United States Strikes Hit Bushehr as Iran Says 14 Killed in Past Two Days

The United States and Iran traded strikes again as exchanges continued into Thursday, with the US saying it hit 90 military targets and Iran saying 14 people have been killed in the past two days.

“Explosions reported in Iran's Bandar Abbas as 3 IRGC members killed in US strikes -- report [](https://subscribe”

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BBC reported that state media said targets near the Bushehr nuclear power plant were hit, citing the deputy governor of the province, while Iran also said it targeted US assets in Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar in response.

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The flare-up followed the worst exchange of strikes between the US and Iran since a memorandum of understanding was signed on 17 June, and Centcom said the latest strikes aimed to "further degrade Iran's ability to attack commercial shipping and innocent civilian mariners".

Phil Belcher of Intertanko told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the number of ships travelling through the Strait via the southern route was now in "single figures" after the step up in hostilities.

The BBC also said Iran's foreign ministry denounced the latest US strikes as a "grave war crime" and described the US administration as "evil and psychopathic".

Iran said it targeted US assets in Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar in response, and later on Thursday Tehran launched more strikes on sites in Kuwait, Jordan and Iraq, state-linked media reported.

In Bahrain and Kuwait, Gulf nations reported Iranian attacks after the US strikes, with explosions in Bahrain's capital Manama and Kuwait intercepting missiles and drones, while Qatar issued a security alert.

Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera reported that the US Central Command said its strikes began on Tuesday and were conducted "in response to Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels that were transiting the Strait of Hormuz".

Al Jazeera also said the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps later said it targeted 85 US military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait in response, while the Iranian army said a drone attack targeted US forces at the Sheikh Isa airbase in Bahrain.

DW reported that Pakistan called for restraint, quoting the Pakistani Foreign Office statement that "Pakistan urges all sides to uphold their respective commitments under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)".

The BBC said Centcom stated the latest strikes follow "successful execution of offensive strikes in Iran the night before," and it reported that observers saw a "dramatic" drop in the number of ships travelling through the Strait of Hormuz.

“Explosions heard along Iran's southern coast near Bandar Abbas Blasts reported in coastal areas near strategic port city as local media says explosions may be linked to exchanges of fire in Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz; no official statement issued Lina Altawell 09 July 2026•Update: 09 July 2026 ISTANBUL Explosions were heard Thursday in coastal areas near Iran’s southern city of Bandar Abbas, with the blasts audible in parts of the city, Iranian Mehr News Agency reported”

Anadolu Ajansı

In parallel, the BBC reported that Iran's health ministry said 14 people had been killed and 78 people injured across five provinces, while state media reported power cuts in Chabahar and a fire at an IRGC barracks in Bushehr.

The stakes for maritime movement were underscored by the BBC's account that Phil Belcher said the overall daily figure of about 30 ships was down from about 70 a week ago and well below the normal number of 130 ships seen before the Iran war began earlier this year.

DW said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for de-escalation and a resumption of talks, quoting his spokesperson that the secretary-general calls on all parties to "exercise maximum restraint, avoid any further escalatory action, and take immediate steps to de-escalate".

The BBC also quoted Iran's parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on X, writing that America "still hasn't learned that bullying and breaking promises are no longer cost-free" and that the Strait of Hormuz will only open under Iranian arrangements.