait close to the Iranian coast, where Tehran can try to justify charging tolls or fees, and has insisted that all vessels use this route (or face consequences).
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Iran says it won't honour memorandum of understanding as long as US fails to - spokesperson
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, has been speaking at a press conference in Tehran, the Iranian capital.
He suggested that Iran would not abide by the memorandum of understanding signed with the US last month if Washington failed to uphold its commitments to end the war.
“Each time that the other party has failed to meet its obligations, we did not uphold ours... We will continue to act in this manner,” Baghaei said.
“No one can accuse the Islamic Republic of Iran of violating its promises,” he was quoted as having said by Al Jazeera.
“In all cases, our obligations and those of the other party are clear, and it can be proven in a documented manner that the other party has violated various parts of this memorandum of understanding under various pretexts.”
Iran has accused the US of violating the agreement by attacking Iran’s transportation infrastructure and cargo vessels, among other things, and has also accused the US of using territory and facilities in Gulf countries to prepare attacks against it.
Baghaei said Iran’s “defensive strikes” were only targeted at bases and facilities used by the US to attack the country. “We will not hesitate in our self-defence,” he was quoted as having said.
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Oil prices jumped again on Monday as the US and Iran traded their latest attacks, with Brent crude, the global benchmark wholesale oil price, rising 4.2% to $79.18 a barrel in early London trading.
Jefferies analyst Mohit Kumar said:
For now, we remain hopeful that both parties would return to the negotiating table and traffic would start to flow through the strait. We are not looking for oil prices to go back to the March highs.
You can keep up with all the latest market reaction in our business live blog here:
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What are the state of US-Iran talks?
A US-Iranian memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed on 17 June extended a ceasefire in the war by 60 days to allow the restoration of trade through the strait of Hormuz and create breathing space for talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme and sanctions relief, the main points of contention between Iran and the west.
Apart from some indirect technical talks, those negotiations have failed to materialise, and fighting has continued between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, which was supposed to be covered by the agreement.
The MoU started to unravel when Iran attacked three commercial vessels last Monday as they were crossing the strait along a southern route next to the Omani coast that the Iranians said they had not approved. This drew US missile attacks in response, beginning almost a week of tit-for-tat exchanges.
Tehran is determined that any long-term settlement in the region recognises its control over the strait, which it seized soon after the US-Israel attack on Iran in February.
On Sunday, Mohsen Rezaee, a senior adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, was quoted in state media as saying: “This strategic passage is more important than dozens of atomic bombs, and the Islamic Republic of Iran will protect it.”
The deputy governor of Isfahan province said one person has been killed and seven others injured in a US attack on a military base in the Iranian city of Nain, according to a report in Iran’s Mehr news agency which we have not been able to independently verify.
In a series of social media posts this morning, Oman’s interior ministry said sirens were being activated and urged residents to head to the nearest safe place and await further instructions.
As we mentioned in the opening post, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said earlier that it had attacked radar systems in Oman as part of its counter strikes against the US.
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Iran launches attacks on American military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait after fresh US strikes
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said this morning they targeted American military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait, destroyed radar systems in Oman and struck fuel tanks and ammunition depots at Prince Hassan air base in Jordan as part of its retaliatory strikes against the US.
Jordan said a few hours ago that it intercepted and downed four missiles fired from Iranian territory, while Kuwait’s military said it was intercepting “hostile aerial targets” in the country’s airspace.
The strikes marked an escalation in the recent tit-for-tat attacks between the US and Iran as Tehran seeks to assert sovereignty over the strategic strait of Hormuz, which it sees as its biggest leverage in negotiations with Washington.
The Iranian attacks on US-allied countries across the region came in retaliation to overnight US strikes on “dozens” of Iranian sites, including air defence systems, radar sites, missile and drone equipment and small boats.
“The strait of Hormuz is a vital maritime corridor for global trade,” the US military’s Central Command said. “Iran does not control it.”
But Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, which controls the country’s ballistic missile arsenal, rejected the US statement, saying the strait “is our territory” and it would not allow Washington’s “illegal interference in it”.
Iran and the US are nearly midway through the 60-day period of an interim deal that was supposed to set-up talks for a permanent end to the war launched by the US and Israel in late February.
Instead, it has devolved into a series of attacks over the strait, through which one fifth of the world’s oil and gas usually flows, and its future.
The US president, Donald Trump, suggested last week that the interim deal in the war was “over”. But mediators – including Pakistan, Qatar and Egypt – have continued efforts to reach a final agreement.
In other key developments:
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The US said it had struck Iran early on Sunday after the IRGC fired on a Cyprus-registered container ship they claimed was sailing an “unauthorised route” through the strait of Hormuz.
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According to state media, the IRGC then said they had hit a second vessel, accusing it of “violating regulations”.
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A short time later, US Central Command said its forces had carried out a round of strikes against Iran, attacking at least 140 targets.
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Iran launched missiles and drones at its Gulf neighbours yesterday in retaliation to US strikes and announced the closure of the strategic strait of Hormuz until further notice.
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Donald Trump later rejected Iranian claims to have closed off the strait, insisting it was open to commercial traffic even though the US-run Joint Maritime Information Center said traffic was transiting the narrow waterway at “reduced levels”. Trump said US forces were keeping the strait open by force.
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Iranian state media reported on Sunday that a telecommunications company employee had been killed and two others injured in attacks in the southern province of Hormozgan on the Gulf. Iranian media earlier said overnight strikes had killed an Iranian navy lieutenant in the southern port of Jask.
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