Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf has promised that the U.S. will “pay the price” following what Iranian authorities said was a deadly strike on a residential building on Qeshm Island in the Persian Gulf that killed three members of a family.
Meanwhile, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei condemned the attack as a “crime reminiscent of ISIS acts of terrorism”.
Ghalibaf warned that the U.S. “will the pay the price” over Thursday’s strike on a house on Qeshm Island, at the Strait of Hormuz.
“Americans are used to making up for the slaps they receive on the battlefield by shedding the blood of innocents,” Tehran’s chief negotiator in the ceasefire talks with Washington said in a post on X.
Ghalibaf was referring to the air raid on Qeshm Island in the early hours of Thursday, following a few days of pause in retaliatory attacks between Iranian and U.S. forces over control of traffic through the strategic waterway.
Qeshm, Iran’s largest island in the Persian Gulf, covers nearly 1,500 square kilometres and is home to around 150,000 people. It is known for its fishing traditions and its UNESCO-recognised geopark.
The island is also one of Iran’s key economic hubs, hosting ports, a free trade zone, shipbuilding yards, and oil and gas infrastructure.
Baghaei described the U.S. strike as a crime after it killed the parents of a family of five and their two-year-old son, saying it was reminiscent of acts of terrorism carried out by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
“These crimes which are reminiscent of ISIS's terrorist actions aim at punishing a nation for safeguarding its rights, dignity, and independence,” he added. “They will never generate authority or credibility for the criminals.”
Situated alongside the Strait of Hormuz, Qeshm’s strategic location has made it a major gateway for maritime commerce and regional trade, enabling Iran’s navy to monitor oil and gas tanker traffic through the waterway linking the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
While U.S. officials say they are targeting military assets on the island used by Iran to launch retaliatory attacks linked to the dispute over control of the waterway, Tehran has condemned the air raids as violations of its sovereignty and breaches of international law.
U.S. officials have also, at times, spoken of a possible land operation to seize Iran’s southern islands, including the strategically important Qeshm Island.
“We (our Armed Forces) are expecting them!” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi once said in response to the verbal threats during a viral interview.
In the latest development, the Iranian Army announced on Friday that, in response to the strike on the residential building on Qeshm Island, it had launched kamikaze drones at fighter jet hangars, satellite communications systems and equipment warehouses used by the U.S. military at Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base in Kuwait, according to local news reports.
In a statement carried by Defa Press, a publication covering Iran’s military and defence affairs, the army also said it targeted Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain late on Thursday, using Arash suicide drones against electricity generators, navigation systems, and administrative and logistical support buildings used by the U.S. military.
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Here's your AnewZ Daily Brief for 28 September 2026. These are the top stories making headlines in technology.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan has arrived in Washington for talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on bilateral ties and key regional and international developments, Saudi state news agency SPA reported.
U.S. President Donald Trump has denied reports that he offered Iran sanctions relief and access to frozen funds in exchange for nuclear concessions.
The European Union's decision to simultaneously advance accession talks with Ukraine, Moldova, Montenegro and Albania marks its most ambitious enlargement effort in more than two decades.
Kazakhstan and Germany have agreed to expand cooperation in critical minerals, industry, energy and transport, with Astana seeking a greater German role in developing supply chains and higher-value production.
Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom has proposed building a new 1,000-megawatt nuclear power unit in Armenia as Yerevan weighs competing international offers, its head Alexey Likhachev said on Tuesday.
Freight on the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars railway could soon move faster across borders after Georgia, Azerbaijan and Türkiye signed a new customs protocol aimed at cutting delays and streamlining transit.
Afghanistan and Belarus have agreed to expand health cooperation, with a focus on medicines, medical equipment and training healthcare workers, following talks between the two countries’ health ministers in Minsk on Tuesday (29 September).
Saudi Arabia is facing a widening security challenge from Yemen as Houthi forces consolidate recent territorial gains along the Red Sea coast and step up attacks on the kingdom.
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