Iran Vows to Continue Strikes in Mideast War

TOPSHOT - A motorist parks his bike in front of a wall mural along the street in Tehran on July 21, 2026. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) /
TOPSHOT - A motorist parks his bike in front of a wall mural along the street in Tehran on July 21, 2026. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) /
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Iran Vows to Continue Strikes in Mideast War

TOPSHOT - A motorist parks his bike in front of a wall mural along the street in Tehran on July 21, 2026. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) /
TOPSHOT - A motorist parks his bike in front of a wall mural along the street in Tehran on July 21, 2026. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) /

Iran vowed on Thursday to keep striking the region so long as it remains under attack, AFP reported on Thursday. 

The war resumed following a ceasefire that lasted just a few weeks, throwing the region and global energy markets back into chaos as Iran and the United States battle for control of the vital Strait of Hormuz. 

The Houthis this week joined the conflict, claiming to have struck two oil tankers. 

Meanwhile, Jordan and Kuwait both reported intercepting strikes as Iran's military and Revolutionary Guards claimed to be targeting US assets in both countries. 

"The armed forces' retaliatory attacks will continue as long as the US attacks on the country's infrastructure and coastal areas continue," Iran's army spokesperson Mohammad Akraminia said, according to state TV. 

- 'Eye for an eye' - 

The developments followed fresh US strikes on Iranian military targets, with US Central Command reporting its twelfth consecutive night of strikes, saying it aimed to "further degrade Iran's ability to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting regional waters". 

President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the US would bomb Iranian civilian infrastructure every time Tehran fires at ships in Hormuz. 

"Any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, whether it be by Missile, Rocket, Drone, or any other device or weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT," Trump wrote on social media. 

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran would respond in kind to any attack on its infrastructure, writing: "Our defense doctrine is clear: eye for an eye." 

Iranian state media said Thursday that a US attack killed two people at Shalamcheh on Iran’s border with Iraq. 

It also reported two US missiles hit Bushehr, home to the country's only civilian nuclear plant and a frequent target of Washington's strikes. 

- Houthis step in - 

The Houthis said they had carried out missile and drone strikes on two tankers in the Red Sea. 

British naval security monitor UKMTO said the master of a tanker reported being hit by an unknown projectile about 70 nautical miles southwest of Al Shuqaiq, causing a fire that the crew was fighting. 

In Hormuz, the Revolutionary Guards said they stopped three oil tankers from transiting, as the US and Iran vie for control over the route through which around one fifth of the world's oil passed before the war. 

"The Strait of Hormuz is under our control... and any ship that is deceived by the US and intends to pass without coordination with the Islamic Republic of Iran will suffer the same fate," the Revolutionary Guards said. 

Oil prices again climbed Thursday, with Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, up four percent at $97.80 a barrel and bringing back fears of spiraling consumer prices and slowed growth globally. 

On the sidelines of a Southeast Asian summit in Manila, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Houthis had been "suckered" into attacking Red Sea shipping by Iran. 

"The Houthis largely were smart and stayed out of all this throughout the conflict, but they now apparently have gotten themselves suckered into this, going after Saudi Arabia and their ships," Rubio said. 

"I hope they will de-escalate, because I think the Houthis, frankly, got snookered into this thing by the Iranians." 



Cape Verde in Mourning after Children Killed in Bus Crash

An aerial view of residents and relatives of the victims killed in a bus crash gathering during their funeral at Sao Lourenco Church in the town of Sao Lourenco, on the island of Fogo, on September 6, 2026. (Photo by Herculano da Luz / AFP)
An aerial view of residents and relatives of the victims killed in a bus crash gathering during their funeral at Sao Lourenco Church in the town of Sao Lourenco, on the island of Fogo, on September 6, 2026. (Photo by Herculano da Luz / AFP)
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Cape Verde in Mourning after Children Killed in Bus Crash

An aerial view of residents and relatives of the victims killed in a bus crash gathering during their funeral at Sao Lourenco Church in the town of Sao Lourenco, on the island of Fogo, on September 6, 2026. (Photo by Herculano da Luz / AFP)
An aerial view of residents and relatives of the victims killed in a bus crash gathering during their funeral at Sao Lourenco Church in the town of Sao Lourenco, on the island of Fogo, on September 6, 2026. (Photo by Herculano da Luz / AFP)

Cape Verde's government announced two days of mourning on Sunday after 25 people, mostly children and teenagers, were killed in a bus crash.

