Skip next section What you need to know
What you need to know
- US military launches strikes on Iran for a fifth consecutive night
- Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan come under attack from Iranian missiles and drones
- Earlier US strikes hit Iranian missile and coastal defense sites
- Explosions reported across Iran, including the north of the country for the first time
- Tehran warns US of regional retaliation if its infrastructure is attacked
- Escalation follows the collapse of a fragile truce
Follow DW’s coverage of the war between the US and Iran on Thursday, July 16.
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Skip next section Damage to ‘critical institutions’ caused by Iranian drones — Kuwaiti ministry07/16/2026July 16, 2026
Damage to ‘critical institutions’ caused by Iranian drones — Kuwaiti ministry
Kuwait‘s Defense Ministry said the country’s army has intercepted 32 Iranian drones since this morning.
However, some of the Iranian attacks led to damages in “several critical institutions,” with debris as a result of the drones’ interception also landing in civilian neighborhoods, creating damage.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HGOzSkip next section US military begins fresh wave of strikes on Iran07/16/2026July 16, 2026
US military begins fresh wave of strikes on Iran
US Central Command (CENTCOM) says that a new wave of strikes have been launched against targets in Iran.
“At 2 p.m. ET today, U.S. forces began conducting a new wave of strikes against Iran for the sixth consecutive night to further degrade Iranian military capabilities,” CENTCOM, which is responsible for military operations in the Middle East, said in a post on X.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HGNfSkip next section White House says Iran is speaking with the US07/16/2026July 16, 2026
White House says Iran is speaking with the US
The White House said that dialogue is continuing between the US and Iran and that a deal is not off the table.
“Iran very much continues to talk to the United States of America,” White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said, adding “that they want to make a deal with us because they are suffering devastating blows.”
“The reason for the recent strikes over the course of the last several days is because Iran violated the memorandum of understanding that we struck with them,” she told reporters.
“Specifically, in the memorandum of understanding that they signed, they were not to fire on commercial vessels moving through the Strait of Hormuz, and unfortunately they have made the tragic decision for them to do that,” Leavitt said.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HGNaSkip next section Yemeni Houthis threaten to hit Saudi oil facilities07/16/2026July 16, 2026
Yemeni Houthis threaten to hit Saudi oil facilities
The leader of the Houthi rebels in Yemen has warned that Saudi Arabia‘s oil facilities and infrastructure will be targeted if conflict escalates between the two sides.
“All Saudi oil facilities and vital installations are targets for our missiles and drones if it gets itself involved in a full-scale aggression against our country and moves towards escalation,” Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the group’s leader said in a televised address.
On Monday, the Iran-backed Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of attacking Sanaa airport, and retaliated by targeting an airport in the kingdom.
“The equation is airports for airports, ports for ports, and a blockade for a blockade,” al-Houthi said.
The Saudi-backed Yemeni government based in Aden said the Monday attack was launched in order to prevent an Iranian plane from landing in Sanaa.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HGAGSkip next section WATCH: Eyewitness video shows moment drone hit warehouse in Kuwait 07/16/2026July 16, 2026
WATCH: Eyewitness video shows moment drone hit warehouse in Kuwait
An eyewitness video released on Tuesday captured the moment a drone struck a warehouse in Kuwait’s port town of Al Shuaiba. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards confirmed its strikes on Kuwait and Bahrain.
Jordan said they downed missiles from Iran, targeting a US airbase. The attack comes amid renewed US-Iran hostilities, raising fresh doubts over a fragile agreement reached last month to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and pause fighting.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HF74Skip next section UN releases virtual report on Israeli settler violence07/16/2026July 16, 2026
UN releases virtual report on Israeli settler violence
The UN Office for Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory released a virtual report Thursday analyzing settler violence as an instrument of Israeli government policy.
The report, “Utilized, militarized, shielded: Three reasons why settler violence is state violence,” draws on testimonies from Palestinian victims and documents patterns of displacement and systematic impunity. It states that settler violence advances the Israeli policy of “maximum territory with minimum population,” advanced by far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, among others. The report also states that settlers are “increasingly absorbed into formal state forces or armed, funded and allowed to effectively operate as an extension of these forces.”
According to UN-OCHA, at least 6,200 Palestinians have been displaced by settler attacks and access restrictions across 119 West Bank communities since early 2023, and 46 communities have been completely emptied because of settler attacks.
Under the current Netanyahu government, 104 new settlements have been established, mainly through outpost legalization or by granting existing neighborhoods settlement status. All settlements are illegal under international law, but outposts are illegal under Israeli law as well.
You can see the UN report here.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HFutSkip next section Smuggled weapons destined for Hezbollah were intercepted — Syrian state media07/16/2026July 16, 2026
Smuggled weapons destined for Hezbollah were intercepted — Syrian state media
Syrian authorities have managed to intercept a cache of advanced weapons and missiles across the border from Iraq, state news agency SANA has reported.
SANA cited Syria‘s Interior Ministry as saying that the shipment appeared to be destined for the Hezbollah militant group.
According to Syria’s General Authority of Ports and Customs, the rocket and drone shipment was hidden inside an oil tanker truck heading to the city of Baniyas.
The ports authority said it was discovered during a routine inspection at the al-Tanf border crossing between Syria and Iraq.
Meanwhile, Iraq said it would establish a high-level committee to probe the incident, with the country’s military saying it would coordinate with Syrian authorities to establish the facts.
Syria’s new leadership, under President Ahmad al-Sharaa, has been trying to crack down on cross-border weapons and drugs smuggling.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HFWvSkip next section WATCH: The Strait of Hormuz: Iran’s Most Powerful Weapon?07/16/2026July 16, 2026
WATCH: The Strait of Hormuz: Iran’s Most Powerful Weapon?
