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Iran live updates: Iran retaliates, targeting Bahrain and Kuwait, after Trump’s 'retribution' strikes

U.S. forces struck 90 Iranian military targets overnight, Central Command said.

Last Updated: July 9, 2026, 4:00 AM EDT

President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting military, government and infrastructure sites.

Delegations from the U.S. and Iran entered negotiations last month aimed at a war-ending deal based on a memorandum of understanding signed by both countries.

The U.S. and Iran nonetheless exchanged limited strikes in late June despite the signing of the memorandum and amid the continuation of peace talks.

1 hour and 23 minutes ago

Bahrain, Kuwait targeted by Iranian drones and missiles following US strikes

Bahrain and Kuwait came under attack from missiles and drones on Thursday, their respective militaries said, as the Iranian military said it had launched attacks targeting U.S. bases in both countries.

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps said the aerial attacks were a retaliation for U.S. strikes against Iran, according to a statement published by Iranian state media outlets.

A man waves a flag near Imam Reza's shrine as mourners arrive for the funeral of slain Iranian leader Ali Khamenei and members of his family in Mashhad early on July 9, 2026.
AFP via Getty Images

The military in Bahrain said that "Iran is persisting in its systematic hostile approach through heinous attacks involving missiles and drones targeting civilians in the Kingdom of Bahrain."

The country’s air defense systems destroyed "a number" of Iranian aerial attacks, the Bahrain Defence Force said in a social media post.

Women react at Imam Reza Shrine on the day of a funeral procession and the burial of Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on February 28 in Israeli and U.S. airstrikes, in Mashhad, Iran July 9, 2026.
Majid Asgaripour/West Asia News Agency via Reuters

Kuwait earlier on Thursday said its air defense systems were "confronting hostile missile and drone attacks," but stopped short of identifying where those attacks were coming from.

"The General Staff of the Army notes that if explosion sounds are heard, they are the result of air defense systems intercepting the hostile attacks," the Kuwait Army said on social media.

Jul 08, 2026, 11:51 PM EDT

US forces complete 2nd round of strikes, striking 90 military targets: CENTCOM

U.S. forces have completed an additional round of strikes against Iran, striking roughly 90 military targets, U.S. Central Command said in an update late Wednesday.

CENTCOM said the targets included air defense systems, coastal surveillance assets, missile and drone storage sites, naval capabilities and military logistics infrastructure along Iran’s coastline.

The strikes "further degrade Iran's ability to attack commercial shipping and innocent civilian mariners in the Strait of Hormuz."

The night before, CENTCOM said U.S. forces hit approximately 80 Iranian military targets.

Jul 08, 2026, 10:19 PM EDT

Strait of Hormuz will only open with 'Iranian arrangement,' lead negotiator says

In a social media post, lead Iranian negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said the Strait of Hormuz would only open with "Iranian arrangements."

"America still hasn’t learned that bullying and breaking promises are no longer cost-free," Ghalibaf said in the post, originally in Persian. " Let me put it plainly: if you strike, you’ll get hit. Don’t flail around pointlessly, or you’ll sink even deeper: the Strait of Hormuz will only open with 'Iranian arrangements,' not American threats."

Oil tanker JORYA sails at the sea near the Omani coast, as seen from Musandam, Oman, June 25, 2026.
Stringer/Reuters
Jul 08, 2026, 7:05 PM EDT

Trump says strikes 'retribution' for Strait of Hormuz attacks

President Donald Trump emphasized that today's additional strikes on Iran were conducted as "retribution" after Iran attacked three commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

"This is in retribution for yesterday's bombing of ships by Iran," he said in a new social media post.

Trump issued another stark warning to Iran, saying, "If it happens again, it will get much worse!"

Trump's post included an image purportedly showing explosions in Iran that had been posted on a different social media account.

That image appears to be from a June incident in Tehran and was likely altered using AI. ABC News has reached out to the White House for comment on the image.

-ABC News' Emily Chang

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