U.S. and Iran exchange intensifying fire across Mideast, threatening ceasefire deal

Middle East U.S. and Iran exchange intensifying fire across Mideast, threatening ceasefire deal July 10, 20262:12 AM ET By  The Associated Press A truck carrying the coffins of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family moves through a main avenue lined with thousands of mourners during the final stage of funeral ceremonies in Mashhad, northeastern Iran, Thursday, July 9, 2026. Hasan Salavati/Shahraranews via AP hide caption toggle caption Hasan Salavati/Shahraranews via AP DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — 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. Sponsor Message Climate The Iran war has pushed some countries away from oil and toward clean energy Sirens sounded Thursday afternoon in Jordan as well, where the U.S. has stationed troops and aircraft. An Iranian official accused the U.S. of launching an airstrike later Thursday targeting the area around Iran's sole nuclear power plant, and other explosions were reported elsewhere in the country during the afternoon. Early Friday, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was laid to rest in his hometown of Mashhad after days of public mourning. Khamenei was killed in the opening salvos of the Iran war. 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 c...