Skip next section What you need to know
What you need to know
- US launches a sixth consecutive night of strikes on Iran
- US airstrikes on bridges in the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Khamir kill at least seven people, Iranian state media says
- Iran fires missiles and drones at US-linked targets in neighboring countries, with Qatar, Bahrain and Jordan intercepting attacks
- Tehran reportedly tells Houthis to be ready to disrupt Red Sea shipping
- Donald Trump hails the release of a US citizen; Iran denies any American prisoner was freed
Follow DW’s coverage of the war between the US and Iran on Friday, July 17.
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Skip next section Ship boarded by ‘unauthorized personnel’ off Yemen, UK maritime agency says 07/17/2026July 17, 2026
Ship boarded by ‘unauthorized personnel’ off Yemen, UK maritime agency says
UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said a vessel was “boarded by unauthorized personnel” 65 nautical miles south of Al Mukalla, Yemen.
The maritime agency said the ship was “transiting east in the Gulf of Aden” and that “authorities are investigating.”
The statement added that “vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO.”
It was not immediately clear who had boarded the vessel.
Iran earlier on Friday told Houthi rebels in Yemen, who are allied with Iran, to be prepared to disrupt shipping in the Red Sea.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HIe6Skip next section IRGC says it targeted US jets in Jordan07/17/2026July 17, 2026
IRGC says it targeted US jets in Jordan
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they targeted US military jets stationed in Jordan.
The IRGC said they destroyed “several US refueling aircraft and fighter jets” and did “serious damage to many more.”
The IRGC urged the Jordanian population to go against “the interests of the aggressive and anti-Islamic Americans” in Jordan.
Jordan is home to Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, which is operated by the Royal Jordanian Air Force and also used by the American military. The US has designated Jordan as a major non-NATO ally
https://p.dw.com/p/5HIcPSkip next section Iranian Kurdish rebels in Iraq killed in attack pinned on Tehran07/17/2026July 17, 2026
Iranian Kurdish rebels in Iraq killed in attack pinned on Tehran
At least nine Iranian Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq were killed in a missile attack.
Rudaw, a broadcaster based in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, reported the rebels were a part of the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan.
A commander of the group told Rudaw that “our main headquarters in Zirgwez was struck by six missiles.” The commander expects the death toll to rise as a fire is still burning through the Kurdish base.
The Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan, which is based in Iraqi Kurdistan, seeks greater self-determination for the Kurds of Iran and is opposed to Iran’s theocratic government. The party has an armed wing.
Idriss Kohlwazi, a member of the Komala Party, told AFP news agency that the attack was carried out by the “Iranian regime.”
Earlier in the US-Israeli war with Iran, there were reports that the US government would arm Kurdish rebels in an attempt to overthrow the Iranian government.
The Iranian government and Iraqi militas aligned with Tehran have frequently carried out attacks on Kurdish opposition groups in Iraq in recent months.
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https://p.dw.com/p/5HHN3Skip next section Qatar, Bahrain and Jordan intercept fresh Iranian attacks07/17/2026July 17, 2026
Qatar, Bahrain and Jordan intercept fresh Iranian attacks
Qatar, Bahrainand Jordan all said they intercepted fresh aerial strikes from Iran.
The Qatari Ministry of Defense, in a post on social media platform X, said the Gulf country’s armed forces “have intercepted a missile attack that targeted the State of Qatar.” Qatar’s Interior Ministry later said a child was wounded due to falling debris because of the interception.
Bahrain’s military, known as the Bahrain Defense Force, also said it intercepted several Iranian aerial attacks on Friday.
Jordan’s military added that it had intercepted three Iranian missiles.
“This Friday morning, air defense systems intercepted three Iranian missiles that entered Jordanian airspace and were targeted the kingdom’s territory, and managed to intercept and bring them down,” the Jordanian military said in a statement.
Qatar, Bahrain and Jordan are all allies of the US in the Middle East and are home to military bases used by US armed forces.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HH8RSkip next section Tanker struck by unknown projectile off Oman, says UKMTO07/17/2026July 17, 2026
Tanker struck by unknown projectile off Oman, says UKMTO
A tanker has been struck by an unknown projectile off the coast of Oman, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported on Friday.
The vessel was sailing 19 nautical miles (35 kilometers) east of Khasab, Oman, when it was struck, the UKMTO said.
The organization said that all crew were reported safe as the incident caused “minor structural damage” to the port side of the vessel.
The British agency added that no environmental impact was reported.
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https://p.dw.com/p/5HH6vSkip next section Iran says 38 dead, over 400 injured in US strikes since June 2207/17/2026July 17, 2026
Iran says 38 dead, over 400 injured in US strikes since June 22
Iran’s health ministry on Friday announced that at least 38 people have died and more than 400 have been injured since the fighting with the US resumed last month over the control of the Strait of Hormuz.
“The number of injured from US attacks has exceeded 400, and 38 compatriots have been martyred” since June 22, Tehran’s health ministry spokesman Hossein Kermanpour wrote on X.
“Among them are 22 injured women, three martyred women, nine injured under the age of 18, and one martyr under 18,” he added.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HH3FSkip next section China, Pakistan urge ceasefire, resumption of US-Iran talks07/17/2026July 17, 2026
China, Pakistan urge ceasefire, resumption of US-Iran talks
China and Pakistan have called for a ceasefire and the resumption of a dialogue between the US and Iran.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Islamabad counterpart Ishaq Dar jointly “expressed concern over the deterioration of the current situation, calling on the involved parties to immediately cease hostilities… (and) return to dialogue”, China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement after the ministers met in Shanghai.
