• Escalating war: The US military launched another round of strikes after vowing to “swiftly punish” Iran for an attack on Jordan that left two US service members dead and one missing in action, deepening fears that the conflict will spiral further.
• Iranian strikes: Meanwhile, US allies in the region reported a new wave of Iranian fire, including in Kuwait, where officials said a power and desalination plant was attacked for a second consecutive day. Air defenses also intercepted strikes in Jordan and Bahrain.
• In Tehran: Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he has yet to meet the country’s new supreme leader, who has not appeared in public since assuming the role. In a new interview, Araghchi also said Tehran must negotiate if “absolute military victory” is impossible, though he said talks should take place when Iran has “the upper hand.”
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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in Washington, DC, on Sunday to discuss their trilateral framework after the ceasefire with Iran collapsed.
“The Secretary commended the courage of the Government of Lebanon, under President Aoun’s leadership, for their determined effort to reclaim Lebanon’s sovereignty, disarm Hizballah and dismantle its terrorist infrastructure, and move towards peace. The Secretary reaffirmed the commitment of the United States to supporting the successful implementation of the Trilateral Framework,” State Department Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement.
Aoun’s office said in a previous statement that a Lebanese-US summit will be held at the White House this week.
Some background: The memorandum of understanding reached by the US and Iran last month had aimed to end the fighting in Lebanon as part of a wider ceasefire plan.
Despite that initial agreement — and US-brokered ceasefires between the Israeli and Lebanese governments — fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah has continued.
Meeting in Washington last month, Israel and Lebanon reached a trilateral agreement that requires Israeli forces to withdraw from two areas in southern Lebanon, paving the way for further negotiations.
The US carried out a missile strike on the outskirts of the city of Abadan on Sunday evening local time, according to Iranian media.
Abadan, located in Khuzestan province, is in southwestern Iran, near the country’s border with Iraq.
There were no casualties as a result of the attack, Valiollah Hayati, a deputy governor for the province, told Iran’s national broadcaster IRIB. Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency also reported the strike, citing the Khuzestan government.
CNN has reached out to US Central Command for comment.
Big picture: The reports come after days of escalation between Washington and Tehran. Overnight Saturday into Sunday, US forces carried out their eighth consecutive round of strikes on the country.
The overnight strikes targeted facilities related to Iran’s air and coastal defenses as well as its missile and drone storage sites, according to the US military.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says he’s yet to meet Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamanei since he was appointed back in March.
In a wide-ranging interview, Araghchi also said the security shortcomings that allowed Israel to strike Iran’s leadership at the outset of the war still exist.
Here are some of the key points of his conversation with podcaster Javad Mogouyee:
• Before the war: Speaking about negotiations with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in February, Araghchi said: “I told Witkoff, ‘Have you ever attended a meeting where there was a possibility of being bombed at any moment?’”
• US-Israeli strikes: Araghchi said the bombing of the leadership compound in Tehran that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and much of his family in February “was carried out through a security vulnerability, and this security vulnerability still exists.”
• When he learned of Khamenei’s death: The foreign minister said that “from the very first day,” plans were in place to close the Strait of Hormuz if the leader was targeted. “I immediately contacted the foreign ministries of the region and said: We will strike US military bases; understand that this action is against America,” he added.
• On meeting the new supreme leader: “I still have not met Agha (leader) Mojtaba in person during this period of the leader’s tenure. Only a very small number of people have met with him.”
• Military readiness: “During the eight months between the two wars (June 2025 and February 2026), Iran’s launcher system was changed in such a way that no matter how much we fired, our missiles would not run out,” Araghchi claimed.
• During the conflict: “I and the deputy foreign ministers did not leave the foreign ministry building. For several hours a day, we would drive around the city in a vehicle; I could not put my mobile phone aside.”
• Next steps: “If we do not have the ability to achieve an absolute military victory, we must negotiate. Negotiations should take place when you have the upper hand on the military front.”
A Kuwaiti power and desalination plant has been attacked by Iran for the second time in two days, Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy said earlier today.
Yesterday, an Iranian provincial official said a US missile attack also damaged a desalination plant in the country. CNN has reached out to the US military for a response.
The plants, which convert seawater into drinking water, are vital in the Middle East, providing a key lifeline and sustaining certain remote regions through droughts. Some countries in the region are almost entirely dependent on desalination for drinking water.
In Kuwait and Oman, desalination accounts for around 90% of freshwater needs. In Bahrain, it’s 85%, and in Saudi Arabia around 70%. Major Gulf cities, including Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha, Kuwait City and Jeddah, are almost wholly dependent on desalinated water.
Iran is less dependent on desalination than its Gulf neighbors for drinking water. Still, the process is key for providing water to coastal and island communities and to help to offset droughts.
Desalination plants were also targeted when the current conflict began in March. At the time, the World Water Council — a UN-affiliated organization which advocates for global water security — condemned the attacks and called on all parties “to fully respect their obligations under international law.”
In a statement, it pointed to an article of the Geneva Convention which prohibits combatants from attacking essential resources for civilians’ survival “such as drinking water installations and supplies.”
CNN’s Catherine Nicholls contributed to this reporting.
The UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says it is looking into reports of an overnight attack on the construction site of an Iranian nuclear power plant.
The Darkhovin Power Plant, in southern Iran, is in the “very early stages” of construction and the reported attack is unlikely to pose any radiological risk, the watchdog said today. It also called for “military restraint” in the vicinity of all nuclear sites.
As we reported earlier, Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization said the US struck the power plant in the early hours of this morning. CNN has reached out to US Central Command for comment.
Jordanian air defenses intercepted three Iranian missiles on Sunday afternoon local time while a fourth landed in a remote area, the country’s military said in a statement.
No casualties or material damage were reported in the attack, the statement added.
