US expands attacks on Iran: Tunb islands bombed for the first time

The archipelago has been administered by Iran since 1971. The United Arab Emirates also claims the two islands, on which several hundred people live. The two rocky islands, twelve kilometers apart, are located at the narrowest point of the Strait of Hormuz near the Iranian coast. According to the US regional command Centcom, the strikes are intended to weaken Tehran's ability to disrupt shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

In addition, attacks on targets in Ahvaz in the southwest were reported, and strikes were also said to have occurred in Rask in the far southeast of the country as well as near Bandar Abbas on the Persian Gulf. Projectiles struck the airport of the northeastern city of Semnan, according to the Iranian state agency IRNA, citing the governor's office. No people were harmed, it said. No information was given about who carried out the attack. The government-affiliated Iranian news agency Mehr reported explosions in the port city of Chabahar.

Iranian retaliatory strikes

Iran responded to the US attacks once again with strikes on American bases in the region. It fired ballistic missiles and sent drones toward Jordan and the Gulf region. Most of the Iranian drones and missiles were intercepted by the respective countries' air defenses. As in previous days, Tehran focused on Bahrain, Kuwait, and Iraq. Air defenses in Bahrain reported the interception of cruise missiles and drones. Jordan reported renewed shelling from Iran.

Both the United States and Iran have so far avoided intensifying their attacks to the level of the first weeks of the war. Just over a week ago, Washington rescinded the framework agreement to end the war against Iran that had been signed in mid-June. Attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz had undermined the achievements of the framework agreement between Iran and the United States.

Diplomatic signals from Tehran

At the same time, Iran's chief negotiator and parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf signaled on Wednesday that the door to negotiations with the United States remains open. He stated: "We must also use the instruments of diplomacy and negotiations to achieve and assert our national interests." As in the past, Ghalibaf is trying to link the battlefield and the negotiating table: he advocates continued resistance against the United States while simultaneously arguing that a resolution of the conflict requires dialogue in the long term.

Regardless, the White House is now once again reviewing the use of ground troops to capture Iranian islands or strategic points near the Strait of Hormuz. In addition to the island of Kharg, which is important for Iranian oil exports, the Tunb Islands are also reportedly being considered. According to the newspaper, US President Donald Trump has not yet made a decision. Trump is reportedly considering expanding the military operation, including the bombing of an Iranian nuclear facility called "Pickaxe Mountain."

Possible ground offensive and regional risks

On Wednesday, Trump threatened further attacks on power plants and bridges in Iran. Tehran's military headquarters, Chatam al-Anbjia, declared on Thursday, according to the Fars news agency, that if such attacks occurred, all remaining infrastructure in the region would be razed to the ground. Israeli Iran expert Danny Citrinowicz warned on X: "Egal wie viel Druck die (US-)Regierung anwendet oder wie oft sie droht. Die iranische Führung wird kaum kapitulieren. Wenn Präsident Trump die militärischen Ziele ausweitet, wird Teheran das Gleiche tun und eher weitere Eskalation riskieren als Zugeständnisse machen."

Release of US-Iranian dual citizen Karari

Citrinowicz also warned that tensions between the Iran-allied Houthi militia in Yemen and Saudi Arabia could continue to grow. On Monday, there were renewed heavy mutual attacks between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia. This news was broadcast on 16.07.2026 on the Deutschlandfunk program.

Shortly before the latest attacks, Tehran released the American-Iranian dual citizen Dena Karari. Dena Karari had traveled to the Iranian city of Shiraz in December 2024 to visit relatives. For over a year, she was not allowed to leave the country after authorities confiscated both of her passports and charged her with espionage. Although Karari was apparently only briefly detained in Iran, she was interrogated by the authorities multiple times and reportedly suffered a heart attack last week, according to her lawyer. According to her lawyer Jared Genser, the 53-year-old was already on her way back to the United States on Wednesday. Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday: "Die Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika würdigen diese Geste des guten Willens durch Iran." Iranian media did report on Karari's release but relied on American sources.

The US military had previously stated that it had attacked Iran for the fifth night in a row. US forces bombed targets in Iran in two waves on Wednesday. There is growing concern that the conflict could spread beyond its previous geographic boundaries in southern Iran.