• Iran’s threat:The Iranian military warned the Strait of Hormuz was an “unbreakable red line,” after exchanges of fire with the US escalated. The military added it would destroy “all infrastructure throughout the region” if President Donald Trump acted on this threat to attack Iranian infrastructure
• Fifth day of strikes:The US military launched more waves of attacks on Iran on Wednesday, largely focused on the south but also penetrating deep into Iran. Trump is also weighing options to expand the US military operation
• Blockade underway:The US military struck an empty oil tankerbound for Kharg Island, an economic lifeline for Tehran, marking the first vessel disabled since the naval blockade of Iranian ports went back into effect. As traffic in the waterway decreases, the oil market is facing the same squeeze that has taken millions of barrels offline per day since March
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Security personnel stand guard at a checkpoint near the Serena Hotel ahead of anticipated US-Iran peace talks in Islamabad, Pakistan, on April 21.
Pakistan has signaled its commitment to bringing the US and Iran back to the negotiating table amid the latest escalation
The country’s foreign ministry said in a statement today that it is “actively engaged with key interlocutors across the region in support of efforts aimed at de-escalation, dialogue, and a peaceful resolution of the situation.”
A principal mediator in the war, Pakistan also reiterated a call “on all parties to exercise maximum restraint and refrain from any actions that could further undermine regional peace and stability,” saying that it “firmly believes that there is no alternative to sustained engagement, dialogue, and diplomacy.”
Pakistan “will continue to encourage all sides to end the violence” and for talks to resume, the foreign ministry statement said
It also noted that countries in the Global South are bearing the brunt of the war. Unlike wealthy nations with the reserves and infrastructure to buffer the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, import-dependent economies are more vulnerable to immediate, cascading supply chain shocks
Smoke rises in Chabahar, Iran, in this screengrab taken from a social media video released on Wednesday.
More than 300 people have been injured and 35 others killed in recent US strikes against Iran, the country’s Health Ministry said Wednesday
Among the dead are two women and a teenager the Health Ministry’s spokesperson
Kermanpour said the injuries were sustained during the Iranian month of Tir, which is from June 22 to July 22
CNN cannot independently verify the figure
The Minab school damaged by a strike on February 28, in Minab, Iran, on May 21, 2026.
The investigation into a US strike that hit a school in Iran has sat for months with a military command while leaders have held off on ordering a critical, standard intelligence review to help determine what happened, according to three
Within a week of the strike, the first two stages of a “battle damage assessment” focused on answering basic questions including whether the strike hit and damaged the intended target had been completed,indicating that the US was responsible for striking the Shajareh Tayyiba school in Minab, the
But a third standard review stage, a step where analysts – typically from the Defense Intelligence Agency – review the entire body of relevant satellite imagery and other intelligencelace and how a strike impacted the broader mission, was not ordered, the
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If President Donald Trump carries out his threat to hit Iranian infrastructure, then Iran will destroy “all infrastructure throughout the region,” an Iranian military spokesperson said Thursday
Trump has warned that the US would strike bridges and power plants in Iran next week unless Tehran returns to the negotiating table
If these threats are carried out, Iran’s response will “not be merely proportionate, it will be superior,” said Ebrahim Zolfaghari, the spokesperson for the Iranian military’s central command, in a statement reported by state broadcaster IRIB
The region’s infrastructure “will be crushed” in “such a way that no trace of it will remain,” he added
Iran will “under no circumstances” permit the US to “interfere” with the Strait of Hormuz, he added. “This is Iran’s unbreakable red line.”
Satellite imagery shows damage to a warehouse in an industrial park in Kuwait after Iran claimed it struck
A satellite image from the European Space Agency show a warehouse damaged in an Iranian drone strike on Wednesday
Visible damage and burn marks can be seen at the building
On Wednesday, CNN reported video appearing to show an Iranian drone striking an already-burning warehouse in an industrial area near Mina Abdullah in Kuwait
Iran’s revolutionary guards claimed to have struck a US Army logistics and support center located in Mina Abdullah. It’s not clear if there is any US link to the warehouse in the images and video. CNN requested comment from US Central Command on the Iranian claim
Video geolocated by CNN appears to show an Iranian Shahed drone striking an already-burning warehouse in an industrial area of Kuwait on Wednesday morning.
