The United States completed a sixth consecutive night of strikes on Iran on Friday, Australian time, hitting what Central Command called dozens of military targets, while Iranian retaliation reached US bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan and Iraq and wounded a child in Qatar.
The latest wave began about 4am AEST Friday, announced by CENTCOM as an operation "to further degrade Iranian military capabilities". Its completion statement, released around midday eastern Australian time, said fighter jets, drones and warships had launched precision munitions at "dozens of Iranian military targets such as coastal surveillance and air defense sites, military logistics infrastructure, and maritime capabilities". Iranian media placed strikes at Qeshm Island, Bandar Abbas, Chabahar and Bushehr, and reported bridges hit at Bandar-e Khamir.
The preceding wave had reached further north than any so far. Strikes were reported at Khondab in Markazi province, the site of a heavy-water facility, at Semnan airport and at Khorramabad, and air defences were activated over Tehran for the first time in this round of fighting, according to Middle East Eye and Al Jazeera reporting.
Iran's response spread across the Gulf. Kuwait said it intercepted four cruise missiles and 21 drones aimed at Ali Al Salem Air Base, with debris damaging residential areas but causing no casualties. Bahrain reported drones over Sheikh Isa Air Base, and five drones targeted Erbil in northern Iraq. Jordan said it intercepted missiles bound for al-Azraq Air Base; its armed forces put the count at three, while Al Jazeera reported eight. In Qatar, a child was wounded by falling shrapnel from an intercepted strike, the only confirmed casualty outside Iran in the past day.
“A significant portion of the armed forces' capabilities have not yet been demonstrated," Iranian army spokesman Brigadier General Mohammad Akraminia said, warning attacks "will spread to new areas" if the strikes continue. Iran's health ministry says at least 35 people have been killed and more than 300 wounded since fighting resumed, figures attributed to spokesperson Hossein Kermanpour on Thursday that have not been independently verified. The Fars news agency reported seven deaths in the Bandar-e Khamir bridge strike.”
The two governments cannot agree on whether they are talking. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said "Iran very much continues to talk to the United States" and wants a deal. Iran's foreign ministry said this week it has no plans for negotiations. Donald Trump, whose deadline for striking Iranian power plants stands at next week, split the difference: "They do want to settle. We'll find out whether or not we settle with them."
At sea, the American blockade tightened. US forces have redirected three commercial vessels, disabled the tanker Belma with Hellfire missiles after it ignored warnings, and boarded another tanker in the Gulf of Oman. Iranian state television insists the Strait of Hormuz "remains closed to all vessels"; Washington says the lanes are open to everyone except blockade runners. Europe's aviation regulator has warned airlines off Persian Gulf airspace until July 29.
Oil resumed climbing after Thursday's pause. Brent crude rose 0.9 per cent to US$85.01 a barrel in Friday's Asian trade, according to CNBC, up more than 11 per cent for the week, its strongest run since late April. Canberra had issued no new statement on the conflict by Friday evening, and the halved fuel excise cut of 16 cents a litre still expires on August 2. No talks are scheduled, and the week Trump has set aside for power plants begins on Monday.
