Donald Trump says latest strikes are ‘retribution’ for Iran bombing ships<\/p>\n
Alongside a picture purporting to be an explosion in Chabahar, Donald Trump<\/a> wrote on Truth Social this evening: This is in retribution for yesterday\u2019s bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a017.53 EDT<\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n Trump says security concerns involving Iran<\/a> weren\u2019t a factor in flying two planes home from the Nato meeting in Turkey.<\/p>\n Asked if he was aware of any credible threats by Iran against Air Force One, the president brushed off the question.<\/p>\n double quotation markI have a threat all the time. I\u2019m number one of their list,\u201d he said, repeating earlier comments that he\u2019s one of Iran\u2019s top assassination targets.<\/p>\n He said the newer plane was sent ahead to a military base in the United Kingdom so service members there could see it. Reporters travelling with Trump told him they were asked to keep their window blinds closed during the flight from Turkey to the UK aboard the older Air Force One.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Iran state news agency Irna has reported that a firefighter has been killed after an attack on Iranshahr Airport in South-eastern Iran<\/a>.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Iran to bury Khamenei in hometown as US ramps up strikes<\/p>\n Iranians were preparing on Thursday to bury their slain leader Ali Khamenei in his hometown of Mashhad in northeast Iran, as new US strikes threatened to trigger a fresh escalation in the Middle East war.<\/p>\n The late supreme leader\u2019s burial follows a multi-day funeral ceremony that attracted millions of mourners across various cities in both Iran and Iraq.<\/p>\n Here are some images of those scenes across Iran in recent days.<\/p>\n Mourners gather outside the Imam Hussein Shrine to attend the procession of the funeral of Iran\u2019s slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on 08 July 2026 in Karbala, Iraq. c Photograph: Elke Scholiers\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Khamenei was killed on 28 February, the first day of the US-Israeli strikes that started the war.<\/p>\n Mourners carry the coffin of Iran\u2019s slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei during a funeral procession at the Imam Ali shrine in Iraq\u2019s holy city of Najaf on 8 July 2026. Photograph: AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n After a marathon procession through the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala in neighbouring Iraq on Wednesday, he was to reach his final place of rest in the holy city of Mashhad.<\/p>\n Mourners gather outside the Imam Ali Shrine to attend the funeral procession of Iran\u2019s slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on 08 July 2026 in Najaf, Iraq. Photograph: ATPImages\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Mashhad governor Hassan Hosseini was quoted on state television as saying he \u201cexpects 15 million people\u201d to attend Khamenei\u2019s funeral.<\/p>\n A mourner reacts during a memorial ceremony for the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, 08 July 2026. Photograph: Wael Hamzeh\/EPA<\/p>\n According to the official IRNA news agency, Khamenei is to be buried Thursday evening in the Shrine of Imam Reza \u2013 Iran\u2019s most revered place of worship. Imam Reza is the only one of the 12 Shia imams buried in Iran.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Amid fear the war in Iran<\/a> could be reignited, on Wednesday UN chief Antonio Guterres called \u201con all parties to exercise maximum restraint\u201d \u2013 as did Pakistan, a key mediator in the US-Iran talks.<\/p>\n Iran said foreign minister Abbas Araghchi and Qatar\u2019s prime minister had spoken over the phone on Wednesday and \u201cunderscored the importance of using diplomatic means to resolve regional issues\u201d.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n US strikes today targeted a maritime traffic control tower and a depot in Iran\u2019s South-eastern port of Chabahar, a local official told Fars news agency.<\/p>\n Separately, Iran\u2019s Mehr news agency said that explosions were also heard in Iran\u2019s South-eastern city of Iranshahr.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Mohsen Rezaei, a military advisor to Iran\u2019s supreme leader, wrote on X \u201cthe aggressor enemy and its accomplices will be severely punished\u201d.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>US senator Bernie Sanders condemns strikes<\/p>\n The US senator Bernie Sanders said \u201crestarting his reckless war with Iran<\/a> won\u2019t make America stronger. It will cost more lives and waste more taxpayer dollars\u201d.<\/p>\n In a post on X, he added that \u201cafter getting the United States into a war based on lies, Trump has now declared the ceasefire with Iran \u2018over\u2019 after less than a month\u201d.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a017.53 EDT<\/p>\n Donald Trump says latest strikes are ‘retribution’ for Iran bombing ships<\/p>\n Alongside a picture purporting to be an explosion in Chabahar, Donald Trump<\/a> wrote on Truth Social this evening: This is in retribution for yesterday\u2019s bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a017.53 EDT<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s ISNA news agency reported two out of three power lines that were cut off by US air strikes on Chabahar have now been restored. And the third power line will soon be operational again.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Iran\u2019s Mehr news agency reported the U.S air strikes targeted two marine piers and a maritime traffic control tower in the Iranian port city of Chabahar, adding the separate attacks on Bushehr province in southern Iran<\/a> did not cause damage to the Bushehr nuclear power plant.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Haroon Janjua<\/p>\n Fatemeh Aman, an Iran<\/a> expert and a former non-resident fellow at the Middle East Institute and a former senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, told The Guardian: \u201cThe latest attacks raise the risk of renewed escalation, but whether they develop into a broader conflict will depend on the responses of all parties.<\/p>\n \u201cNo major actor seems to benefit from an open-ended regional war. However, repeated military exchanges increase the risk of miscalculation and unintended escalation. At the same time, channels for de-escalation remain open, making the situation highly fluid.<\/p>\n \u201cThe economic impact is already visible. Even limited attacks can push up oil prices, increase shipping and insurance costs, and undermine investor confidence, particularly if tensions affect the Strait of Hormuz. If the conflict remains contained, the economic damage may be temporary.<\/p>\n \u201cHowever, a sustained cycle of attacks or disruption to maritime traffic would have much broader consequences for regional stability and the global economy.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n State media also reported explosions were heard in Bushehr, home to Iran\u2019s nuclear power plant complex.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>US strikes Iran after Trump threats – what we know so far<\/p>\n