Sirens had earlier sounded over Jordan, as the Israeli military reported Iran had launched missiles toward the Jordanian port city of Aqaba.
Eyewitness in Aqaba reported hearing several blasts, which were likely the sound of missile interceptions.
Given Aqaba’s close proximity to the Israeli border, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) warned that sirens could sound in southern Israel too. They later confirmed that Israeli air defenses had taken part in intercepting the missiles.
Earlier on Sunday, the Jordanian government denied that Aqaba’s international airport and seaport had been evacuated, despite a statement from the US Embassy in Jordan saying they had been due to “a specific and credible threat.”
Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization said the US struck an Iranian nuclear power plant currently under construction in the early hours of this morning.
The strikes hit the construction site at the Darkhovin Power Plant, which is located in southern Iran, near the Iraqi border, the organization said.
The organization said in December 2022 that groundworks had begun at the site. Construction still had not officially started as of March, according to the World Nuclear Association, which represents the global nuclear industry.
CNN has reached out to US Central Command for comment.
Some context: Plans for a nuclear power plant in Darkhovin date back to before the 1979 Iranian Revolution, and construction there began in the 1970s following French investment in the project.
But after the revolution, France withdrew its investments, halting construction, according to the World Nuclear Association. Chinese investments, agreed in the 1990s, was also withdrawn before construction could restart, the association added.
A Kuwaiti power and desalination plant has been attacked by Iran for the second time in two days, Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy said in a statement a short while ago, as Iranian strikes on US regional allies persist.
The Iranian strike was “heinous,” the ministry said, calling it “second hostile attack in two days.”
A resulting fire impacted a “large number of electricity generation units,” the ministry said, leading to the activation of emergency plans to maintain the stability of the plant’s electrical system.
Yesterday’s attack also saw a fire break out at the plant, but only in “one of the plant’s components,” according to the ministry.
A similar attack also took place on Friday, the ministry said after which the electrical generation units of a Kuwaiti power generation and water desalination plant were damaged in a fire that resulted from the Iranian strike.
Kuwait has been one of the countries most frequently targeted by Iran since hostilities resumed between Tehran and Washington. In Kuwait, desalination accounts for around 90% of freshwater needs.
CNN’s Jessie Yeung and Mostafa Salem contributed to this reporting.
Two Iranian protesters have been executed, according to the country’s semi-official Tasnim news agency, in a sign that the Iranian regime could be cracking down under the cover of ongoing conflict.
Erfan Esfandiari and Gol Mohammad Mohammadi were executed this morning, Tasnim said, for their role in the January anti-government demonstrations, which drew a brutal response from the regime.
It’s still unclear how many people were killed during those protests, but the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) says at least 6,000 protesters died and another 17,000 deaths are under investigation.
US President Donald Trump warned Tehran at the time that if they used violence against the protesters, the US would “come to their rescue.” And when the US and Israel started striking Iran weeks later, Trump called on Iranians to “seize the moment” and “take back” their country.”
Such rhetoric has waned during the course of the war. In fact, according to the Oslo-based Iran Human Rights (IHR), the regime has executed at least 47 political prisoners, many more than the 16 who had been executed at around the same time last year.
CNN’s Isobel Yeung and Vasco Cotovio contributed reporting.
The Jordanian government denied the international airport and seaport in the port city of Aqaba were evacuated Sunday, despite a statement from the US Embassy in Jordan.
“No potential threats have been recorded by the relevant Jordanian authorities in the past few hours,” spokesperson Dr. Mohammad Al-Momani said. “The authorities have not issued any evacuation orders at Aqaba Airport or the port.”
Both the airport and the seaport are operating normally, he added.
Earlier, the US Embassy said the airport and seaport in Aqaba had been evacuated due to a “specific and credible threat” as it advised Americans in the country against traveling to either terminal.
The ceasefire between the US and Iran is in tatters, with the conflict between the two sides intensifying this past week.
Tehran and Washington agreed to a memorandum of understanding (MoU) last month.
Here’s what has happened since the beginning of July:
July 1: US and Iranian negotiators travel to Doha, Qatar, for indirect negotiations. The delegations make “positive progress,” Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari says.
July 7: Iran fires on three commercial vessels in Oman’s territorial waters near the Strait of Hormuz, according to a US official. US Central Command says it launched strikes against Iran as “punishment.”
July 8: Iran warns it will deliver a “crushing response” to the US strikes, and the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says it has launched attacks at 85 US military targets across Bahrain and Kuwait. Trump castigates Iran as “evil, sick people” at the NATO summit in Turkey, saying the memorandum of understanding “is over.” Hours later, the US launches more strikes against Iran.
July 9: Tehran says the US military has struck a railway bridge in northern Iran. CENTCOM says the US has hit around 90 military targets in another round of strikes. A US official tells CNN that both countries are continuing to engage in technical negotiations on nuclear issues.
July 10: Trump says the US has agreed to continue talks with Iran, but also that Washington has informed Tehran the ceasefire is no longer in effect. Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf says Tehran is prepared for “all-out defense” if the US breaks the agreement. The Trump administration imposes fresh sanctions on Tehran.
July 11: Iran’s foreign minister accuses the US of violating a clause on Tehran’s nuclear program in their MoU.
July 12: The IRGC announces it has closed the Strait of Hormuz after firing a warning shot at a vessel attempting to use an unauthorized route to cross the waterway. The US military launches more strikes on Iran, and insists that the strait is still open.
July 13: US attacks across Iran continue into the afternoon, killing at least two people, Iranian media reports. Trump says he will reinstate a blockade of Iranian ships in the Strait of Hormuz. The US carries out more strikes on Iran overnight.
July 14: The IRGC says it “struck and disabled” what it called two “rogue supertankers.” Two tankers report being hit by missiles while transiting the southern route of the Strait of Hormuz, the UK Maritime Trade Operations center says. The US conducts more strikes overnight.