Patients evacuated from a hospital in Ahvaz, Iran Wednesday evening
Video released by Iranian state media shows patients being evacuated from Shahid Baghaei Hospital in Iran’s southwestern city of Ahvaz on Wednesday
Families and patients at the facility, which specializes in the care and treatment of children with cancer, were temporarily evacuated after a projectile from a US strike landed nearby, state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) reported
One hospital staff member told IRIB that many of those evacuated were critically ill
“One person was holding his child, another was in a wheelchair, another was being carried by others,” the staff member said
The hospital’s director said 211 patients had to be relocated, according to state news agency IRNA. Valiollah Hayati, deputy governor for security and law enforcement of Khuzestan Province, where Ahvaz is located, reported that a strike caused damage to nearby homes and shattered the windows of some housing units
Nikki Nikbakht is one of many Iranian’s abroad fearing for the safety of their loved ones as the Islamic Republic intensifies repression and increases the speed of executions since the war with the US
Her brothers, Hadi and Fazlollah, are just two of many political prisoners whom the Islamic Republic of Iran gave the death sentence. They are accused of encouraging dissent against the regime and were convicted of broad charges of corruption, CNN’s Isobel Yeung reports
At least 47 political prisoners have been killed since the conflict broke out, according to the Norway-based Iran Human Rights NGO. The group believes the Iranian regime has ramped up executions under the cover of war
CNN’s Isobel Yeung has more here:
Iranian woman’s brothers face execution
4:05• Source:
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Iranian woman’s brothers face execution
4:05
US military says it disabled an oil tanker headed to Iran
Nearly two days since its naval blockade of Iranian ports went back into effect, the US has ramped up enforcement in the Strait of Hormuz. Here’s the latest news on the embattled waterway:
- Disabled tanker:The US said Wednesday it had disabled an empty oil tanker sailing toward Iran’s Kharg Island by firing hellfire missiles into the ship’s smokestack. The Curacao-flagged ship had “ignored multiple warnings,” US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on X.
- Redirected ships:The US military also said it had redirected two “compliant” commercial vessels in the first 24 hours of the blockade. During the first US blockade from mid-April to mid-June, CENTCOM claimed to have redirected 142 ships and disabled nine.
- US strikes Tunb:The US military conducted a 90-minute wave of strikes on Greater Tunb Island Wednesday morning, targeting coastal defense systems and cruise missile storage and launch sites with precision munitions, according to CENTCOM. Great Tunb is one of the small islands near the western entrance to the strait which helps formIran’s “arch defense.”The US said the strikes were intended to degrade Iran’s ability to attack ships in the strait.
- Subdued traffic:At least 13 commercial ships passed through the strait in the first 24 hours of the blockade, according to MarineTraffic data. The numbers are consistent with the depressed transit levels recorded over recent days since negotiations fell apart.
CNN’s Aleena Fayaz, Kit Maher and Avery Schmitz
Iran says it targeted US military assets in Jordan
Jordan’s military said its air defenses intercepted and downed eight Iranian missiles early Thursday local time that were headed toward the country, state media reported
Debris from the interceptions fell in several locations but no injuries or damage were reported, the Jordanian Armed Forces said, according to the state news agency Petra
The Iranian Army claimed to have targeted US military assets in Jordan, including launching drone strikes on communications systems and fuel storage at the Al-Azraq air base, Iran’s Islamic Republic News Agency and Press TV reported
US Central Command has not commented on the Iranian reports, and CNN cannot independently verify the claims
Other regional attacks:Overnight, Bahrain’s interior ministry said sirens were sounding and warned residents to take shelter
Iran says it targeted US military targets in Bahrain and Kuwait with drones
And Kuwait’s air defenses were “confronting attacks by hostile drones,” according to the General Staff of the Army. Iran claimed to have targeted US infrastructure at military bases in Kuwait, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency
Video released by CENTCOM shows the latest wave of strikes against Iran
The US military carried out a fifth day of attacks on Iran that it said were aimed at degrading its ability to target vessels in the Strait of Hormuz
President Donald Trump is also weighing options to expand the US military operation
If you’re just dropping in, here are the latest headlines:
- Fresh strikes:Explosions were heard in several areasacross Iran, including Bandar Abbas and the southern cities of Ahvaz and Chabahar, late Wednesday, state media reported. Air defenses were also activatedin parts of Tehran early Thursday local time, according to state media, and a resident told CNN they were awoken by a loud explosion. Iranian media reported locations in the center and north of the country have also been struck in recent hours. More than 260 people have been wounded in recent US strikes, the country’s Health Ministry said.
- Strait of Hormuz:A second wave of US strikes late Wednesday targeted Iranian command centers, air defense sites, missile and drone capabilities, and coastal surveillance facilities, the military said. In an earlier wave, US forces attacked Greater Tunb, a strategic island in the Persian Gulf that forms part of Iran’s “arch defense.”
- Trump mulling expanded operation:Officials have told CNN those strikes could lay the groundwork for a larger military operation. According to two officials, the US president is now weighing an operation to take Kharg Island, the critical Iranian export hub, and to bomb underground complexes at Pickaxe Mountain, believed to be connected to Iran’s nuclear program.
