Middle East live: Tehran threatens to 'punish the aggressor today' after deadly US strikes on Iran
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By: FRANCE 24 A banner with a picture of US President Donald Trump next to an Iranian missile system at Azadi Square in Tehran, Iran, July 30, 2026. © Majid Asgaripour, West Asia News Agency via Reuters Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on Thursday promised to “punish the aggressor today”, state media reported, following a heavy wave of overnight US air strikes on the Islamic Republic that killed at least three people, one of whom was a two-year-old child. The US military said it had struck dozens of Revolutionary Guard targets across the country, including military command centres and drone facilities. Follow our liveblog for all the latest updates.
Revolutionary Guards said that three of its members were killed in an attack by the United States on the northwestern province of Zanjan.
"In the brutal attack carried out by the terrorist regime of the criminal United States on 30 July 2026, three brave and devoted members of the Ansar al-Mahdi IRGC in Zanjan province... attained martyrdom," the Guards' provinicial branch said in a statement, according to Tasnim news agency.
The authority overseeing the Egyptian port of Damietta said that its operations were ongoing despite a fire breaking out there the day before that authorities blamed on a drone attack.
"The Damietta Port Authority confirms the continued full operational efficiency of the port, with all terminals and berths experiencing regular vessel arrivals and departures, along with ongoing loading, unloading, and cargo handling of all types," the Damietta Port Authority said in a statement.
Mediator Pakistan confirmed that negotiations between the United States and Iran were "ongoing" despite the renewed fighting across the Middle East.
"Negotiations between parties are ongoing, particularly on (the) Strait of Hormuz and to de-escalate," Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi told reporters in Islamabad.
A drone caused a fire on two ships at Damietta port on Wednesday, initial investigations showed, Egypt's cabinet said on Thursday.
No party has claimed responsibility, and authorities are continuing their investigations and taking necessary measures to protect Egypt's interests and national security, the cabinet added.
An Iranian attack hit a building belonging to a Chinese company in northern Kuwait, killing a worker and inflicting significant damage, the Kuwaiti defence ministry spokesperson said in a post on X.
British oil and gas multinational Shell's adjusted earnings, its measure of net profit, more than doubled from last year to $9.84 billion in the second quarter, helped by higher energy prices and increased market volatility caused by the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Higher oil and gas prices, stronger LNG and oil trading and improved chemicals margins helped support the British major's earnings, offsetting lower sales volumes caused by disruptions to its Qatar operations.
Analysts had expected net profit of $8.92 billion, according to a company-provided consensus, compared with $4.26 billion a year earlier.
Shell has benefited from the market disruptions and volatility caused by the conflict in the Middle East, creating more opportunities for the large trading businesses operated by companies such as Shell, BP and TotalEnergies.
Mediator Pakistan said it was doing its "utmost" to bring Iran and the United States back to talks under a memorandum of understanding aimed at halting their war, to which Islamabad is a signatory.
"We are doing our utmost to bring all parties back to the Islamabad MoU," foreign ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi told reporters. He added that Pakistan was encouraging the countries to "fully adhere to their commitments to hold technical talks" under the agreement.
The US military said it struck dozens of Revolutionary Guard targets in Iran, including military command centres and drone facilities, in a two-hour operation launched after Tehran fired ballistic missiles at US forces in the Middle East.
The operation began at 0000 GMT and ended at 02:00 GMT on Thursday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said.
"The strikes aimed to further diminish threats posed by Iran and its proxies to American forces, commercial shipping and neighbouring Gulf countries," CENTCOM said in a statement.
Iran's state media reported that three people were killed in US strikes on Qeshm island, including a two-year-old child.
A US attack killed three people, including a two-year-old child, on Iran's Qeshm island, the Fars news agency reported after the US military said it wrapped up a heavy wave of strikes.
"A US attack on a residential home in the Chah Tangu neighbourhood of Qeshm killed three members of a family: the father, the mother, and their 2-year-old child," Fars reported, citing the Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences.
The news agency added that two other children were wounded.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said that two oil tankers attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz with US support turned back after one of them caught fire.
"Last night, two oil tankers, encouraged by American aircraft, attempted to leave through the unsafe southern route of the Strait of Hormuz," the Guards said in a statement.
"After a major fire broke out on one of them, both vessels quickly turned back."
Jordan’s air defences shot down five missiles launched from Iran, the spokesman for the country’s armed forces said, according to Jordan’s state-run Petra news agency.
The news agency said no casualties were reported.
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