Highlights:
The United States launched another round of military strikes against Iran, marking the 10th consecutive night of operations aimed at weakening Tehran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. According to the US military, the latest attacks were designed to "further degrade" Iran's capabilities to launch attacks against vessels traveling through one of the world's most strategically important waterways.
The latest escalation follows President Donald Trump's pledge to retaliate after the deaths of three US service members in recent attacks linked to Iran. Trump said Iran had been hit "very hard" during the previous night's operations "in honour" of the three Americans killed, two in Jordan and one in Iraq.
US Central Command (Centcom) said the strikes targeted Iranian "military command centres, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and air defence systems". Explosions were reported near the northwestern city of Tabriz, where Iranian state media said one person was killed and several others were injured. Additional blasts were reported near the Gulf ports of Bandar Mahshahr and Bandar Imam Khomeini, as well as the southeastern ports of Chabahar and Konarak.
Centcom also stated that commercial shipping continued to move through the Strait of Hormuz despite the heightened military activity, emphasizing that maritime traffic had not been halted by the ongoing conflict.
Iran responded by announcing a series of retaliatory operations. According to state news agency IRNA, Iranian forces struck two oil tankers attempting to pass through what officials described as the strait's "unsafe and hazardous southern route." Rescue teams were reportedly recovering crew members from the affected vessels.
Separately, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said a tanker traveling through the Strait of Hormuz had been hit by an unidentified projectile, forcing its crew to abandon the ship and board a lifeboat. It remained unclear whether this vessel was one of the two tankers referenced by Iranian officials.
Iran also claimed to have targeted US military assets in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan. President Masoud Pezeshkian declared that Iran was now engaged in a "full-scale war" with the United States, underscoring the growing intensity of the confrontation.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) further claimed responsibility for a missile strike against a data center belonging to the US company Amazon in Bahrain. According to IRNA, the IRGC "attacked and destroyed the central data infrastructure of the American company Amazon in Bahrain with several cruise missiles."
Regional governments also reported defensive actions against Iranian aerial threats. Jordan said it intercepted five drones after announcing that it had shot down three missiles late Monday (20). Bahrain stated that Iranian drones targeted its air navigation systems, although air traffic continued without disruption. Kuwait's armed forces likewise reported intercepting Iranian drones before they could reach their targets.
Despite the sharp military escalation, Tehran said diplomatic communications between both sides were continuing through intermediaries, even after the collapse of a ceasefire.
Meanwhile, the US Department of Defense confirmed the identities of two of the three American service members killed in the recent attack on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan. The victims were identified as Pte Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Texas, and Lt Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Hawaii. Centcom said a third service member was initially listed as missing in action before unidentified remains were later recovered from the attack site.
Haze from Canadian wildfires blankets the Manhattan skyline, including the Empire State Building, as seen from Brooklyn Bridge Park on July 17, 2026 in New York City. New York City has been under an Air Quality Health Advisory as the Canadian and Great Lakes wildfire smoke gradually moves through the area, creating a thick haze in the heat. Getty Images