Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Iran's state media has reported that eight members of the country's armed forces were killed in overnight US strikes on southern Iran, marking a major escalation in the renewed military confrontation between Washington and Tehran. The fatalities were confirmed by Iranian state television on Wednesday, 8 July 2026, which cited a statement from the Iranian army. The victims were identified as personnel from the air and naval forces, killed in strikes targeting the southern port cities of Bandar Abbas and Bushehr.
According to Iranian state media, the "criminal aggression" by the "US terrorist army" resulted in the deaths of "eight courageous members of the air and naval forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran's military". The Iranian army has since identified the deceased as Captain Ali Moeini, Lieutenant Ali Mehdizadeh, Third Lieutenant Hamed Dorai, Steward Amir Hossein Ghasemi, Steward Alireza Zarei Sani, Steward Alireza Balideh, Steward Captain Shahab Omidi Bezi, and Sailor Mohammad Javad Ravanfar. In a statement, the army vowed to avenge "the country's martyrs" and continue resisting "until its last breath".
The strikes come after the United States launched a fresh wave of attacks on Iranian territory, which Washington said was a direct response to Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels transiting the strategic Strait of Hormuz. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces hit over 80 targets with precision munitions, including air defence systems, command and control networks, coastal radar sites, and anti-ship missile capabilities. "The United States is holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews freely navigating a vital international waterway," CENTCOM said in a statement.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has already retaliated, launching a joint missile and drone operation that it said struck 85 US military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait. The IRGC also claimed to have shot down an American MQ-9 drone that was attempting to interfere with the operation. The escalation represents the most severe exchange of fire since both sides signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in mid-June, which had established a fragile ceasefire and opened the strategic waterway.
US President Donald Trump has signalled that further strikes are likely, declaring the ceasefire with Iran "over" and describing the country's leaders as "scum" and "vicious, violent people". "We hit them very hard last night, very, very hard, and we'll probably hit them hard again tonight," Trump told reporters. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded with defiance, stating: "We do not answer vulgarity with vulgarity, but with action: fearlessly and with great valor".
The renewed hostilities have raised global concerns over the security of the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint through which approximately a fifth of the world's oil passes. Oil prices have already spiked past $80 a barrel following the escalation. The collapse of the fragile peace agreement and the exchange of military strikes have plunged the region back into uncertainty, with the international community now watching closely to see whether diplomatic channels can still salvage a situation that has rapidly spiralled out of control.
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