US, Iran Exchange Intensifying Fire    07/09 06:10

   An Iranian official accused the United States of conducting an airstrike 
near the Bushehr nuclear power plant on Thursday, something not immediately 
acknowledged by American officials.

   DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- An Iranian official accused the United 
States of conducting an airstrike near the Bushehr nuclear power plant on 
Thursday, something not immediately acknowledged by American officials.

   The state-run IRNA news agency quoted Ehsan Jahanian, a local official in 
Bushehr, as accusing the U.S. of striking near Iran's sole nuclear power plant.

   He said the strike came around noon, hours after the U.S. military's Central 
Command said it had ended its strikes on Iran.

   Central Command did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

   During the Iran war, several strikes hit in the area around the plant, which 
is managed by Russian technicians, but caused no damage to the plant itself.

   THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP's earlier story follows below.

   DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- The United States launched new 
airstrikes against Iran early Thursday, and Tehran responded by targeting 
U.S.-allied Mideast countries in an exchange of fire that threatened an interim 
deal intended to help end the war in the Middle East.

   Back-and-forth attacks, including a day earlier, have repeatedly threatened 
the ceasefire, but Thursday's appeared bigger all around, with sirens sounding 
at least three times in Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet 
headquarters, and missiles targeting Kuwait and Qatar.

   Sirens sounded Thursday afternoon in Jordan as well, where the U.S. has 
stationed troops and aircraft.

   The strikes came hours after U.S. President Donald Trump said recent Iranian 
attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz signaled the end of a fragile 
ceasefire and threatened to escalate the conflict if they didn't stop. That 
raised concerns that the region could tip back into a war that would engulf 
several countries and could halt energy shipments through the strait that are 
crucial for the global economy.

   In Iran, the two days of American airstrikes have killed at least 14 people 
and wounded another 78, Iran's Health Ministry said Thursday -- most of those 
reportedly members of the armed forces.

   In Kuwait, the military said falling debris wounded one person as it shot 
down three ballistic missiles, a cruise missile and 10 drones. Bahrain said it 
shot down incoming fire, without elaborating. There was no immediate word of 
damage in Qatar.

   US strikes hit more targets

   The U.S. military's Central Command said it hit some 90 targets across Iran, 
releasing black-and-white footage of what appeared to be strikes on an airport 
runway and missile launchers.

   The U.S. said the strikes were intended to "further degrade" Iran's ability 
"to threaten freedom of navigation" in the strait, through which a fifth of the 
world's traded oil and natural gas passed before the war began with U.S. and 
Israeli attacks on Feb. 28.

   Attacks on ships -- and the threat of them -- virtually halted traffic in 
the waterway during the conflict, causing the price of oil to skyrocket and 
raising prices on many basic goods, including food, far beyond the region.

   Iranian state media reported explosions in several locations, including 
Bushehr, home to Iran's nuclear power plant complex, and southern port cities.

   In Iran's southwestern Khuzestan province, at least three people were killed 
Thursday, state media reported. In Iranshahr, authorities said a strike killed 
a firefighter at an airport. Those fatalities followed the deaths of at least 
nine members of Iran's armed forces in Wednesday's strikes, according to state 
media. It wasn't clear when the other death happened and who was killed.

   For the first time since April, U.S. strikes also appeared to target Iranian 
bridges. State media reported a strike on a railway bridge in Iran's 
northeastern Golestan province, and the Revolutionary Guard said two bridges 
were attacked on the route to Mashhad, where officials plan to bury the late 
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday.

   Trump warns that 'it will get much worse' if attacks on shipping happen again

   After leaving a NATO summit in Turkey, Trump posted several videos on his 
social media site of what he said were explosions in Iran and issued another 
warning to the Islamic Republic.

   "This is in retribution for yesterday's bombing of ships by Iran. If it 
happens again, it will get much worse!" Trump wrote.

   Trump said earlier in the day that the latest back-and-forth fighting would 
not result in "long-term" military action.

   "Anything that happens is going to happen very fast," Trump said.

   Trump also renewed his past threats to hit Iran's civilian infrastructure, 
including electric and desalination plants, and to seize Kharg Island, through 
which some 90% of Iranian oil exports pass.

   The exchange of fire began after Iran attacked three tankers in the Strait 
of Hormuz on Tuesday.

   The new attacks, despite the ceasefire, could reflect a divide among Iran's 
leadership. Hard-liners want to ensure lasting control over the waterway, which 
is a globally important conduit for fuel shipments and has become a critical 
lever in confronting the West. Pragmatists want a permanent peace deal to lift 
international sanctions and provide desperately needed economic relief.

   Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, a key negotiator in talks 
seeking a permanent end to the war, was defiant in a post on X on Thursday 
morning: "America still hasn't learned that bullying and breaking promises are 
no longer cost-free. Let me put it plainly: If you strike, you'll get hit."

   Strikes raise fears that war could resume

   Trump fueled concerns that the war could restart by saying Wednesday that 
the interim agreement to pause the fighting was "over." He added that he would 
allow negotiations to continue, though he cast doubt on the outcome.

   "They can talk, but I think they're wasting their time," he said.

   Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, also a top negotiator, 
retorted on X that Trump's remarks "are not a sign of power but an admission of 
the failure" of U.S. policy toward Iran.

   Negotiations to reach a final deal were due to start after the funeral for 
Khamenei, who was killed in the war's first moments. The funeral, which ends 
Thursday, was supposed to be a period of lower tensions.

   The talks are meant to focus on the toughest matters, including fully 
reopening the strait and rolling back Tehran's disputed nuclear program.