Iran state media accuse Kuwait, UAE of involvement in airstrikes
Overnight strikes on the southwestern Iranian city of Ahvaz on Wednesday were carried out using HIMARS surface-to-surface missiles launched from Kuwait, a commentator on Iranian state television said.
Nima Akbarkhani said much of the footage he reviewed was recorded by Shiite residents of southern Iraq, where the launch systems had moved closer to Iran.
The IRGC-affiliated Sabereen News also released a video that purportedly showed a drone strike in Bandar Abbas, which it said was a UAE-made Yabhon aerial vehicle.
Saudi Arabia condemned Iran’s attacks on Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan, saying they threatened regional security and violated international law, the kingdom’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday.
Saudi Arabia “affirms the Kingdom’s full support for the sisterly countries in the measures they take in response to the brutal Iranian attacks,” the ministry said.
“The Kingdom reiterates its condemnation of Iran’s actions in threatening the region’s security and stability and violating the principles of international law and the rules of good-neighborly relations,” it added.
The ministry called for an immediate end to military escalation, a return to dialogue and the resolution of disputes through diplomatic means.
Iran’s Lavan refinery in southern Iran lost half of its production capacity after coming under attack on the first day of the ceasefire with the United States on April 8, the head of the National Iranian Oil Products Distribution Company said Thursday.
“One of our refineries was damaged on the first day of the ceasefire. It was the Lavan refinery. Unfortunately, it came under attack and lost half of its capacity,” Karamat Veis Karami told state TV.
“The refinery, which produced about three million barrels of gasoline per day, lost half of its capacity. It is now operating at about 50% of its production capacity,” he added.
In May, the Wall Street Journal reported citing people familiar with the matter, that the United Arab Emirates carried out the strike on Lavan.
File photo shows caregivers supervise children at a daycare center in Iran.
Rising daycare fees and mounting economic pressure are prompting more Iranian families to forgo kindergarten enrollment and rely on grandparents for childcare, raising concerns among sociologists about the long-term impact on children's social development.
The Hamshahri newspaper reported on Thursday that falling birth rates, coupled with soaring daycare costs, have reduced demand for kindergartens and preschool centers across the country.
Monthly daycare fees vary widely across Tehran, according to the report. In middle-income neighborhoods, tuition ranges from 50 million ($25) to 80 million rials (over $40), while families in wealthier districts pay between 250 million (around $130) and 300 million rials ($160).
The average monthly income in Iran is estimated at $150–$200, depending on fluctuations in the open-market exchange rate. By comparison, the minimum monthly cost of basic living expenses, including food and housing, is estimated at $385–$400, leaving many households unable to meet essential needs.
Daycare operators in affluent areas attributed the higher fees to rising rents and staff wages, saying the increased costs have discouraged many parents from enrolling their children.
More than 60% of kindergarten operating costs are spent on personnel under Iran's labor law, Hamidreza Sheikholeslam, head of the National Organization for Early Childhood Education, said in June.
Sheikholeslam said staffing costs, the number of teachers and children, operating hours, rent, facilities and equipment, and other operating expenses all influence tuition fees.
File photo shows an empty daycare playroom in Iran.
Many families, the report said, have responded to rising childcare costs and broader financial pressures by turning to lower-cost alternatives, most commonly asking grandparents to care for young children.
Experts warn of social consequences
Sociologists quoted by Hamshahri said removing daycare from household spending is not only an economic decision but could become a broader social challenge.
They argued that young children benefit from interacting with their peers in educational settings and warned that replacing daycare with care by relatives could undermine their social development.
The concerns follow earlier reports highlighting the growing burden on extended families. In May, the Shargh newspaper reported that prolonged preschool closures following the recent war left many working parents scrambling for childcare, with some relying on grandparents and relatives.
Another report published by Haft-e Sobh daily in February warned that rising daycare costs had effectively turned many grandparents into full-time caregivers, raising concerns about the physical and psychological burden on older adults as well as differences in parenting approaches across generations.
Iranian lawmakers Hamid Rasaei and Amirhossein Sabeti.
Nearly 100,000 people signed a petition within a day urging members of Iran’s ultraconservative Paydari Front to visit the southern war zone, reflecting anger at hardliners who oppose talks with Washington while remaining far from the fighting.
The petition, hosted on the Iranian platform Karzar, calls on prominent Paydari figures, including lawmakers Hamid Rasaei and Amirhossein Sabeti, to travel to the southern cities of Sirik and Bandar Abbas, where residents have faced repeated attacks during the conflict.
Its authors said such a visit would help the politicians "better understand the realities on the ground" and avoid decisions that could endanger civilians.
Challenge to hardline rhetoric
The petition says residents of southern Iran have lived under "direct and around-the-clock threats" while military personnel and civilians alike face fears of further attacks and damage to critical infrastructure.
It argues that politicians who have called for a wartime posture should experience those conditions themselves, saying a field visit could lead to "more realistic decision-making" and greater solidarity with local communities.
The Paydari Front is one of Iran's most hardline political factions and has been among the strongest opponents of negotiations with the United States. Its lawmakers have repeatedly criticized President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi over diplomacy with Washington.
Earlier this week, parliament removed two of the bloc's most outspoken critics of negotiations from senior positions on the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, reflecting growing tensions within Iran's conservative establishment over the handling of the conflict.
The petition has coincided with growing criticism on Persian-language social media over the burden borne by southern Iran, where much of the fighting has been concentrated.
In a video posted on Instagram, a comedian and influencer from southern Iran accused officials of downplaying attacks on the region. He said that when Tehran and other parts of the country came under attack, authorities described them as missile and drone strikes, but now that the south was bearing the brunt of the fighting, incoming rockets were being referred to simply as "projectiles."
"They've sanitized the language," he said. "It's as if a four- or five-year-old neighbor's child has thrown a stone at someone." He added: "You may not have the courage to call it what it is, but at least have some humanity. Don't treat southerners differently from everyone else."
Journalist Azadeh Mokhtari wrote on X that southern Iran was "the beating heart of Iran's economy," saying its ports were vital to imports, cargo handling and supplying much of the country.
Another X user argued that the Islamic Republic had turned large parts of the southern coastline into military zones and missile sites while residents continued to struggle with poverty despite the region's strategic importance and natural wealth.
A third wrote that Iranians should not pretend there was no war simply because the attacks were concentrated in the south. "Southern Iran is an inseparable part of this country," the post said. "Its pain is the pain of all Iran."
Unity message meets political divisions
The petition emerged as Iran's Press Supervisory Board instructed media outlets not to highlight political or factional disputes, urging them instead to avoid content it said could harm national cohesion or amplify social divisions.
The guidance told outlets to avoid "highlighting political and factional differences," "reproducing internal disputes" and publishing material that could undermine public unity.
Iran ranks among the world's lowest countries for press freedom, according to Reporters Without Borders, which says state repression continues to weigh heavily on independent journalism.
Iran has instructed Yemen's Houthis to prepare to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait if the United States attacks Iranian power infrastructure, three sources told Reuters, potentially opening a second maritime front after Tehran shut the Strait of Hormuz.
Two senior Iranian sources and a regional source said Tehran had discussed the plan internally and conveyed the message to the Houthis, though it was unclear whether this followed US President Donald Trump's threat on Tuesday to target Iran's power plants.
A source close to the Houthis said the group had deployed missiles and drones near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and was awaiting orders to begin attacks on shipping.
The move would threaten the Middle East's second major oil export route after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, raising the risk of further disruption to global energy supplies.
