Final Farewell to Iran’s Former Supreme Leader Amidst US-Iran Attacks and Counterattacks
Image source, Instagram
On Thursday, amidst ongoing exchanges of attacks and counterattacks between the US and Iran, a dramatic decrease has been observed in the number of vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
The United States has announced strikes on 90 targets, some of which are near the strategic waterway.
Iran has reported 14 fatalities resulting from attacks over the past two days.
Iranian state media cited a deputy governor of the province near the Bushehr nuclear facility acknowledging casualties from the attack there. The US has not commented on this.
Where Has Iran Counterattacked?
Iran stated that its counterattacks targeted US facilities in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar.
Explosions occurred in Manama, Bahrain’s capital, while Kuwait reported intercepting missiles and drones, and Qatar has heightened security alerts.
On Thursday night, Tehran media reported further strikes against US assets in Kuwait, Jordan, and Iraq.
Iranian officials stated fresh air strikes have hit various parts of the country amid a battle over control of the Strait of Hormuz with the United States.
In a social media statement, the US military said the Strait of Hormuz is not under Iranian control.
According to the US military, they have assisted the safe passage of 800 commercial vessels and 40 million barrels of crude oil through the waterway.
Funeral of the Supreme Leader
Despite ongoing attacks, Iran held a six-day funeral procession and ceremonies to lay the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to rest.
Huge crowds gathered on the streets of Mashhad, a northeastern city, waving Iranian flags. Some attendees carried banners with death threats aimed at former US President Donald Trump.
Image source, Getty Images
Khamenei passed away on February 28, the same day the US and Israel launched attacks in Iran.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned recent US strikes as “serious war crimes” and called the US administration “evil and mentally unstable.”
During the funeral, infrastructure including bridges and railway lines connecting Mashhad to Tehran suffered damage from attacks.
Iran’s Ministry of Health reported 14 deaths and 78 injuries due to the recent hostilities.
Speaking on social media platform X, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s Parliament Speaker and lead negotiator with the US, stated that Iran will not silently accept threats or broken promises from America, a message the US has yet to understand.
“Let me be clear: if you strike, you shall also be struck,” he wrote.
He emphasized that the Strait of Hormuz would be operated solely under Iranian management, rejecting threats from the US.
On Tuesday, the US military launched a “powerful” strike in response to Iranian attacks on tankers in the Hormuz Strait, and Iran retaliated on Wednesday with attacks on American military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait.
On Thursday, attacks and counterattacks continued.
These events are considered the worst escalation since a memorandum of understanding was signed between the US and Iran on June 17.
The US-Iran agreement outlined 14 points including a 60-day ceasefire period with ongoing talks, safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, and the lifting of US sanctions against Iran.
While the 60-day period has not yet ended, tensions remain high.
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