U.S. Launches Second Wave of Strikes on 90 Sites in Iran; Trump Says It Is Not a Resumption of War
- Input
- 2026-07-09 18:15:25
- Updated
- 2026-07-09 18:15:25
Iran, meanwhile, said it would firmly assert control over passage through the Strait of Hormuz, the trigger for the conflict, adding that the waterway would open only through "Iranian measures," not through U.S. threats. Trump now faces a choice once again between escalation and dialogue.
Since the initial ceasefire on April 7, the United States had limited its strikes to southern Iran near the Strait of Hormuz, but it has now widened the scope of its attacks. IRIB claimed on the 9th that a railway bridge outside Akhalash, in Golestan Province in northeastern Iran, was hit. Explosions were also heard in major southern cities including Bandar Abbas, Sirak, and Chabahar.
■ Iran strikes U.S. bases in the Middle East
Iran also continued its retaliatory attacks. On the 9th local time, it struck Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait with missiles and drones. The three countries host the U.S. Fifth Fleet headquarters, Al Udeid Air Base, and Ali Al Salem Air Base, respectively. Iran said it had launched missiles and drones at the three countries on the 8th, hitting 85 U.S. targets, in response to the U.S. airstrikes on 80 targets in southern Iran on the 7th. The U.S. military also carried out a second round of airstrikes on the 8th, hitting 90 targets.
CENTCOM said on social media platform X that it had attacked 90 military targets along Iran's coast, including air defense systems, coastal surveillance equipment, missile and drone storage sites, naval assets, and logistics facilities. It described the operation as an additional strike following the previous night's attack on 80 targets inside Iran.
The clashes began after Iran attacked three merchant ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz on the 6th and 7th. Iran said it targeted vessels that were operating without coordinating routes and procedures with Tehran. The United States, citing freedom of international maritime traffic, said it could not recognize Iran's control and began striking Iranian military facilities over two days on the 7th and 8th. The dispute over control of the Hormuz region reignited hostilities between the two sides.
While staying in Ankara to attend the NATO summit, Trump said on the 8th that the ceasefire memorandum signed with Iran had, "from my perspective, expired." He also called Iran's leadership "human garbage" and said, "I don't want to deal with them anymore."
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X on the 8th that Trump's remarks were "not enough to diminish the greatness of the Iranian people, who are civilized and courageous." He added, "We will not respond to vulgarity with vulgarity, but with action."
■ Treasury yields and oil prices surge
The IRGC warned that its response was "the first stage of punitive action against the United States" and said that if U.S. aggression is repeated, its destructive retaliation will expand to other U.S. bases in the region. That same day, a U.S. government official told CNN that the 60-day ceasefire agreed with Iran in the ceasefire memorandum had been "suspended, at least temporarily."
Meanwhile, renewed tensions in the Middle East pushed U.S. Treasury yields higher across the board. International oil prices jumped more than 7%, reviving inflation concerns. In the U.S. Treasury market, the yield on the 10-year note rose 6 basis points, or 0.06 percentage point, from the previous session to 4.589%. The 10-year yield is a key long-term benchmark in the U.S. financial market, influencing mortgage rates, auto loans, and corporate borrowing.
International oil prices also surged. Brent Crude Oil futures, the global benchmark, climbed 7.4% to $79.68 per barrel, while WTI rose 7.2% to $75.48 per barrel.
pjw@fnnews.com