Iran: Two Days of US Strikes Kill 14, Wound 78

Iran’s Ministry of Health has stated that American strikes across five of the country’s provinces over the past two days have killed at least 14 people and wounded 78 others. Hossein Kermanpour, head of the ministry’s Public Relations and Information Centre, said the United States launched attacks on five Iranian provinces on Wednesday and Thursday. “The United States targeted five provinces in Iran with strikes on 8 and 9 July,” Kermanpour wrote on X. According to him, the attacks have so far resulted in 14 deaths and 78 injuries. The health ministry noted that 47 of the wounded are still receiving hospital treatment, whilst the remaining victims have been discharged after medical care. Iran’s official news agency, IRNA, quoted Valiollah Hayati, Deputy Governor of Khuzestan Province for Security, reporting that three people were killed in a strike near the city of Ahvaz in southwestern Iran. The latest casualty figures emerged amid renewed escalation of tensions between the United States and Iran after a fragile ceasefire agreed last month was declared over. The escalation began after the United States accused Iran of attacking three commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The accusation prompted Washington to launch a wave of strikes against Iranian military targets along the country’s southern coast. The US Central Command stated the operation targeted more than 170 military locations over two days, including air defence systems, coastal surveillance assets, missile and drone infrastructure, naval capabilities, and facilities belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. According to CENTCOM, the strikes aimed to prevent further attacks on international shipping. In retaliation, Iran launched missile and drone strikes said to have targeted US military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait. Iran and the United States had previously reached a memorandum of understanding mediated by Pakistan on 17 June to end the military conflict and pave the way for a long-term peace agreement. However, on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump declared the memorandum of understanding had “expired”, effectively ending the deal and triggering a new round of military confrontation.