Audio By Vocalize
Mourners attend the funeral of Iran's slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei and members of his family, before he is buried at the Shrine of Imam Reza, in Mashhad on July 9, 2026. [AFP]
Tehran announced it was closing the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday and launched missiles and drones at its Gulf neighbours, in retaliation for new US strikes following an attack by Iranian forces on a merchant vessel that was abandoned in flames by its crew.
Sirens and explosions were heard in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, AFP journalists and local authorities reported, the latest escalation to undermine an interim agreement between Washington and Tehran aimed at ending the Middle East war.
The Pentagon said it had struck Iran early Sunday after the Revolutionary Guards fired on a Cyprus-registered container ship they said was sailing an "unauthorised route" through the Strait of Hormuz.
