Iran reports first peaceful night after 13 days of US strikes

Iran reported no overnight strikes after 13 consecutive nights of US attacks. The lull eased immediate fears but left the wider Gulf conflict dangerously unsettled.

In Short

• Saudi sirens blared in Yanbu and Jizan before the alert was lifted
• Bahrain issued missile warnings early Saturday, though no casualties were reported
• Iran was accused of hitting three ships in the Strait of Hormuz

Iran reported no overnight strikes into Saturday, ending what appeared to be 13 straight nights of US attacks, though tensions remained high across the region after a recent escalation over control of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's Health Ministry spokesperson Hossein Kermanpour said on X that "Iran had a peaceful night", while the US Central Command did not immediately respond to a request for comment and, unlike the previous 13 nights, did not announce any new strikes.

Even so, alarm remained high elsewhere in the Gulf. Saudi Arabia said sirens sounded several times early Saturday in Yanbu and Jizan provinces on the Red Sea, home to key oil facilities, because of a "potential danger" that was later lifted. Bahrain also sounded missile alerts early Saturday, though no casualties were reported.

A tenuous ceasefire that had appeared to halt major operations in the conflict, which began with American and Israeli attacks on Iran, seemed to unravel in early July. Iran was accused of striking three ships in the Strait of Hormuz. The US then responded by striking dozens of targets in Iran, which retaliated by firing at Arab states in the region.

The Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy supplies, has been at the centre of the conflict and was effectively shut down by Iranian attacks. On Friday, the US military fired on a merchant vessel in the Gulf of Oman that was trying to breach its renewed blockade of Iran's ports, while Iran targeted Gulf Arab countries allied with the US.

Iran's Houthi allies targeted two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea this week, raising concerns that the group might again try to block shipping routes there. The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said early Saturday that Saudi Arabia responded by striking the port city of Hodeida in Yemen. On Friday, US embassies in the Middle East warned Americans in the region that options to leave could become more limited, while Iran's Revolutionary Guard advised residents of neighbouring countries to stay away from bases hosting US troops.

The war has so far killed more than 3,400 people in Iran, according to the Iranian Health Ministry. Eighteen US service members, 24 civilians in Israel and smaller numbers of civilians in other countries in the region have also been reported dead. In Lebanon, more than 4,000 people and 38 Israeli troops have been killed after the Iran-backed Hezbollah fired at Israel in support of Iran, underlining that while Iran reported a quiet night, the wider regional conflict remains volatile.

With PTI Inputs

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