The latest
The United States and Israel moved quickly to deny carrying out any military action inside Iran overnight, as unclaimed strikes hit sites in Chabahar, Bushehr, Kerman and Mashhad, alongside explosions in Bandar Abbas and Bushehr and an attack near Ali Khamenei’s burial ceremony.
Details
• Mashhad funeral: Gunmen attacked a security checkpoint in Mashhad, with 2 people reported killed as investigations continued into their identities.
• Southern Iran: Explosions were heard in Bandar Abbas and the Bushehr area as strikes appeared to widen inside Iran.
• Chabahar and Konarak: Explosions hit Chabahar and an IRGC naval facility near Konarak in southeastern Iran.
• Gulf account: Media reports said Kuwait and Bahrain carried out strikes inside Iran, with no official confirmation from either country.
• U.S.-Israel denial: Washington and Tel Aviv denied involvement in some attacks attributed to internal or regional strikes.
Background
The pattern of unclaimed strikes began early in the war on Iran, with no government publicly taking responsibility, while Tehran has avoided highlighting them in its own messaging.
Between the lines
Iran appears to prefer framing the war publicly as a confrontation with the world’s leading military power, because unclaimed strikes carry a symbolic cost and expose its air-defense weakness.
What to watch
A military official from a non-Gulf Arab state said Gulf countries’ ability to intercept a high share of Iranian missile and drone attacks, while Gulf aircraft can reach vital Iranian targets with ease, makes Tehran the weaker side in the deterrence equation.