July 15: Iran says that US strikes on the country have killed more than 30 civilians in recent days. In retaliation for the US strikes, Tehran says it has targeted US military infrastructure in Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan.
July 16: An explosion is heard in Tehran, as state media reports attacks across Iran. Jordan and Kuwait’s armies say that they have intercepted Iranian strikes. That evening, the US launches more strikes, with attacks reported across Iran.
July 17: Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan and Qatar report more Iranian attacks. Kuwait says Iran has hit a power generation and water desalination plant. The US strikes Iran again. Tehran claims it has targeted US forces in Syria, though US military and Syrian officials dispute this. An Iranian attack on Jordan kills two US service members and leaves another missing in action.
July 18: US strikes damage a desalination plant in the south of Iran, according to the deputy governor of Hormozgan province. Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan and Saudi Arabia report raising alarms or fending off Iranian attacks, as Kuwait says another power and water desalination plant has been hit.
July 19: The US launches new strikes on Iran. Explosions are heard in Iran’s Bandar Abbas and on Qeshm Island, Iran’s state-run news agency IRNA reports. Meanwhile, Bahrain and Kuwait say that they have intercepted multiple Iranian aerial attacks.
CNN’s Mohammed Tawfeeq, Zachary Cohen, Jessie Yeung, Kevin Liptak, Sophie Tanno, Casey Gannon, Julia Benbrook, Hira Humayun, Pamela Brown, Lex Harvey, Davis Winkie, Isaac Yee, Clay Voytek, Betsy Klein, Alejandra Jaramillo, Aida Karimi, Lauren Kent, Jennifer Hansler, Rhea Mogul, Dalia Abdelwahab, Aleena Fayaz, Aileen Graef, Kathleen Magramo, Billy Stockwell, Helen Regan, Kareem El Damanhoury, Hanna Park, Ibrahim Dahman, Sana Noor Haq, Xiaoqian Lin, Mostafa Salem, Eyad Kourdi, Adam Pourahmadi, Tim Lister and Chris Lau contributed to this reporting.
Both Bahrain and Kuwait have reported intercepting Iranian aerial attacks today, after the US launched yet another round of strikes at Iran overnight.
As the conflict continues to escalate, here’s the latest:
The international airport and seaport in the Jordanian city of Aqaba, which is on the Red Sea, have been evacuated due to a “specific and credible threat,” the US Embassy in Jordan said a short while ago.
The US struck Iran for the eighth consecutive night in a row, in attacks that US Central Command said were launched to “swiftly punish” Iran for killing two American service members in Jordan on Friday.
After CENTCOM announced the deaths of the service members in Jordan, US President Donald Trump said they were “a very sad thing.”
Explosions were heard in Iran’s Bandar Abbas and on Qeshm Island early this morning local time, Iranian state-run news agency IRNA reported, citing local residents.
CNN’s Ibrahim Dahman, Sophie Tanno, Chris Lau, Aleena Fayaz, Logan Schiciano and Jomana Karadsheh contributed to this reporting.
The international airport and seaport in the Jordanian port city of Aqaba have been evacuated due to a “specific and credible threat,”, the US Embassy in Jordan said Sunday.
“We strongly advise all Americans to refrain traveling to either the airport or seaport,” it added.
Aqaba on the Red Sea is usually very busy during summer months. It is home to Jordan’s only seaport.
The US Embassy added that it continues to advise all Americans to avoid travel to military bases in Jordan, which have seen frequent Iranian attacks including one that killed two US service members.
There has been no immediate comment from the Jordanian authorities.
The US has now bombarded Iran for an eighth consecutive night in a row, targeting facilities related to the country’s air and coastal defenses as well as its missile and drone storage sites, according to US Central Command (CENTCOM).
The strikes were launched to “swiftly punish” Iran for killing two American soldiers in Jordan on Friday, CENTCOM said.
Here’s a look at how the conflict has escalated over the past week:
Last Sunday local time, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) closed the Strait of Hormuz after firing a warning shot at a vessel it said was attempting to use an unauthorized route to cross the waterway. The US military launched multiple rounds of strikes on Iran in response. Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Jordan all reported incoming attacks as Iran retaliated.
In the early hours of Monday morning, the US carried out another round of strikes on Iran, including on two locations near Ahvaz, a city known for its petroleum industry, as well as a water pumping station in southwestern Iran’s Khuzestan, state media reported. The IRGC launched a new wave of missile and drone attacks toward US bases in the region, including in Bahrain and Kuwait.
Early Tuesday, the US military said it struck targets across Iran for five hours, damaging a power plant on Iran’s Kish Island, according to Iranian state media. Iran launched waves of strikes towards Bahrain, while Jordan’s state news agency said the country shot down four missiles fired from Iran. Four Kuwaiti service members were wounded by an Iranian attack on a Kuwaiti naval vessel, the country’s Defense Ministry said. The IRGC also said it “struck and disabled” two tankers in Strait of Hormuz. That night, the US struck Iran ahead of reimplementing its blockade of the country’s ports
On Wednesday, the US carried out multiple rounds of strikes on Iran, killing at least seven Iranian military personnel, according to Iran’s army. A hospital in southwestern Iran was temporarily evacuated after a projectile from a US strike landed nearby, state-run media reported. Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain responded to Iranian attacks.
Early Thursday local time, an explosion was heard in Tehran, as state media reported attacks across Iran. Jordan and Kuwait’s armies said that they intercepted Iranian strikes. That evening, the US launched more strikes, with attacks reported across Iran.
In the early hours of Friday, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan and Qatar reported more Iranian attacks. Kuwait said Iran hit a power generation and water desalination plant. The US struck Iran again, with Iranian state media reporting that several bridges in the south of the country and a maritime control tower were hit. Iran claimed it targeted US forces in Syria, though both US military and Syrian officials disputed this.
