Latest war news. Houthis threaten Saudi facilities. Lebanon-Israel: possible Italian monitoring

Dana Gas, a company based in the United Arab Emirates and the operator of the Khor Mor gas field in northern Iraq, has suspended production at its main facilities due to credible security threats and escalating regional tensions, according to a company spokesperson. This was reported by Al Jazeera. The suspension has reduced electricity generation capacity in the Iraqi Kurdistan region by 2,500 megawatts, according to the Ministry of Energy. The Khor Mor field, with its vast gas reserves, is the region’s main electricity producer. Yesterday, Erbil, the region’s capital, was targeted by at least five drones, including the main airport and the US consulate.

The Iranian Foreign Minister has accused the United States of committing war crimes, stating that the attacks on “vital infrastructure” and the threats to attack bridges and power stations demonstrate “the criminal intent of the US authorities to commit heinous crimes”.

In a statement released on Telegram, Araghchi argued that the US air strikes “undoubtedly constitute a flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter and the fundamental principles of international law”.

US missiles are reported to have struck areas near the Iranian island of Qeshm, in the south of the country. This is according to the semi-official Iranian news agency Mehr.

- The Yemeni Houthis are threatening to target Saudi Arabia’s oil infrastructure should the conflict escalate, just a few days after the attack on the airport in Sana’a, the capital under their control. “All Saudi oil infrastructure and vital facilities will be targeted by our missiles and drones if Saudi Arabia engages in large-scale aggression against our country and moves towards an escalation,” said the group’s leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, in a televised address, also threatening Riyadh airport.

Iran has asked the Yemeni Houthis to stand ready to block the Red Sea oil route should the United States attack Iranian energy infrastructure. Reuters reports this on its website, citing three sources. The idea was discussed within the leadership of the Islamic Republic and the message was passed on to the Houthis, according to two high-level Iranian sources and one regional source; however, they did not clarify whether the request was made following US President Donald Trump’s threat on Tuesday to attack Iranian energy infrastructure.

“We find ourselves in a situation, from an energy perspective, where the price has obviously not yet signalled this as a major problem, because around 400 million barrels of reserves – from OECD countries – have been released onto the market, and this has helped keep prices within a range of between 90 and 100 dollars.” This was stated by Eni’s chief executive, Claudio Descalzi, during a hearing before the Chamber of Deputies’ Committee on Productive Activities. “With the signing of the agreement (with Iran, ed.), there was a drop to $68, but we’ve now returned to around 85,” said Descalzi. “Obviously, this is because there was no positive follow-up to that signing; since the 11th, not a single ship has passed through the Strait, so there is a new blockade. This changes the state of affairs; it changes it for Europe, and in this case, it changes it on a global scale.”

Further reading

Descalzi: New Hormuz blockade changes the global energy landscape

16 July 2026

Kuwait is facing a new wave of attacks from Iran in response to US air strikes. The country’s armed forces have announced this, stating that they are intercepting the new attacks. In recent days, the United States has stepped up its air strikes against Iran amid the standoff between the two countries over the Strait of Hormuz; Tehran is responding by attacking its Gulf neighbours.

Tehran has accused the United States of what it describes as a “barbaric attack” and a “war crime” after a hospital in south-western Iran, according to the authorities, was forced to evacuate all its patients due to air strikes in the vicinity. “The Shahid Baqaei Hospital, a centre for the treatment of paediatric cancers in Ahvaz, was evacuated last night after the United States attacked a nearby town,” wrote Esmaeil Baqaei, spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry in Tehran, on X “This barbaric attack, reminiscent of Israel’s atrocities against healthcare facilities, caused severe suffering and fear among the hospitalised children, and forced the emergency evacuation of 211 patients undergoing chemotherapy.” The post denounces what Iran describes as “a cowardly war crime against the most innocent of human beings, children who are bravely fighting for their lives”. “Those who ceaselessly preach about human rights, yet deliberately turn a blind eye to hospitals and healthcare facilities being targeted, have lost every shred of moral credibility,” the spokesperson concludes.

Russia continues to maintain contact with Iran, but so far there has been no request from Tehran for a telephone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. This was stated by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

“No, we have not received any request for a telephone conversation with Vladimir Putin so far. We are continuing our contacts with our Iranian colleagues,” Peskov told reporters.

More than 300 people have been injured and 35 have died in the US attacks on Iran over the past few days. This was stated by the Iranian Ministry of Health, as reported by CNN. The victims include two women and a teenager, according to the ministry’s spokesperson, Hossein Kermanpour.

In an arid, mountainous region of Isfahan Province, about 300 km’s drive from Tehran, lies what is perhaps the most mysterious — and potentially most dangerous — nuclear site in the entire Islamic Republic.

The Pickaxe Mountain facility is just two kilometres from the better-known Natanz uranium enrichment site, which, along with the Isfahan nuclear complex, has been repeatedly targeted by American and Israeli air strikes.