The west African country's leaders joined a Mass on Sunday at a local church on the island of Fogo, where 18 coffins were on display.

Such accidents are rare in the Atlantic archipelago, where roads are generally in good condition.

Officials said the bus veered off the road and plunged into a deep ravine late on Saturday, following an excursion to a village inside a volcanic crater.

The dead included the bus driver, who organized the excursion every year as a present for the pupils he drove to school during term time.

Prime Minister Francisco Carvalho told public television station TCV he had ordered two days of mourning and promised further measures would be taken.

President Jose Maria Neves, meanwhile, said he would order an inquiry into the circumstances of the accident.

"Right now the priority is to show solidarity with the families of the victims," AFP quoted him as saying.

Emergency personnel worked through the night to rescue victims trapped in the wreckage, in a remote, rocky valley.

Seven victims were buried early on Sunday. The rest were set to be buried later in the day, according to public radio network RCV.

Dionisio Semedo, a doctor at the regional hospital on Fogo, told public TV that 12 people were still receiving treatment, two of whom were in serious condition.

He said bodies and injured people began arriving at the hospital on Saturday night, between 11:00 pm and midnight.


Iran's Top Negotiator Threatens 'Faster, More Intense' Response to US Attacks

People walk past a large anti-US banner with reference to the dropping of the atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, in Tehran on September 2, 2026. (Photo by Atta KENARE / AFP) /
People walk past a large anti-US banner with reference to the dropping of the atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, in Tehran on September 2, 2026. (Photo by Atta KENARE / AFP) /
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Iran's Top Negotiator Threatens 'Faster, More Intense' Response to US Attacks

People walk past a large anti-US banner with reference to the dropping of the atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, in Tehran on September 2, 2026. (Photo by Atta KENARE / AFP) /
People walk past a large anti-US banner with reference to the dropping of the atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, in Tehran on September 2, 2026. (Photo by Atta KENARE / AFP) /

Iran's top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf threatened on Sunday to launch swifter and more forceful responses to US attacks, after Tehran targeted American warships in retaliation for US attacks on tankers.

"The Americans must have understood that the era of proportionate responses has come to an end," said Ghalibaf in a speech carried by state media, adding that "any aggression against Iran's interests and security will receive a faster, more intense and more painful response.”

Iran said Sunday that it struck an unmanned US military boat in the Strait of Hormuz.

US Central Command, which oversees the US military operations in the Middle East, did not confirm the claim or respond to request for comment. It comes one day after the US said it struck Iranian oil tankers in retaliation for Iran launching ballistic missiles at Navy warships.


A Fuel Tanker Explosion in West Iran Kills 11 and Injures 7

A fuel tanker exploded in western Iran, killing 11 people and injuring seven others, according to the state media.(AP)
A fuel tanker exploded in western Iran, killing 11 people and injuring seven others, according to the state media.(AP)
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A Fuel Tanker Explosion in West Iran Kills 11 and Injures 7

A fuel tanker exploded in western Iran, killing 11 people and injuring seven others, according to the state media.(AP)
A fuel tanker exploded in western Iran, killing 11 people and injuring seven others, according to the state media.(AP)

A fuel tanker exploded in western Iran, killing 11 people and injuring seven others, state media said.

IRNA reported late Saturday that the tanker hit other cars before bursting into flames near a traffic police station close to the Kurdish city of Sanandaj, some 400 kilometers (248 miles) west of the capital, Tehran. The report cited a faulty brake system, The Associated Press said.

The injured were transferred to hospitals.

In 2018, a similar road accident between a fuel tanker and an intercity passenger bus near Sanandaj killed 15 people and injured four.

Road and traffic accidents annually leave more than 17,000 dead in Iran. Experts blame the high fatality rate on unsafe vehicles, disregard for traffic rules, and inadequate emergency services.