The US carried out a seventh night of overnight strikes on Iran into Saturday, which damaged a desalination plant in the south of the country, according to the deputy governor of Hormozgan province. Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan and Saudi Arabia reported raising alarms or fending off Iranian attacks, as Kuwait said another power and water desalination plant was hit.
Overnight into today, the US launched its new strikes on Iran following the deaths of the US service members in Jordan. Explosions were heard in Iran’s Bandar Abbas and on Qeshm Island, Iranian state-run news agency IRNA reported, citing local residents. Meanwhile, Bahrain said that it has intercepted and destroyed multiple Iranian aerial attacks today.
CNN’s Dalia Abdelwahab, Aleena Fayaz, Laura Sharman, Eyad Kourdi, Xiaoqian Lin, Mohammed Tawfeeq, Kareem El Damanhoury, Ross Adkin, Lex Harvey, Yasha Saebi, Max Saltman, Clay Voytek, Aida Karimi, Hira Humayun, Kathleen Magramo, Davis Winkie, Zachary Cohen, Kit Maher, Billy Stockwell, Mitchell McCluskey, Hanna Park, Ibrahim Dahman, Sana Noor Haq, Sophie Tanno, Mostafa Salem, Isaac Yee, Jessie Yeung, Adam Pourahmadi, Tim Lister and Chris Lau contributed to this reporting.
Bahrain intercepted and destroyed multiple Iranian aerial attacks today, the country’s defense forces said, adding that all its “weapons and units are at the highest levels of readiness.”
The General Command urged “everyone to exercise caution and avoid approaching any unidentified or suspicious objects resulting from the remnants of the brutal Iranian aggression, and to report them immediately.”
Sirens sounded in Bahrain on Sunday morning, the country’s interior ministry noted on X, for the seventh time in less than 48 hours.
The ministry instructed citizens to remain calm and head to the nearest safe space.
Bahrain hosts US military facilities and has been a frequent target of Iranian reprisal attacks.
Gulf states are looking on with growing apprehension as the conflict between Iran and the US escalates again.
A pattern of strikes and counterstrikes is firmly bedded in, with the additional complication of growing tension between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-allied Houthis in Yemen, who are determined to break a blockade against them.
The diplomatic track seems moribund for now. The flurry of Pakistani and Qatari delegations visiting Iran in an effort to sustain the ceasefire has given way to pessimism among regional diplomats. Qatar itself has been hit twice in the recent flare-up.
Iranian drones have also targeted Oman, days after negotiations between the two states on a management scheme for the Strait. And Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) has struck ships sailing close to the Omani coastline. Traffic in the Strait of Hormuz is down to a trickle.
Iran has repeatedly warned it is ready to step up strikes on neighbors that host US military facilities and a semi-official outlet – Fars – published a list of five ports in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates that it said could become targets if Iranian infrastructure were attacked.
US targeting in recent days has included tunnels, roads, bridges and railways, according to Iranian state media – heightening anxiety that the conflict could spiral.
“Every US escalation is met by an Iranian escalation, as each side seeks to establish new deterrence thresholds with every exchange,” according to Israeli analyst Danny Citrinowicz.
Rather than force Iran back to the negotiating table, “an equally plausible outcome is a conflict that spirals beyond either side’s intentions, expanding into a much broader regional war with diminishing opportunities to restore diplomacy,” Citrinowicz posted on X yesterday.
Kuwait’s air defenses are “currently confronting” missile and drone attacks, its army said Sunday morning local time.
“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,” it said in an X post.
Iran struck a military base in Jordan Saturday, killing two American service members and prompting the US military to launch counter attacks to, it said, “swiftly punish” Tehran. The slain service members were the first US military deaths in the conflict in months.
The “rhythm of war” continues to pick up, an analyst told CNN, as renewed bombing between the two countries passed its eighth straight day.
Here’s what else you should know:
Multiple explosions were reported in Bandar Abbas and Qeshm Island early Sunday, according to Iranian media. Several locations were reportedly hit on Qeshm Island, located in the Strait of Hormuz. The island has been a target in recent days, with “parts of the island and its infrastructure” damaged in US attacks, Tasnim reported.
US Central Command said it targeted Iranian forces behind the attacks that killed the two American service members, alongside a host of military facilities, during Saturday’s airstrikes.
Iran’s military said it targeted US forces on two bases in Kuwait, according to a statement reported by state news outlet IRNA early Sunday local time. CNN was unable to verify the claim.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei decried repeated US violations of the memorandum of understanding meant to pave the way for further peace talks, calling President Donald Trump’s signature “worthless and unreliable.”
Iran’s deadly attack on a base used by the US military in Jordan shows Tehran has not given up on the use of long-range strikes, a CNN analyst said Sunday.
“With the attack on the Al-Azraq air base in Jordan, where the two service members were killed, and we have one missing, that indicates that the Iranians are still willing to use longer-range weapon systems,” said retired Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton.
Meanwhile, he said, the US military has been stepping up strikes against the western part of Iran, from where long-range missiles could be fired.
“The rhythm of war that we talked about has definitely picked up during these last few days,” Leighton said, also alluding to the generally intensified exchanges of fire.
US Central Command said it completed its latest round of strikes against Iran at 11:30 p.m. Eastern time, targeting Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces behind the attacks that killed two US service members in Jordan.
Other military facilities were also hit, according to CENTCOM.
“CENTCOM forces successfully hit Iranian military coastal surveillance and air defense facilities, maritime capabilities, and missile and drone storage sites to continue degrading Iranian military capabilities,” it said in a post on X. It did not say how many targets had been hit.
This marks the eighth consecutive night of US strikes on Iran.