The only way to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is for the United States to comply with the 14-point memorandum of understanding signed by the two sides in June and for the “Iranian regulations” governing shipping traffic in the strait to be implemented. This was stated by the Iranian army spokesperson, Brigadier General Mohammad Akraminia, who added that, should US President Donald Trump carry out his threat to attack Iranian infrastructure, the Iranian armed forces would strike “all remaining infrastructure” in the region, and the response would be more severe, more far-reaching and more destructive than previous attacks.

Iran does not want a confrontation with its neighbours in the Middle East. This was made clear by a military spokesperson for the Islamic Republic, despite the fact that another military official had previously threatened to “crush” regional infrastructure if the United States were to strike civilian sites.

“Iran has no intention whatsoever of coming into conflict with its neighbours or with the Islamic nations of the region. It has consistently emphasised the importance of expanding cooperation and fostering fraternal relations with regional states,” said army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia.

“Whilst the implementation of the memorandum of understanding is encountering difficulties, Pakistan will continue to encourage all parties to put an end to the violence and resume technical-level talks in accordance with the memorandum”: said a spokesperson for the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs, referring to the conflict between the United States and Iran, according to a video posted on the ministry’s X account. “As hostilities have been ongoing for a week,” the spokesperson said, “Pakistan reiterates its call on all parties to exercise the utmost restraint and refrain from any action that could further exacerbate this instability.”

The Revolutionary Guards have reported that they launched a new “devastating attack” on the Sheikh Isa airbase, in Bahrain, and of having “completely destroyed the reconnaissance and air traffic control radars”, as well as “the refuelling station for the aggressor’s enemy fighter jets”. Earlier, the Iranian military had stated that it had carried out drone attacks on the base, targeting communication systems and radars, including Super Hawk radars and Patriot installations used by US forces. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps states that the attacks were in response to US raids that forced the evacuation of the paediatric cancer hospital in Ahvaz and a water production plant for pilgrims in Karbala in the border area of Ilam province.

Iran “will strike all infrastructure in the region” if US President Donald Trump “follows through on his threats to attack Iranian infrastructure”. This was stated by a spokesperson for the Joint Military Command in Tehran, who added that Iran would not allow the United States to interfere in the Strait of Hormuz and described the strait as a “red line”.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guards, the Pasdaran, have claimed to have struck a US airbase in Jordan with ballistic missiles, in response to what they described as a US attack near a paediatric cancer hospital in Iran. According to a statement on its website, the Pasdaran claimed that US forces had “used air bases in Jordan to strike various areas of Iran, including the vicinity of a paediatric cancer hospital”,and that their aerospace force had responded by “launching two waves of missile strikes” against the bases in Jordan.

US President Donald Trump is considering expanding US military operations in Iran, following briefings with his closest advisers, according to US officials speaking to the Wall Street Journal. According to the American newspaper, Trump’s options include stepping up air strikes against energy sites, sending ground forces to Kharg Island and other territories near the Strait of Hormuz, and bombing a tunnel complex at Pickaxe Mountain, which the US describes as a fortified site that could be used for covert nuclear activities.

The latest US strikes in Iran have targeted areas near Tehran, according to Iranian state media.

The same media outlets also reported that US air strikes had targeted the province of Semnan, the base for the Islamic Republic’s ballistic missile and space programmes.

Overnight, the air defence system was activated in the Iranian capital, Tehran. Furthermore, according to official media reports, explosions were heard in northern and western Iran.

The Iranian army has stated that it carried out drone attacks against US bases and installations in Kuwait and Bahrain, according to state television, in response to US strikes against the Islamic Republic. The Iranian military claimed to have targeted “radar systems, a Patriot air defence system and fuel depots at Ali Al Salem Air Base” in Kuwait and US military installations at Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain, according to the Irib news agency.

The Jordanian army announced in a statement that it had intercepted eight Iranian missiles heading towards its territory, without causing any casualties or damage. Earlier, the Iranian army had reported that it had targeted US military installations in Jordan, according to Iranian state television, following further US air strikes in Iran.

Iran has targeted Bahrain and Kuwait in response to fresh attacks launched by the United States overnight against the Islamic Republic. There are currently no reports of damage or casualties resulting from the military operations, which took place in the early hours of Thursday. Tehran has also launched attacks on Jordan, whose army has stated that it shot down eight missiles fired by Iran at the kingdom.

“Iran has allowed an American citizen, who had been unjustly detained since December 2024 under the ‘presidency’ of ‘Sleepy Joe’ Biden, to leave the country. She is now safe outside Iran and is well. The United States of America appreciates this gesture of goodwill on the part of Iran!” So wrote US President Donald Trump on Truth. The woman, as reported by CNN, citing human rights lawyer Jared Genser, is Dena Karari. “I am delighted and thrilled to announce that my client, US citizen Dena Karari, who had been trapped in Iran since December 2024 on baseless charges, is now free,” Genser wrote in a post on X.