Key facts
- Iran closed two border crossings with Iraq's Kurdistan region amid ongoing US strikes.
- US forces targeted Iranian military coastal surveillance and air defence facilities, maritime capabilities, and missile and drone storage sites.
- Iran launched retaliatory drone attacks against two US military facilities in Kuwait.
- Recent escalations in Iranian Kurdistan have resulted in at least 21 deaths.
- Iranian officials reported that US strikes damaged civilian infrastructure, including bridges and roads.
Iran has closed the Marivan and Hawraman border crossings with Iraq's Kurdistan province, with border guards urging residents to stay away from frontier areas. The closures follow an eighth consecutive night of US strikes on Iran. The latest round of US attacks appeared less intense than previous nights, targeting Iranian military coastal surveillance and air defence facilities, maritime capabilities, and missile and drone storage sites. US Central Command stated these forces were responsible for attacks that killed two American service members in Jordan on July 17. Iranian media reported explosions on Qeshm Island, Bandar Abbas, Hajiabad, Sirik and Shadegan. Major-General Ali Abdullahi warned that any aggression would be met with a decisive response. Meanwhile, Iran launched retaliatory attacks against Gulf states hosting US forces, including a large-scale drone attack against two US military facilities in Kuwait. Kuwait's military confirmed its air defences were intercepting hostile attacks. Bahrain also sounded air raid sirens. The IRGC claimed to have intercepted a US MQ-9 drone over Ahvaz. Iranian officials stated that US strikes continued to damage civilian infrastructure, including bridges, roads, railways, tunnels, and airports, impacting the movement of civilians and supplies. The US was reportedly attempting to isolate southern provinces and weaken the IRGC's control over the Strait of Hormuz. The conflict has also raised concerns over water security, with Kuwait accusing Iran of attacking a power generation and desalination plant, and Iranian officials stating a desalination facility was destroyed in Hormozgan province, cutting off water to about 10,000 people. Recent escalations in Iranian Kurdistan have resulted in at least 21 deaths, marking the deadliest confrontation between Tehran and Kurdish armed parties in over a decade, with Iran launching heavy attacks on bases belonging to the Kurdistan Freedom Party in Erbil and Sulaymaniyah.