• Escalating war: The US military launched another round of strikes after vowing to “swiftly punish” Iran for an attack on Jordan that left two US service members dead and one missing in action, deepening fears that the conflict will spiral further.
• Iranian strikes: Meanwhile, US allies in the region reported a new wave of Iranian fire, including in Kuwait, where officials said a power and desalination plant was attacked for a second consecutive day. Air defenses also intercepted strikes in Jordan and Bahrain.
• In Tehran: Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he has yet to meet the country’s new supreme leader, who has not appeared in public since assuming the role. In a new interview, Araghchi also said Tehran must negotiate if “absolute military victory” is impossible, though he said talks should take place when Iran has “the upper hand.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in Washington, DC, on Sunday to discuss their trilateral framework after the ceasefire with Iran collapsed.
“The Secretary commended the courage of the Government of Lebanon, under President Aoun’s leadership, for their determined effort to reclaim Lebanon’s sovereignty, disarm Hizballah and dismantle its terrorist infrastructure, and move towards peace. The Secretary reaffirmed the commitment of the United States to supporting the successful implementation of the Trilateral Framework,” State Department Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement.
Aoun’s office said in a previous statement that a Lebanese-US summit will be held at the White House this week.
Some background: The memorandum of understanding reached by the US and Iran last month had aimed to end the fighting in Lebanon as part of a wider ceasefire plan.
Despite that initial agreement — and US-brokered ceasefires between the Israeli and Lebanese governments — fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah has continued.
Meeting in Washington last month, Israel and Lebanon reached a trilateral agreement that requires Israeli forces to withdraw from two areas in southern Lebanon, paving the way for further negotiations.
The US carried out a missile strike on the outskirts of the city of Abadan on Sunday evening local time, according to Iranian media.
Abadan, located in Khuzestan province, is in southwestern Iran, near the country’s border with Iraq.
There were no casualties as a result of the attack, Valiollah Hayati, a deputy governor for the province, told Iran’s national broadcaster IRIB. Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency also reported the strike, citing the Khuzestan government.
CNN has reached out to US Central Command for comment.
Big picture: The reports come after days of escalation between Washington and Tehran. Overnight Saturday into Sunday, US forces carried out their eighth consecutive round of strikes on the country.
The overnight strikes targeted facilities related to Iran’s air and coastal defenses as well as its missile and drone storage sites, according to the US military.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says he’s yet to meet Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamanei since he was appointed back in March.
In a wide-ranging interview, Araghchi also said the security shortcomings that allowed Israel to strike Iran’s leadership at the outset of the war still exist.
Here are some of the key points of his conversation with podcaster Javad Mogouyee:
• Before the war: Speaking about negotiations with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in February, Araghchi said: “I told Witkoff, ‘Have you ever attended a meeting where there was a possibility of being bombed at any moment?’”
• US-Israeli strikes: Araghchi said the bombing of the leadership compound in Tehran that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and much of his family in February “was carried out through a security vulnerability, and this security vulnerability still exists.”
• When he learned of Khamenei’s death: The foreign minister said that “from the very first day,” plans were in place to close the Strait of Hormuz if the leader was targeted. “I immediately contacted the foreign ministries of the region and said: We will strike US military bases; understand that this action is against America,” he added.
• On meeting the new supreme leader: “I still have not met Agha (leader) Mojtaba in person during this period of the leader’s tenure. Only a very small number of people have met with him.”
• Military readiness: “During the eight months between the two wars (June 2025 and February 2026), Iran’s launcher system was changed in such a way that no matter how much we fired, our missiles would not run out,” Araghchi claimed.
• During the conflict: “I and the deputy foreign ministers did not leave the foreign ministry building. For several hours a day, we would drive around the city in a vehicle; I could not put my mobile phone aside.”
• Next steps: “If we do not have the ability to achieve an absolute military victory, we must negotiate. Negotiations should take place when you have the upper hand on the military front.”
A Kuwaiti power and desalination plant has been attacked by Iran for the second time in two days, Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy said earlier today.
Yesterday, an Iranian provincial official said a US missile attack also damaged a desalination plant in the country. CNN has reached out to the US military for a response.
The plants, which convert seawater into drinking water, are vital in the Middle East, providing a key lifeline and sustaining certain remote regions through droughts. Some countries in the region are almost entirely dependent on desalination for drinking water.
In Kuwait and Oman, desalination accounts for around 90% of freshwater needs. In Bahrain, it’s 85%, and in Saudi Arabia around 70%. Major Gulf cities, including Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha, Kuwait City and Jeddah, are almost wholly dependent on desalinated water.
Iran is less dependent on desalination than its Gulf neighbors for drinking water. Still, the process is key for providing water to coastal and island communities and to help to offset droughts.
Desalination plants were also targeted when the current conflict began in March. At the time, the World Water Council — a UN-affiliated organization which advocates for global water security — condemned the attacks and called on all parties “to fully respect their obligations under international law.”
In a statement, it pointed to an article of the Geneva Convention which prohibits combatants from attacking essential resources for civilians’ survival “such as drinking water installations and supplies.”
CNN’s Catherine Nicholls contributed to this reporting.
The UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says it is looking into reports of an overnight attack on the construction site of an Iranian nuclear power plant.
The Darkhovin Power Plant, in southern Iran, is in the “very early stages” of construction and the reported attack is unlikely to pose any radiological risk, the watchdog said today. It also called for “military restraint” in the vicinity of all nuclear sites.
As we reported earlier, Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization said the US struck the power plant in the early hours of this morning. CNN has reached out to US Central Command for comment.
Jordanian air defenses intercepted three Iranian missiles on Sunday afternoon local time while a fourth landed in a remote area, the country’s military said in a statement.
No casualties or material damage were reported in the attack, the statement added.
