Iran Targets U.S. Military Sites as Fragile Ceasefire Collapses

Iranian armed forces struck U.S. Patriot systems in Kuwait, a fuel depot in Bahrain, and an early-warning site in Qatar, escalating a conflict that began with the February 28 death of Khamenei. The Revolutionary Guards claimed responsibility for firing 10 ballistic missiles at the Azraq base in Jordan. Kuwaiti officials reported one injury from shrapnel after intercepting a cruise missile and multiple drones, while sirens sounded across Jordan as eight projectiles were neutralized.

Simultaneously, explosions rocked southern Iran, hitting Bushehr—home to a Russian-built nuclear plant—along with Konarak and Bandar Abbas. Tehran reported 14 deaths and 78 injuries following U.S. strikes on July 8 and 9. U.S. Central Command confirmed attacking approximately 90 targets, including coastal surveillance and missile storage sites, in direct response to tanker attacks in the Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump, speaking from a NATO summit in Turkey, declared the truce over, though he maintained that the current flare-up would not devolve into a sustained, full-scale war. Meanwhile, Iranian negotiators insist the Strait will only reopen under terms set by Tehran, further tightening control over a waterway that previously carried a fifth of global oil supplies.