Cars drive past billboards showing Iran’s new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei (L) and his late father Ali Khamenei (R), with the slogan “Thank you, loyal Iran,” erected along the highway leading to Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut on June 22, 2026. Photo: Anwar Amro / AFP / Lehtikuva
International news
Fresh military exchanges between the United States and Iran have pushed their fragile ceasefire to the edge after Washington struck military sites in southern Iran and Tehran responded with missile and drone attacks on US military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait.
The United States launched a second round of strikes against Iranian military infrastructure near the Strait of Hormuz after accusing Tehran of attacking commercial shipping in one of the world's busiest maritime routes.
US Central Command said American aircraft and naval forces targeted surveillance systems, communications equipment, air defence positions, drone facilities and mine-laying capabilities near Sirik, Bandar-e Lengeh and Qeshm Island. Washington said the operation followed an Iranian drone attack on the Panama-flagged tanker Kiku, which was carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil.