Sirens had earlier sounded over Jordan, as the Israeli military reported Iran had launched missiles toward the Jordanian port city of Aqaba.
Eyewitness in Aqaba reported hearing several blasts, which were likely the sound of missile interceptions.
Given Aqaba’s close proximity to the Israeli border, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) warned that sirens could sound in southern Israel too. They later confirmed that Israeli air defenses had taken part in intercepting the missiles.
Earlier on Sunday, the Jordanian government denied that Aqaba’s international airport and seaport had been evacuated, despite a statement from the US Embassy in Jordan saying they had been due to “a specific and credible threat.”
Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization said the US struck an Iranian nuclear power plant currently under construction in the early hours of this morning.
The strikes hit the construction site at the Darkhovin Power Plant, which is located in southern Iran, near the Iraqi border, the organization said.
The organization said in December 2022 that groundworks had begun at the site. Construction still had not officially started as of March, according to the World Nuclear Association, which represents the global nuclear industry.
CNN has reached out to US Central Command for comment.
Some context: Plans for a nuclear power plant in Darkhovin date back to before the 1979 Iranian Revolution, and construction there began in the 1970s following French investment in the project.
But after the revolution, France withdrew its investments, halting construction, according to the World Nuclear Association. Chinese investments, agreed in the 1990s, was also withdrawn before construction could restart, the association added.
A Kuwaiti power and desalination plant has been attacked by Iran for the second time in two days, Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy said in a statement a short while ago, as Iranian strikes on US regional allies persist.
The Iranian strike was “heinous,” the ministry said, calling it “second hostile attack in two days.”
A resulting fire impacted a “large number of electricity generation units,” the ministry said, leading to the activation of emergency plans to maintain the stability of the plant’s electrical system.
Yesterday’s attack also saw a fire break out at the plant, but only in “one of the plant’s components,” according to the ministry.
A similar attack also took place on Friday, the ministry said after which the electrical generation units of a Kuwaiti power generation and water desalination plant were damaged in a fire that resulted from the Iranian strike.
Kuwait has been one of the countries most frequently targeted by Iran since hostilities resumed between Tehran and Washington. In Kuwait, desalination accounts for around 90% of freshwater needs.
CNN’s Jessie Yeung and Mostafa Salem contributed to this reporting.
Two Iranian protesters have been executed, according to the country’s semi-official Tasnim news agency, in a sign that the Iranian regime could be cracking down under the cover of ongoing conflict.
Erfan Esfandiari and Gol Mohammad Mohammadi were executed this morning, Tasnim said, for their role in the January anti-government demonstrations, which drew a brutal response from the regime.
It’s still unclear how many people were killed during those protests, but the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) says at least 6,000 protesters died and another 17,000 deaths are under investigation.
US President Donald Trump warned Tehran at the time that if they used violence against the protesters, the US would “come to their rescue.” And when the US and Israel started striking Iran weeks later, Trump called on Iranians to “seize the moment” and “take back” their country.”
Such rhetoric has waned during the course of the war. In fact, according to the Oslo-based Iran Human Rights (IHR), the regime has executed at least 47 political prisoners, many more than the 16 who had been executed at around the same time last year.
CNN’s Isobel Yeung and Vasco Cotovio contributed reporting.
The Jordanian government denied the international airport and seaport in the port city of Aqaba were evacuated Sunday, despite a statement from the US Embassy in Jordan.
“No potential threats have been recorded by the relevant Jordanian authorities in the past few hours,” spokesperson Dr. Mohammad Al-Momani said. “The authorities have not issued any evacuation orders at Aqaba Airport or the port.”
Both the airport and the seaport are operating normally, he added.
Earlier, the US Embassy said the airport and seaport in Aqaba had been evacuated due to a “specific and credible threat” as it advised Americans in the country against traveling to either terminal.
The ceasefire between the US and Iran is in tatters, with the conflict between the two sides intensifying this past week.
Tehran and Washington agreed to a memorandum of understanding (MoU) last month.
Here’s what has happened since the beginning of July:
July 1: US and Iranian negotiators travel to Doha, Qatar, for indirect negotiations. The delegations make “positive progress,” Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari says.
July 7: Iran fires on three commercial vessels in Oman’s territorial waters near the Strait of Hormuz, according to a US official. US Central Command says it launched strikes against Iran as “punishment.”
July 8: Iran warns it will deliver a “crushing response” to the US strikes, and the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) says it has launched attacks at 85 US military targets across Bahrain and Kuwait. Trump castigates Iran as “evil, sick people” at the NATO summit in Turkey, saying the memorandum of understanding “is over.” Hours later, the US launches more strikes against Iran.
July 9: Tehran says the US military has struck a railway bridge in northern Iran. CENTCOM says the US has hit around 90 military targets in another round of strikes. A US official tells CNN that both countries are continuing to engage in technical negotiations on nuclear issues.
July 10: Trump says the US has agreed to continue talks with Iran, but also that Washington has informed Tehran the ceasefire is no longer in effect. Iran’s chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf says Tehran is prepared for “all-out defense” if the US breaks the agreement. The Trump administration imposes fresh sanctions on Tehran.
July 11: Iran’s foreign minister accuses the US of violating a clause on Tehran’s nuclear program in their MoU.
July 12: The IRGC announces it has closed the Strait of Hormuz after firing a warning shot at a vessel attempting to use an unauthorized route to cross the waterway. The US military launches more strikes on Iran, and insists that the strait is still open.
July 13: US attacks across Iran continue into the afternoon, killing at least two people, Iranian media reports. Trump says he will reinstate a blockade of Iranian ships in the Strait of Hormuz. The US carries out more strikes on Iran overnight.
July 14: The IRGC says it “struck and disabled” what it called two “rogue supertankers.” Two tankers report being hit by missiles while transiting the southern route of the Strait of Hormuz, the UK Maritime Trade Operations center says. The US conducts more strikes overnight.
