US Central Command carried out a second consecutive day of strikes against Iran on July 8, hitting approximately 90 military targets along Iran’s southern coastline, including air defense systems, coastal surveillance assets, missile and drone storage sites, and naval infrastructure. The strikes followed an earlier round on July 7 that hit roughly 80 targets, among them more than 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps small boats, in retaliation for Iran’s attacks on three commercial vessels navigating the Strait of Hormuz in violation of the June 17 ceasefire.
Iran responded by striking US military bases in Kuwait and Bahrain, with the Revolutionary Guards claiming hits on facilities at Arifjan and Ali Al Salem in Kuwait, and Juffair and Sheikh Isa in Bahrain, using missiles and drones. Kuwait’s Defence Ministry confirmed it was intercepting incoming fire.
The exchanges have effectively shattered the memorandum of understanding signed by both sides last month. President Trump, speaking aboard Air Force One while returning from the NATO summit in Ankara, declared the ceasefire “over,” saying he found Iran to be “very dishonourable” and questioned whether any new deal would hold. Iran’s top negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, warned that “if you strike, you will be struck back,” adding that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen only on Iranian terms.
Despite the escalation, Trump said he did not expect a return to full-scale war, and Iran separately signalled it still sought a deal. CENTCOM stated US forces “remain vigilant, lethal, and prepared to execute operations directed by the Commander in Chief.”
