US and Iran trade most intense strikes since ceasefire was extended

Mourners arrive in Mashhad, north-east Iran, on 9 July for the funeral of Ali Khamenei and members of his family. Photograph: Wakil Kohsar/AFP/Getty View image in fullscreen Mourners arrive in Mashhad, north-east Iran, on 9 July for the funeral of Ali Khamenei and members of his family. Photograph: Wakil Kohsar/AFP/Getty US and Iran trade most intense strikes since ceasefire was extended At least 14 people are killed in Iran in overnight attacks after Trump declared the agreement was ‘over’ Middle East crisis live – latest updates The US launched airstrikes against Iran overnight on Thursday, killing at least 14 people, while Tehran responded by hitting Gulf countries in the most intense exchange of fire since a shaky ceasefire was extended last month. The tit-for-tat strikes on Thursday were the largest since Tehran and Washington signed a memorandum of understanding on 17 June aimed at extending the ceasefire and giving space for negotiations for a permanent truce. Sirens sounded at least three times in Bahrain, where the US navy’s fifth fleet is headquartered, while Iranian missiles also targeted Kuwait and Qatar. There were no immediate reports of any damage. The attacks came hours after Donald Trump said the memorandum of understanding was “over” because of Iranian attacks on ships in the strait of Hormuz. After the strikes, the US president posted videos of explosions in Iran and threatened the country once again. “This is in retribution for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. Hours before, he had promised that strikes would not lead to long term fighting but would be “very-fast”. His comments and the exchange of fire prompted worries that the ceasefire could break down and raised concerns about the long-term prospects of negotiations. Significant gaps remain between the two countries over issues such as Iran’s control over the strait of Hormuz, as well as inspections of nuclear facilities. Back-and-forth attacks have happened since the MOU was signed, but Thursday’s strikes were the most intense in weeks. The US military said it hit about 90 targets in Iran, showing footage of strikes on missile launchers and a runway. It said the strikes were meant to degrade Iran’s capacity to “threaten freedom of navigation” in the strait of Hormuz, a critical choke point for about 20% of the world’s oil and gas. Iran accused the US of war crimes after it said two bridges in the eastern provinces leading to the city of Mashhad were targeted, the city where the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was slated to be buried on Thursday. The bridges constitute key infrastructure for Iran’s cross-border trade with China, which has dramatically increased since the US war with Iran started. Trump is bombing Iran again and blundering again. He has no grasp of his enemy | Sina Toossi Read more Trump has repeatedly threatened to hit bridges, power plants and other civilian infrastructure in Iran.