US President Donald Trump sent a new message regarding the ceasefire in the Middle East — which he himself has suggested “is over” — claiming in the early hours of Thursday that Iran had contacted him seeking a deal following repeated American strikes in the region, while adding that he wasn’t sure Tehran “deserves” one.
“They called me a little while ago and they want so badly to make a deal,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on his return from the NATO Summit in Ankara, Turkey. “I just don’t know if they deserve to make a deal,” he added.
Earlier the same day, the US president had declared that the ceasefire between the two countries “is over,” following Iranian attacks on several vessels in the Strait of Hormuz and the American retaliatory strikes that followed.
“Every time they hit us, we hit them 20 times,” Trump said pointedly. Following the US Central Command’s (CENTCOM) announcement of new strikes against targets in Iran, the president warned that military operations would become “much worse” if Tehran launched further attacks.
Strikes on two bridges — the first on infrastructure since the ceasefire
State broadcaster IRIB reported that US forces bombed a railway bridge outside the city of Aq Qala, in Iran’s northern Golestan province. According to the same source, seven “enemy projectiles” were fired at the Aq Tekeh Khan bridge at around 1:30 a.m. local time.
Of the seven strikes, two caused explosions directly on the railway line, according to Iranian state television, which provided no immediate information on casualties or the extent of the damage.
As Axios reported, the US military struck two railway bridges in northern Iran using cruise missiles — marking the first attack on infrastructure since the April 8 ceasefire.
💥🇺🇸🇮🇷צבא ארה”ב תקף באמצעות טילי שיוט שני גשרי מסילת רכבת בצפון איראן, כך לפי בכיר אמריקני. זו הפעם הראשונה בה צבא ארה”ב תוקף תשתיות באיראן מאז הפסקת האש ב-8 באפריל
— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) July 9, 2026
Airport struck in southeastern Iran — one killed
A firefighter was killed following US strikes on airport facilities in Iranshahr, in southeastern Iran, according to the state news agency IRNA.
The governor of Iranshahr stated that four powerful explosions were heard in the city at approximately 12:30 a.m. local time.
Following on-site inspections, it was confirmed that projectiles struck the airport’s flight operations building as well as the meteorological station, causing damage to both structures.
According to the official, emergency teams arrived at the scene immediately; however, firefighter Khaled Qanderi, who was on duty at the time, lost his life during the attack.
Powerful explosions were also heard at various locations along Iran’s southern coastline in the Gulf, shortly after the US announced it was conducting new strikes against the Islamic Republic in the early hours of Thursday — for the second consecutive night — according to state media.
Fighter jets were heard flying over Kish Island, and a series of explosions were reported in the cities of Bandar Abbas, Konarak, and Chabahar, where Iranian ports are located, while power outages were reported in some areas, according to the official news agency IRNA.
Revolutionary Guards retaliate against Kuwait and Bahrain
Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that it had struck US military bases in Kuwait and Bahrain in retaliation for American strikes on Iran, threatening to expand its attacks to other countries in the Middle East region.
In a statement cited by Iranian state broadcaster IRIB, the Revolutionary Guards said they launched attacks using suicide drones and missiles against “infrastructure and facilities” at the US bases of Arifjan and Ali Al Salem in Kuwait, and Juffair and Sheikh Isa in Bahrain. They threatened to extend the retaliation to other countries in the region if the US proceeded with further strikes.
Air raid sirens had already sounded in the early hours of Thursday in Bahrain, the country’s Interior Ministry announced, following the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ warning that they would respond to American strikes against the Islamic Republic.
“The siren has been sounded,” the Interior Ministry posted on platform X, urging citizens and residents “to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place.”
The siren has been sounded. Citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place .
— Ministry of Interior (@moi_bahrain) July 9, 2026
Bahrain subsequently reactivated its missile attack warning sirens. Following Bahrain, warning sirens were also sounded in Kuwait and Qatar. There are currently no immediate reports of damage in the three Arab Gulf states. Kuwait’s military announced it was in the process of intercepting incoming drones and missiles.
تتصدى حالياً الدفاعات الجوية الكويتية لهجمات صاروخية وطائرات مسيرة معادية.
تنوه رئاسة الأركان العامة للجيش أن أصوات الانفجارات إن سمعت فهي نتيجة اعتراض منظومات الدفاع الجوي للهجمات المعادية.
يرجى من الجميع التقيد بتعليمات الأمن والسلامة الصادرة عن الجهات المختصة.… pic.twitter.com/jqR7huoRTO
— KUWAIT ARMY – الجيش الكويتي (@KuwaitArmyGHQ) July 9, 2026
Ghalibaf: the Strait of Hormuz will only reopen on “Iranian terms”
Iran’s chief negotiator in talks with the United States, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, reiterated on Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz will not reopen except on “Iranian terms,” amid fresh exchanges of strikes between the armed forces of the two nations in the Middle East.
“America has yet to learn that intimidation and broken promises no longer come without a cost. Let me put it simply: if you strike us, we will strike you,” said Ghalibaf, the speaker of the Iranian parliament, in a post on X.
He added that the Strait of Hormuz, at the heart of the ongoing tensions between Washington and Tehran, “will not reopen except on ‘Iranian terms’ — not under American threats.”