July 15: Iran says that US strikes on the country have killed more than 30 civilians in recent days. In retaliation for the US strikes, Tehran says it has targeted US military infrastructure in Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan.
July 16: An explosion is heard in Tehran, as state media reports attacks across Iran. Jordan and Kuwait’s armies say that they have intercepted Iranian strikes. That evening, the US launches more strikes, with attacks reported across Iran.
July 17: Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan and Qatar report more Iranian attacks. Kuwait says Iran has hit a power generation and water desalination plant. The US strikes Iran again. Tehran claims it has targeted US forces in Syria, though US military and Syrian officials dispute this. An Iranian attack on Jordan kills two US service members and leaves another missing in action.
July 18: US strikes damage a desalination plant in the south of Iran, according to the deputy governor of Hormozgan province. Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan and Saudi Arabia report raising alarms or fending off Iranian attacks, as Kuwait says another power and water desalination plant has been hit.
July 19: The US launches new strikes on Iran. Explosions are heard in Iran’s Bandar Abbas and on Qeshm Island, Iran’s state-run news agency IRNA reports. Meanwhile, Bahrain and Kuwait say that they have intercepted multiple Iranian aerial attacks.
CNN’s Mohammed Tawfeeq, Zachary Cohen, Jessie Yeung, Kevin Liptak, Sophie Tanno, Casey Gannon, Julia Benbrook, Hira Humayun, Pamela Brown, Lex Harvey, Davis Winkie, Isaac Yee, Clay Voytek, Betsy Klein, Alejandra Jaramillo, Aida Karimi, Lauren Kent, Jennifer Hansler, Rhea Mogul, Dalia Abdelwahab, Aleena Fayaz, Aileen Graef, Kathleen Magramo, Billy Stockwell, Helen Regan, Kareem El Damanhoury, Hanna Park, Ibrahim Dahman, Sana Noor Haq, Xiaoqian Lin, Mostafa Salem, Eyad Kourdi, Adam Pourahmadi, Tim Lister and Chris Lau contributed to this reporting.
Both Bahrain and Kuwait have reported intercepting Iranian aerial attacks today, after the US launched yet another round of strikes at Iran overnight.
As the conflict continues to escalate, here’s the latest:
The international airport and seaport in the Jordanian city of Aqaba, which is on the Red Sea, have been evacuated due to a “specific and credible threat,” the US Embassy in Jordan said a short while ago.
The US struck Iran for the eighth consecutive night in a row, in attacks that US Central Command said were launched to “swiftly punish” Iran for killing two American service members in Jordan on Friday.
After CENTCOM announced the deaths of the service members in Jordan, US President Donald Trump said they were “a very sad thing.”
Explosions were heard in Iran’s Bandar Abbas and on Qeshm Island early this morning local time, Iranian state-run news agency IRNA reported, citing local residents.
CNN’s Ibrahim Dahman, Sophie Tanno, Chris Lau, Aleena Fayaz, Logan Schiciano and Jomana Karadsheh contributed to this reporting.
The international airport and seaport in the Jordanian port city of Aqaba have been evacuated due to a “specific and credible threat,”, the US Embassy in Jordan said Sunday.
“We strongly advise all Americans to refrain traveling to either the airport or seaport,” it added.
Aqaba on the Red Sea is usually very busy during summer months. It is home to Jordan’s only seaport.
The US Embassy added that it continues to advise all Americans to avoid travel to military bases in Jordan, which have seen frequent Iranian attacks including one that killed two US service members.
There has been no immediate comment from the Jordanian authorities.
The US has now bombarded Iran for an eighth consecutive night in a row, targeting facilities related to the country’s air and coastal defenses as well as its missile and drone storage sites, according to US Central Command (CENTCOM).
The strikes were launched to “swiftly punish” Iran for killing two American soldiers in Jordan on Friday, CENTCOM said.
Here’s a look at how the conflict has escalated over the past week:
Last Sunday local time, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) closed the Strait of Hormuz after firing a warning shot at a vessel it said was attempting to use an unauthorized route to cross the waterway. The US military launched multiple rounds of strikes on Iran in response. Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Jordan all reported incoming attacks as Iran retaliated.
In the early hours of Monday morning, the US carried out another round of strikes on Iran, including on two locations near Ahvaz, a city known for its petroleum industry, as well as a water pumping station in southwestern Iran’s Khuzestan, state media reported. The IRGC launched a new wave of missile and drone attacks toward US bases in the region, including in Bahrain and Kuwait.
Early Tuesday, the US military said it struck targets across Iran for five hours, damaging a power plant on Iran’s Kish Island, according to Iranian state media. Iran launched waves of strikes towards Bahrain, while Jordan’s state news agency said the country shot down four missiles fired from Iran. Four Kuwaiti service members were wounded by an Iranian attack on a Kuwaiti naval vessel, the country’s Defense Ministry said. The IRGC also said it “struck and disabled” two tankers in Strait of Hormuz. That night, the US struck Iran ahead of reimplementing its blockade of the country’s ports
On Wednesday, the US carried out multiple rounds of strikes on Iran, killing at least seven Iranian military personnel, according to Iran’s army. A hospital in southwestern Iran was temporarily evacuated after a projectile from a US strike landed nearby, state-run media reported. Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain responded to Iranian attacks.
Early Thursday local time, an explosion was heard in Tehran, as state media reported attacks across Iran. Jordan and Kuwait’s armies said that they intercepted Iranian strikes. That evening, the US launched more strikes, with attacks reported across Iran.
In the early hours of Friday, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan and Qatar reported more Iranian attacks. Kuwait said Iran hit a power generation and water desalination plant. The US struck Iran again, with Iranian state media reporting that several bridges in the south of the country and a maritime control tower were hit. Iran claimed it targeted US forces in Syria, though both US military and Syrian officials disputed this.
