Mourners wait for the arrival of the funeral procession of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei outside the Imam Hussein Shrine in Karbala, Iraq, Wednesday, July 8, 2026.
The United States launched new airstrikes against Iran early Thursday, and Tehran responded by hitting Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar in crossfire that again threatened an interim deal intended to help end the war. The strikes came hours after U.S. President Donald Trump said recent Iranian attacks on ships signaled the end of the ceasefire. The U.S. struck a variety of military sites and port facilities Wednesday following Iran’s targeting of several merchant vessels. Thursday’s attacks appeared bigger all around, though there has been no word on damage in the three Gulf Arab countries. Sirens sounded in Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet headquarters, and Kuwait’s military said it was intercepting drones and missiles.