Dmytro Hubenko Editor
Hopes for a lasting ceasefire between the United States and Iran are fading. Instead of negotiations over peace, a renewed nuclear agreement, and secure maritime trade routes, military incidents are once again on the rise.
The United States has launched strikes against targets in Iran, while Tehran has responded with attacks on facilities in Gulf states allied with Washington.
At the center of the confrontation lies the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important maritime chokepoints and a vital artery for global energy supplies.
Shipping traffic is increasingly disrupted, and the economic consequences are already being felt worldwide. Meanwhile, Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has remained largely out of the public spotlight.
As tensions continue to grow, one critical question remains: How far is Tehran willing to go to secure control over the Strait of Hormuz, and is it Iran’s most powerful leverage against the West?
In this episode of To The Point, we examine the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz, the latest developments in US-Iran relations, and the potential consequences for global security, energy markets, and regional stability.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HF6qSkip next section Kuwait responding to new drone attacks 07/16/2026July 16, 2026
Kuwait responding to new drone attacks
The Kuwaiti military said it was responding to new Iranian drone attacks on Thursday afternoon.
The latest strikes came after Iran earlier in the day targeted US installations in the Gulf country, along with sites in Jordan and Bahrain.
“Kuwaiti air defences are currently engaging hostile drone attacks following the Iranian aggression,” Kuwait’s army said in a statement.
A journalist affiliated with the AFP news agency also reported the sound of explosions near Kuwait City.
The attacks come after Iran warned it would target infrastructure in the Gulf region if the US targeted Iranian infrastructure.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HDIVSkip next section Drone strike on ship reported at Iraqi port07/16/2026July 16, 2026
Drone strike on ship reported at Iraqi port
A drone struck a ship at an oil terminal in Iraq’s Basra port on Thursday, several security sources told news agencies without specifying where the drone was fired from.
The sources said the drone did not cause any damage or fires, and the tanker was towed and anchored to another vessel as a precautionary measure.
Crude oil loading at all Iraqi terminals was suspended after the incident, oil and security sources told Reuters news agency.
The ship was “carrying American-branded cars,” and had arrived from the United Arab Emirates and was hit near an oil terminal, an official told AFP news agency.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HDCUSkip next section IN DEPTH: What’s behind the Iranian regime’s ‘revenge propaganda’?07/16/2026July 16, 2026
IN DEPTH: What’s behind the Iranian regime’s ‘revenge propaganda’?
Calls for revenge over the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei are growing louder in Iran. Through increasingly harsh rhetoric, the leadership is seeking to mobilize supporters at home while warning opponents abroad.
Read more about what is driving Tehran’s increasingly hostile rhetoric in this report.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HCvtSkip next section India orders shipping companies to not deploy sailors to Strait of Hormuz07/16/2026July 16, 2026
India orders shipping companies to not deploy sailors to Strait of Hormuz
India’s Directorate General of Shipping ordered shipowners and recruitment companies to not deploy Indian seafarers on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz amid renewed attacks on shipping.
The regulator said the risks to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz had increased “significantly.”
Over the past three days, two Indian seafarers have been killed in attacks on vessels in the region. At least seven Indian sailors have been killed and several others injured in and around the Strait of Hormuz since the escalation of the US-Iran conflict.
“In view of the heightened security situation in the Persian Gulf region … the Directorate considers it necessary to adopt enhanced precautionary measures to safeguard the interests of Indian seafarers serving on board ships operating in the region,” the order said.
With more than 300,000 sailors working across global shipping fleets, India is the world’s third-largest supplier of seafarers, according to government data.
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https://p.dw.com/p/5HC5dSkip next section Iran warns of regional retaliation if its infrastructure is attacked 07/16/2026July 16, 2026
Iran warns of regional retaliation if its infrastructure is attacked
Iran’s military on Thursday warned the US against carrying out strikes on Iranian infrastructure, saying “all infrastructure in the region” would be “crushed” in response, according to a statement from a spokesman for Iran’s military headquarters.
Spokesman Colonel Ebrahim Zolfaghari said Iran would not allow US “interference” in the Strait of Hormuz, calling it a ”red line.”
Earlier this week, President Donald Trump said the US military would begin targeting bridges and power plants next week if Iran did not make a “deal.”
Trump had made similar threats to target Iranian civilian infrastructure in March.
At the height of the conflict before a ceasefire in April, Iran had targeted desalinization plants and energy infrastructure in Gulf states with drone and missile strikes in retaliation for US escalation.
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https://p.dw.com/p/5HBmASkip next section Jordan says it intercepted eight Iranian missiles07/16/2026July 16, 2026
Jordan says it intercepted eight Iranian missiles
Karl Sexton Editor
Jordan’s military says it shot down eight missiles launched by Iran that were heading toward the kingdom, state-run news agency Petra said.
According to Jordanian authorities, the missiles were intercepted before reaching their targets. No casualties or damage were immediately reported.
The incident comes after Iran launched missile and drone attacks targeting several US allies in the region, including Bahrain and Kuwait. It also follows an intensification of US military strikes against Iranian targets over the past week.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HBNNSkip next section Iran says it targeted US facilities in Jordan07/16/2026July 16, 2026
Iran says it targeted US facilities in Jordan
Iran’s military says it has targeted US military facilities at the Azraq air base in Jordan.
According to Iranian state media, the attack was aimed at US military communications systems and fuel storage tanks at the base, which hosts American personnel and operations.
The claim comes amid escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran and follows a series of reported Iranian attacks on US-linked targets across the region.
There was no immediate comment from Jordanian authorities or US Central Command.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HBMoShow more posts
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