US and Iran exchange strikes as Iran mourns Khamenei

The United States military said its latest operation struck 90 Iranian targets, including air-defence systems and logistics infrastructure along Iran’s coast, in an effort to reduce the ability of Iran to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s health ministry reported 14 people killed and 78 injured in attacks across five provinces.

In response, Iranian state media said missiles and drones were launched at U.S. assets in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan and Iraq. Explosions were also reported in Bahrain’s capital Manama, and Kuwait said it intercepted missiles and drones.

The strikes coincided with the burial of Iran’s late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Mashhad after six days of funeral events. State broadcaster IRIB said the coffin was placed in the memorial hall of the Imam Reza shrine.

Iran’s foreign ministry condemned the U.S. attacks as a “grave war crime” and accused the U.S. administration of aggression. Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned that any further U.S. strikes would be met with retaliation and that the Strait of Hormuz would only be opened under Iranian terms.

Shipping traffic through the Strait has fallen sharply. Phil Belcher, marine director at Intertanko, said daily vessel movements dropped to about 30 ships, far below the pre-conflict average of 130.

U.S. Central Command said the operation was intended to further degrade Iran’s capacity to attack civilian mariners. A U.S. defense official later told the BBC that no strikes had been carried out in Iran in the immediate hours following the reported attacks.

The situation follows a memorandum of understanding signed on June 17 that called for a 60-day cease-fire and negotiations on shipping safety and sanctions relief. The agreement remains in effect, although U.S. officials have expressed doubts about its continuation.