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Middle East·Armed Conflicts·Diplomacy

Gulf states call for ceasefire as US and Iran trade strikes across the region[Updated]

Monday, 20 July 2026, 06:17 · 2 min read
Updates
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The US military completed its 12th consecutive night of strikes on Iran early Thursday, killing at least two people and wounding 11 others in an attack on the Shalamcheh border crossing with Iraq, while explosions were also reported near Ahvaz, Ramshir, Andimeshk, Sirik and Bushehr — where a missile struck a power station near the Bushehr nuclear plant, briefly cutting electricity to a nearby village. President Trump separately warned he would destroy one Iranian bridge or power plant for every ship attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, as the IRGC reported a tanker ablaze in the strait and Yemen's Houthis claimed missile and drone strikes on two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea. Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi announced an "eye for an eye" doctrine, vowing a "powerful and decisive response" to any attack on Iranian infrastructure, while an Iranian strike on a US military site in Jordan killed three American soldiers — the first US fatalities from Iranian fire since the conflict began.

Sources
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An Iranian army spokesperson warned Tuesday that Iran would bomb its own territory rather than allow US forces to occupy it, as fears of a ground war deepened. "If America occupies our territory, we will even bomb our own territory," Brigadier General Mohammad Akrami-Nia said on state television. US Central Command has now marked ten consecutive days of strikes against Iranian targets, and the Pentagon is preparing options for limited ground operations involving thousands of troops, though the White House stressed no decision has been made. Former Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, now a parliamentarian, went further, suggesting Iran should consider capturing American soldiers in response to escalating US threats.

Sources
Original story

The confrontation between the United States and Iran has expanded sharply, with attacks now affecting multiple Gulf states including Kuwait and Bahrain, as regional powers urgently call for a return to diplomacy. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed to have struck US military infrastructure in Kuwait, including an ammunition depot at Camp Buehring and radar systems at Ali Al Salem Air Base, while explosions were also reported over Manama, Bahrain's capital, after air raid sirens sounded across the city. Kuwaiti authorities confirmed that a power and desalination plant was hit for the second consecutive day, triggering a major fire and raising alarm over the vulnerability of critical civilian infrastructure across the Gulf.

The latest attacks came during an eighth consecutive night of US airstrikes on Iranian targets. US Central Command said American forces had struck Iranian coastal surveillance systems, air defence installations, maritime assets and weapons storage facilities at locations including Qeshm Island, Shadegan, Sirik and the Darkhovin site — an unfinished nuclear power facility in southwestern Iran. The International Atomic Energy Agency said it was investigating the reported strike on Darkhovin. Iran also claimed to have shot down a US MQ-9 Reaper drone near Ahvaz, a claim the US military has not confirmed. The human toll for Washington continues to mount: 16 American service members have now been killed since the conflict began, including two killed in Jordan on Friday.

Diplomatic efforts are intensifying even as they falter. Jordan and Qatar, two countries that have positioned themselves as mediators, held urgent consultations stressing the need for an immediate ceasefire and a return to negotiations. Qatar's Emir and Iraq's prime minister also called for dialogue. The push for talks comes after Tehran announced it was suspending its commitments under an earlier ceasefire framework brokered by Pakistan, accusing Washington of violating the agreement. Iran's Interior Minister is expected in Islamabad for follow-up talks with Pakistani officials who had previously helped mediate. Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei warned that continued US strikes had eroded trust and vowed

Sources
Dawn — Gulf states appeal for return to talks as US, Iran trade blows ↗︎France24 — 🔴Middle East live: Kuwait says intercepting Iran drone attacks as explosions heard in Bahrain ↗︎
This article was automatically compiled by AI from the sources above. It may contain inaccuracies. Always read the original sources for the full context.