Mystery airstrikes hit Iran after US operations end, as Washington demands Tehran reopen Strait of Hormuz

Tensions escalate in the Middle East as mystery airstrikes hit southern Iran on July 9, 2026, immediately after the U.S. concluded its own 90-target military operation. Iran retaliated with missile strikes targeting Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, and Qatar. Meanwhile, Washington demands Tehran publicly declare the Strait of Hormuz open to international shipping, a claim Iran rejects by asserting exclusive control. Amidst these clashes, U.S. officials report a real-time power struggle in Iran following the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, complicating regional mediation efforts led by Pakistan, Qatar, and Oman.

Mystery airstrikes on Iran

• ▪The unclaimed airstrikes on July 9, 2026, targeted Iran's Bushehr and Sistan and Baluchestan provinces, as well as the cities of Ahvaz and Chabahar
• ▪Iran responded to the July 9, 2026, strikes by launching missile attacks targeting Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, and Qatar, which reportedly injured one person in Kuwait
• ▪A series of unclaimed airstrikes hit southern Iran and other areas on July 9, 2026, shortly after the United States military concluded its own operations

Strait of Hormuz control dispute

• ▪The Joint Maritime Information Center issued an advisory on July 10, 2026, urging commercial mariners to use an expanded southern route through Oman's territorial waters
• ▪Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani stated that any activity in the Strait of Hormuz, including opening or demining operations, rests exclusively with Iran
• ▪The United States is demanding that Iran make a public statement declaring the Strait of Hormuz open and promising that commercial ships will not be attacked

Iranian internal power struggles

• ▪A power struggle is playing out in Iran following the deaths of longtime leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in United States and Israeli strikes at the start of the war
• ▪United States officials stated that internal power struggles in Tehran have made it difficult to reach and maintain a diplomatic agreement

Enriched uranium stockpile demands

• ▪The United States possesses military options to ensure Iran's highly enriched uranium remains buried underground if a deal is not reached
• ▪United States officials stated that any nuclear deal will require Iran to turn over its entire stockpile of highly enriched uranium

Regional diplomatic mediation efforts

• ▪Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi scheduled a meeting in Oman on July 11, 2026, to discuss the Strait of Hormuz with his Omani counterpart
• ▪Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held separate discussions on July 10, 2026, with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to urge restraint