US and Iran exchange new strikes on July 9, with Tehran targeting Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar

Summary

The United States launched new airstrikes against Iran early on July 9 and Tehran responded by targeting Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar, a regional crossfire that again threatened the June 2026 interim deal meant to end the war. US Central Command said the strikes were carried out "to further degrade Iran's ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz." The exchange follows the July 8 second-wave strikes and Trump's declaration at the NATO summit in Ankara that the ceasefire was 'over'.

Trump threatened to resume the naval blockade, launch more strikes, and "take over" Kharg Island. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte called the US attacks "absolutely necessary." Both sides accused the other of violating the June memorandum of understanding. Gulf News described the situation as a reignition of the war as the ceasefire collapses, with fresh fears over Hormuz shipping and global oil supplies.

The split

AP framed the July 9 exchange as a continuation of escalating fire that "again threatened" the interim deal. Gulf News, writing for UAE readers in Iran's neighbourhood, described it as a full ceasefire collapse and foregrounded Hormuz supply risk. Al Jazeera held both sides equally responsible for the MOU breakdown. Fox News led with NATO's endorsement and the oil sanctions revocation.

Iran's frame is categorically different: the IRGC characterised the Gulf strikes as a proportional response to US attacks on Iranian cities, claiming the US violated the MOU first by bombing Bushehr, Chabahar and Bandar Abbas. Iranian state media presented the strikes on Bahrain and Kuwait as targeted only at US military infrastructure, not at Gulf states themselves.

Within the Gulf, there's a visible split. Kuwait and Bahrain, which weren't parties to the war, condemned attacks on their sovereign territory while stressing they want de-escalation. Qatar's position is more constrained: it condemned the attacks as "unjustified" while conspicuously avoiding language that would foreclose its mediator role. Qatar had hosted the June-July Doha talks, and the next round was scheduled for July 9, the day Iran struck Qatar. The Qatari foreign ministry called for "sparing the region" from the conflict rather than condemning Iran by name.

Outside the conflict, China's foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning called on both sides to "follow through on the memorandum of understanding" and avoid force, framing the exchange as a mutual failure. Russia positioned itself as a potential fallback mediator, with the Kremlin calling UAE, Bahrain and Qatar after the attacks. Turkey's President Erdogan said Ankara is "working to bring the US and Iran to common ground." India called for "dialogue and diplomacy to achieve peace" without assigning blame.

By the numbers

• 3, Gulf Arab states Iran targeted in response: Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar
• 85, US military facilities the IRGC claims to have struck across Bahrain and Kuwait
• 14, people killed in Iran by US strikes over two days (78 wounded)
• 2 ballistic missiles and 13 drones, intercepted by Kuwait's air defense on July 9 (no casualties)
• 1, Qatari civilian killed by shrapnel
• 1, revoked sanction: the US rescinded Iran's oil sanctions waiver after the exchanges resumed
• July 4-9, the window of the funeral ceremonies that had paused the Doha peace talks

Why it matters

The July 9 exchange expands the geographic scope of retaliation from the July 8 round and signals that neither side is willing to absorb strikes without responding against Gulf states, raising the risk that countries hosting US bases are drawn further into a conflict not of their choosing. Qatar's position is especially delicate: it has been targeted while also serving as a mediator between the US and Iran. The NATO Ankara summit closed with alliance members publicly backing US military action, narrowing the diplomatic space for de-escalation.

What to watch

• Whether Qatar formally signals withdrawal from its mediator role, which would close the Doha channel
• Whether the June MOU is formally declared void by either side or a new framework is proposed
• Bahrain and Kuwait's diplomatic responses, and whether they invoke US defense treaty obligations
• Whether Turkey or Russia can establish an alternative diplomatic track if Doha stalls
• Whether US Central Command expands the list of Iranian targets beyond Hormuz-related sites