Qatar denies involvement in any military action against Iran.. New US strikes target Bandar Abbas, Qeshm, and Bushehr

US strikes on Iran: Doha rejects “Israeli claims” and affirms commitment to mediation, CENTCOM continues strikes for fifth night, Iran threatens to target regional infrastructure

Qatar on Thursday denied Israeli reports claiming it had agreed to participate in military action against Iran, affirming it “has not and will not” take part in any military action against any neighboring country, coinciding with US Central Command’s (CENTCOM) announcement of new strikes on Iran for the fifth consecutive night, targeting sites in Bandar Abbas, Qeshm, Bushehr, and Iranshahr, while Iranian armed forces spokesman threatened a “harsher and wider” response should a new war break out.

Qatar denies participation in any military action against Iran

Qatar’s International Media Office, in a series of urgent statements, affirmed Doha’s rejection of Israeli reports claiming its approval to participate in military action against Iran, stating these claims are “circulated by individuals seeking to drag Qatar into the conflict and undermine its pivotal mediation role.”

The office stressed that Qatari officials have repeatedly affirmed that Qatar “has not and will not participate in any military action against any neighboring country,” and that it “will not allow misleading claims to undermine its diplomatic efforts to end the conflict,” adding that Doha will continue its efforts with regional and international partners to reach a comprehensive and sustainable agreement.

New US strikes on Bandar Abbas, Qeshm, and Bushehr

Meanwhile, CENTCOM announced new strikes on Iran for the fifth consecutive night, aimed at “further degrading Iranian military capabilities,” according to a statement.

A CENTCOM spokesperson told Al Jazeera that the strikes targeted missile and drone launch sites aimed at commercial vessels, as well as reconnaissance assets and radars on Greater Tunb and around Bandar Abbas, noting that the US military has opened corridors in the Strait of Hormuz after clearing mines planted by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, and that navigation continues.

Details of explosions in Iranian cities

Iranian news agencies reported multiple explosions in several cities, with Tasnim News Agency saying US strikes hit a communications tower on a hill in Bandar Abbas, causing a power outage in the area, while other strikes hit Iranshahr airport in Sistan and Baluchestan province, as well as the bridge linking Bandar Abbas and Shiraz.

Iranian state TV also reported six consecutive explosions in Hamidiyeh city in Khuzestan province, four explosions on the southern coast of Qeshm Island, and three explosions in Bushehr, while Fars News Agency reported one person killed and eight injured in a US strike on a residential neighborhood in Bandar Abbas.

استهداف الجسر الرابط بين بندر عباس وشيراز وقصف على مطار إيرانشهر الآن

التغطية مستمرة

وكالة تسنيم: غارات أمريكية استهدفت مطار مدينة إيرانشهر بمحافظة سيستان وبلوشستان جنوب شرقي إيران، وإصابة الجسر الرابط بين بندر عباس وشيراز، واستهداف مدينة بندر خمير ومنطقة كهورستان بمحافظة… pic.twitter.com/HSQ8SKTcod

— 964 (@964arabic) July 16, 2026

Iran threatens “harsher and wider” response

In response, the Iranian armed forces spokesman said the Strait of Hormuz “falls within the sovereignty of Iran and Oman, and no one has the right to intervene in it, especially the United States,” stressing that his country will not back down from its legitimate rights in the strait.

The spokesman stressed that Iran “insists on the United States not interfering in the Strait of Hormuz and withdrawing from the region,” warning that “conditions in the Strait of Hormuz will never return to what they were before the war.”

The spokesman warned that if the United States targets Iranian infrastructure, then “all infrastructure in the region will become a target” for Iran, stressing that “oil exports are either for everyone or no one.”

In a sharp warning, the spokesman said that “if another war breaks out, our response will be harsher, wider, and stronger than our responses during the last war.”

Kuwait detects 32 Iranian drones

Separately, the Kuwaiti military announced it had detected 32 hostile drones in its airspace since dawn, confirming they were intercepted and dealt with, as the region witnesses escalating military tensions.

Iran’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee had announced on Tuesday, July 14, that the memorandum of understanding signed with the United States on June 18 is “no longer in effect,” accusing Washington of formally starting the war and violating the agreement’s terms, while Iran’s deputy foreign minister described the agreement as “completely destroyed” by the reimposition of the naval blockade.

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