Iran's Health Ministry: At Least 14 Killed, 78 Wounded in Two Days of US Strikes on Five Provinces

Iran's Health Ministry said Thursday, July 9, 2026, that two days of US airstrikes on July 8-9 targeting five Iranian provinces had killed at least 14 people and wounded 78, with 47 of the wounded still hospitalized. US Central Command said the strikes were meant to degrade Iran's ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. It is the first comprehensive official casualty count from the Health Ministry since strikes resumed following the ceasefire's collapse, though other Iranian state bodies have cited slightly different figures.