US Strikes in Five Iranian Provinces Kill 14, Wound 78

Istanbul (ANTARA) - United States attacks on five provinces in Iran over the past two days have killed at least 14 people and wounded 78 others, the Iranian Health Ministry reported on Thursday. “The United States targeted five provinces in Iran on 8 and 9 July,” wrote Hossein Kermanpour, head of the ministry’s Public Relations and Information Centre, in a post on social media platform X. He stated that the attacks have so far resulted in 14 deaths and 78 injuries. According to the ministry, 47 of the wounded are still receiving hospital treatment, whilst the remaining casualties have been discharged after medical care. Three of the fatalities resulted from an attack near the city of Ahvaz in southwestern Iran, according to the state news agency IRNA, quoting Valiollah Hayati, Deputy Governor of Khuzestan Province for Security Affairs. The latest casualty figures were announced as the conflict between the United States and Iran reignited following the collapse of a fragile ceasefire reached last month. 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 successive waves of strikes against Iranian military targets along the country’s southern coast. The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) stated the operation targeted more than 170 military sites over two days, including air defence systems, coastal surveillance assets, missile and drone infrastructure, naval infrastructure, and facilities belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). According to CENTCOM, the strikes aimed to prevent further attacks on international shipping. Iran retaliated by launching drone and missile attacks targeting US military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait. Previously, Iran and the United States had reached a memorandum of understanding mediated by Pakistan on 17 June to end the military conflict and pave the way for a more permanent 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.