- Diplomacy deadlock:Iran will continue to respond “firmly” to US strikes and has no plans for negotiations, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson said. At the same time, Iran’s chief negotiator said Tehran must continue to defend itself while also remaining open to diplomatic talks. US Vice President JD Vance, meanwhile, offered a defense of attempting diplomacy with Iran, saying the war will not be won through military force alone.
- Blockade continues:The US military said it disabled an empty oil tankersailing toward Kharg Island. It marks the first vessel disabled since the US naval blockade went back into effect. The US military also said it has redirected two commercial vessels since its naval blockade began. And shipping through the waterway remains subdued, with 13 commercial ships passing through over the last 24 hours.
- American freed:Trump said that Iran has released an American woman who he said had been wrongfully detained in the country since December 2024. The woman was identified by her attorney as Dena Karari.
CNN’s Zachary Cohen, Kit Maher, Lex Harvey, Kevin Liptak, Avery Schmitz, Elsie Hammond, Aleena Fayaz, Yasha Saebi, Mitchell McCluskey, and Alejandra Jaramillo contributed reporting
An oil tanker unloads imported crude oil at the oil terminal of Qingdao Port in Shandong Province, China, on July 6, 2026.
As traffic has once again slowed to a trickle in the Strait of Hormuz, the oil market is facing the same squeeze that has taken millions of barrels offline per day since March
But the world is now missing a major buffer that helped ease the potential oil price shock the first time around: strategic crude stockpiles
According to a Wednesday blog post from the International Monetary Fund, a deficit of about 4 million barrels a day between March and May was supplanted by a drawdown in crude inventories
During the war in Iran, the International Energy Agency implemented the largest historic release of 400 million barrels of oil from their emergency reserves
China was also able to help mitigate a global shortage by cutting refinery output and leaning on domestic inventories rather than buying from the market
However, the IMF said much of that supply shock absorber has been used up
In a research note this week, Goldman Sachs also said that China may be looking to purchase more crude now as well, as it looks to replenish its own stockpiles and prices have fallen from their May highs
An undated photo of Dena Karari provided by her lawyer.
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Iran has released an American woman who he said had been wrongfully detained in the country since December 2024 – as the US military continues to strike Iran
Trump did not identify the person or provide additional details about the circumstances of her release. CNN has reached out to the White House and the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs
The woman has since been identified by her attorney as Dena Karari
- Karari was detained, charged and released on bail with an exit ban that blocked her from leaving Iran, a source familiar told CNN.
- Karari’s lawyer, Jared Genser, told CNN that Karari had been subjected to “a coercive exit ban” and had been targeted because she operated “a non-profit called the Children of Mehr Foundation, which helped impoverished children in Iran with private donor support and authorization of an OFAC license.”
- While Karari was never physically detained, Genser said, she was interrogated by Iranian authorities dozens of times and suffered physical and psychological hardships.
- Her lawyer also wrote in a social media post that he was “delighted and excited to report that my client U.S. citizen #DenaKarari, who had been trapped in #Iran since December 2024 on bogus charges is now free.” The lawyer thanked Trump and said his client was “now safe and traveling back to the United States.”
- As of last month, the US government was tracking at least six Americans detained in Iran, a US official said, including two who had been designated as wrongfully detained.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei speaks during an interview, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, April 5, 2026.
Iran will continue to respond “firmly” to US strikes and has no plans for negotiations, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told Iranian media on Wednesday
“We currently have no plans for negotiations and remain focused on defending the country,” Baghaei told reporters outside a Tehran memorial service for the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s son-in-law, according to video from Iran’s Student News Network (SNN)
Baghaei said Iran will not adhere to any agreement if the US “breaches its obligations.”
Soon after SNN reported the spokesperson’s comments, the semi-official Mehr News Agency reported that the US struck Iran’s Hengam Island near the Strait of Hormuz
The US military on Wednesday also completed another wave of strikes against Iran, US Central Command said in a social media post. They were aimed at degrading its ability to target vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and marked the fifth consecutive day of US attacks against Tehran
CNN’s Aleena Fayaz contributed to this report
President Donald Trump has been receiving options for expanding the military operation in Iran, according to two people familiar with the matter, including during a Situation Room meeting on Tuesday that centered on ways to intensify efforts to loosen Iran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz
Trump has publicly said he intends to strike Iran harder over the coming week, including threats on civilian infrastructure and potentially energy targets. Behind the scenes, he has been discussing various scenarios for future military action with senior officials, hoping to identify ways to pressure Iran into submitting to US demands after existing efforts have failed to bring Tehran to heel
Over the past five days, the US has carried out daily strikes on Iranian positions along the Strait of Hormuz, including Wednesday on tiny Greater Tunb Island in the Strait of Hormuz, which has acted as a base for the Iranian military
According to the two officials, Trump is now weighing an operation to take Kharg Island, the critical Iranian export hub, and to bomb underground complexes at Pickaxe Mountain, believed to be connected to Iran’s nuclear program
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