Wang said that agreement was “hard-won,” adding that “peace is before our eyes, (we) cannot fall at the last hurdle and even more so cannot lose what we have gained.”
Both China and Pakistan have been mediating in the months-long war in Iran and the wider Middle East.
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https://p.dw.com/p/5HGzeSkip next section Tower at Iran’s Chabahar port appears damaged in fresh US strikes07/17/2026July 17, 2026
Tower at Iran’s Chabahar port appears damaged in fresh US strikes
US strikes on Friday appear to have collapsed a tower at Iran’s key Chabahar port in the Gulf of Oman.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared an image purportedly showing a surveillance tower leaning towards the ground, surrounded by a thick cloud of grey smoke.
Chabahar port is an important trade conduit for Iran’s landlocked neighbor Afghanistan and had been running with India’s support.
The facility has seen repeated US strikes.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HGyTSkip next section Iran claims attack on US military base in Syria07/17/2026July 17, 2026
Iran claims attack on US military base in Syria
Karl Sexton Editor
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Friday that it had attacked the US special operations command centre at al-Tanf in Syria as a response to the killing of Iranian troops in Iranshahr, Tehran’s state media reported.
“The IRGC announces a surprise attack on the enemy’s Special Operations Command Center in Syria’s Al-Tanf region in retaliation for the blood of the martyred Iranian soldiers in Iranshahr,” the state broadcaster Tasnim posted on Telegram.
There was no immediate statement from the Syrian government or the US military.
Syria has tried to avoid being pulled into the Middle East war, which has engulfed its neighbors Lebanon and Iraq.
In February, the US military announced that it had completed a withdrawal from the al-Tanf base, which stands at the border confluence of Syria, Jordan and Iraq.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HGxqSkip next section US strikes on Iranian bridges kill seven, state media says07/17/2026July 17, 2026
US strikes on Iranian bridges kill seven, state media says
At least seven people were killed in US airstrikes on bridges in the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Khamir, according to Iran’s state news agency IRNA.
The strikes mark a widening of the US military campaign against Iran, with US forces increasingly targeting infrastructure after President Donald Trump warned that bridges and other key facilities could be hit.
US Central Command said it struck dozens of targets during its latest overnight operation, the sixth consecutive night of American attacks. Iranian media also reported strikes near Tehran and in Semnan province.
Meanwhile, Iran launched fresh missile attacks against US-allied countries in the Gulf. Qatar twice urged residents to seek shelter as air defenses intercepted incoming missiles, with officials reporting that a child was injured by falling debris.
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https://p.dw.com/p/5HGaTSkip next section US military says it completed latest Iran strikes07/17/2026July 17, 2026
US military says it completed latest Iran strikes
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that it had completed its latest major wave of strikes against Iran on Friday.
The US had earlier launched a sixth consecutive night of strikes on Iran.
Friday’s statement from CENTCOM said US forces, including fighter jets, aerial drones and warships, had hit “dozens of Iranian military targets” such as coastal surveillance and air defense sites, military logistics infrastructure and maritime capabilities by launching precision munitions.
“CENTCOM is further degrading Iranian military capabilities and holding Iran accountable for recent attacks on commercial shipping,” the statement added.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HGYISkip next section Kuwait activates air defenses amid Iran attack07/17/2026July 17, 2026
Kuwait activates air defenses amid Iran attack
Kuwait’s air defenses were again engaged in thwarting Iranian missile and drone attacks, the Kuwaiti military said on Friday.
A statement from the Kuwait General Staff of the Army said explosions heard over the country were the result of its air defense systems intercepting the latest volley of aerial attacks.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HGYDSkip next section Blasts heard in Qatar’s Doha07/17/2026July 17, 2026
Blasts heard in Qatar’s Doha
Several booms have been heard in the Qatari capital of Doha, reports said early Friday, as Iran targets US military bases in neighboring Middle Eastern states.
A government safety alert beeped on mobile phones, asking people to take shelter and warning that the security threat level was “elevated.”
Following the reports of the blasts, Qatar’s defense ministry released a statement saying the country’s armed forces had “intercepted a missile attack.”
https://p.dw.com/p/5HGWwSkip next section Iran reportedly asked Houthis to prepare Red Sea shipping attacks07/17/2026July 17, 2026
Iran reportedly asked Houthis to prepare Red Sea shipping attacks
Iran has asked Yemen’s Houthi rebels to be ready to disrupt shipping through the Red Sea if the United States attacks Iranian power infrastructure, according to sources cited by Reuters news agency.
Three sources familiar with the matter said the proposal has been discussed within Iran’s leadership and communicated to the Houthis, although neither Tehran nor the Yemeni group has publicly confirmed the report.
A source close to the Houthis told Reuters that the group has positioned drones and missiles near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the southern gateway to the Red Sea, and is awaiting orders.
The development raises concerns about a further escalation in the regional conflict. With the Strait of Hormuz already disrupted by the US-Iran war, any threat to shipping through the Red Sea could affect another major route for global energy supplies and international trade.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HGWgSkip next section Iran denies release of American prisoner07/17/2026July 17, 2026
Iran denies release of American prisoner
Iran’s judiciary has rejected US President Donald Trump’s that an American citizen detained in Iran has been released.
According to Iranian state media, judicial authorities said checks of prison records found no US prisoner matching Trump’s description had been freed or exchanged.
Earlier, Trump said a US citizen whom he described as having been “wrongfully detained” since 2024 had safely left Iran, calling the move a “gesture of goodwill” from Tehran.
The conflicting statements add to uncertainty over the status of any US detainees in Iran.
Washington and Tehran continue to signal that communication between the two sides remains open despite ongoing military tensions.
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