THE NEW YORK TIMES: American officials said they were trying to safeguard maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran said it had responded by firing at U.S. bases in Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait.
The U.S. military says it sharply increased its attacks on Iran this week, as both countries extended a cycle of hostilities that has all but shattered a truce intended to pave the way to a long-term peace deal.
American military officials say they hit about 170 targets in Iran during strikes on Tuesday and Wednesday, 15 times the number struck during a previous round of attacks in late June. U.S. Central Command said the strikes had hit air defense systems, drone and missile storage sites and logistics infrastructure along the Iranian coast.
The goal, military officials said, is to degrade Iran’s ability to threaten ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s Health Ministry said that U.S. attacks over the past two days had killed at least 14 people and injured 78 others across five provinces. Iran said it had responded by firing at U.S. military bases in Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait. Jordan said it had also intercepted Iranian attacks.
The attacks have left the region deeply unsettled and seemingly caught in an ongoing cycle of sporadic war. They have raised the prospect of a return to the full-scale war that began in late February, when the United States and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran. » | Max Bearak, Yeganeh Torbati, Eric Schmitt and Michael Levenson | Thursday, July 9, 2026