The US carried out a seventh night of overnight strikes on Iran into Saturday, which damaged a desalination plant in the south of the country, according to the deputy governor of Hormozgan province. Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan and Saudi Arabia reported raising alarms or fending off Iranian attacks, as Kuwait said another power and water desalination plant was hit.
Overnight into today, the US launched its new strikes on Iran following the deaths of the US service members in Jordan. Explosions were heard in Iran’s Bandar Abbas and on Qeshm Island, Iranian state-run news agency IRNA reported, citing local residents. Meanwhile, Bahrain said that it has intercepted and destroyed multiple Iranian aerial attacks today.
CNN’s Dalia Abdelwahab, Aleena Fayaz, Laura Sharman, Eyad Kourdi, Xiaoqian Lin, Mohammed Tawfeeq, Kareem El Damanhoury, Ross Adkin, Lex Harvey, Yasha Saebi, Max Saltman, Clay Voytek, Aida Karimi, Hira Humayun, Kathleen Magramo, Davis Winkie, Zachary Cohen, Kit Maher, Billy Stockwell, Mitchell McCluskey, Hanna Park, Ibrahim Dahman, Sana Noor Haq, Sophie Tanno, Mostafa Salem, Isaac Yee, Jessie Yeung, Adam Pourahmadi, Tim Lister and Chris Lau contributed to this reporting.
Bahrain intercepted and destroyed multiple Iranian aerial attacks today, the country’s defense forces said, adding that all its “weapons and units are at the highest levels of readiness.”
The General Command urged “everyone to exercise caution and avoid approaching any unidentified or suspicious objects resulting from the remnants of the brutal Iranian aggression, and to report them immediately.”
Sirens sounded in Bahrain on Sunday morning, the country’s interior ministry noted on X, for the seventh time in less than 48 hours.
The ministry instructed citizens to remain calm and head to the nearest safe space.
Bahrain hosts US military facilities and has been a frequent target of Iranian reprisal attacks.
Gulf states are looking on with growing apprehension as the conflict between Iran and the US escalates again.
A pattern of strikes and counterstrikes is firmly bedded in, with the additional complication of growing tension between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-allied Houthis in Yemen, who are determined to break a blockade against them.
The diplomatic track seems moribund for now. The flurry of Pakistani and Qatari delegations visiting Iran in an effort to sustain the ceasefire has given way to pessimism among regional diplomats. Qatar itself has been hit twice in the recent flare-up.
Iranian drones have also targeted Oman, days after negotiations between the two states on a management scheme for the Strait. And Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) has struck ships sailing close to the Omani coastline. Traffic in the Strait of Hormuz is down to a trickle.
Iran has repeatedly warned it is ready to step up strikes on neighbors that host US military facilities and a semi-official outlet – Fars – published a list of five ports in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates that it said could become targets if Iranian infrastructure were attacked.
US targeting in recent days has included tunnels, roads, bridges and railways, according to Iranian state media – heightening anxiety that the conflict could spiral.
“Every US escalation is met by an Iranian escalation, as each side seeks to establish new deterrence thresholds with every exchange,” according to Israeli analyst Danny Citrinowicz.
Rather than force Iran back to the negotiating table, “an equally plausible outcome is a conflict that spirals beyond either side’s intentions, expanding into a much broader regional war with diminishing opportunities to restore diplomacy,” Citrinowicz posted on X yesterday.
Kuwait’s air defenses are “currently confronting” missile and drone attacks, its army said Sunday morning local time.
“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,” it said in an X post.
Iran struck a military base in Jordan Saturday, killing two American service members and prompting the US military to launch counter attacks to, it said, “swiftly punish” Tehran. The slain service members were the first US military deaths in the conflict in months.
The “rhythm of war” continues to pick up, an analyst told CNN, as renewed bombing between the two countries passed its eighth straight day.
Here’s what else you should know:
Multiple explosions were reported in Bandar Abbas and Qeshm Island early Sunday, according to Iranian media. Several locations were reportedly hit on Qeshm Island, located in the Strait of Hormuz. The island has been a target in recent days, with “parts of the island and its infrastructure” damaged in US attacks, Tasnim reported.
US Central Command said it targeted Iranian forces behind the attacks that killed the two American service members, alongside a host of military facilities, during Saturday’s airstrikes.
Iran’s military said it targeted US forces on two bases in Kuwait, according to a statement reported by state news outlet IRNA early Sunday local time. CNN was unable to verify the claim.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei decried repeated US violations of the memorandum of understanding meant to pave the way for further peace talks, calling President Donald Trump’s signature “worthless and unreliable.”
Iran’s deadly attack on a base used by the US military in Jordan shows Tehran has not given up on the use of long-range strikes, a CNN analyst said Sunday.
“With the attack on the Al-Azraq air base in Jordan, where the two service members were killed, and we have one missing, that indicates that the Iranians are still willing to use longer-range weapon systems,” said retired Air Force Colonel Cedric Leighton.
Meanwhile, he said, the US military has been stepping up strikes against the western part of Iran, from where long-range missiles could be fired.
“The rhythm of war that we talked about has definitely picked up during these last few days,” Leighton said, also alluding to the generally intensified exchanges of fire.
US Central Command said it completed its latest round of strikes against Iran at 11:30 p.m. Eastern time, targeting Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces behind the attacks that killed two US service members in Jordan.
Other military facilities were also hit, according to CENTCOM.
“CENTCOM forces successfully hit Iranian military coastal surveillance and air defense facilities, maritime capabilities, and missile and drone storage sites to continue degrading Iranian military capabilities,” it said in a post on X. It did not say how many targets had been hit.
This marks the eighth consecutive night of US strikes on Iran.
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