The U.S. military carried out its 10th consecutive night of strikes against Iran, targeting Iranian military command centers, missile and drone launch sites, maritime capabilities and air defense systems, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said.
The latest operation lasted about five hours and was launched at the direction of President Donald Trump. CENTCOM said the strikes were aimed at further “degrading Iranian military capabilities used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.”
The strikes were conducted in Sirik, Bandar Abbas, Qeshm Island, Shiraz and Isfahan.
CENTCOM said it completed the latest round of operations at 9 p.m. ET on July 20, targeting Iranian facilities linked to missile launches, drone operations, maritime warfare and air defense capabilities.
“U.S. forces struck Iranian military command centers, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and air defense systems to degrade Iran’s ability to continue attacking commercial vessels flowing through the Strait of Hormuz,” CENTCOM said in a statement.
The command added that commercial shipping through the strategic waterway continued, stating that since early May, U.S. forces had helped facilitate the movement of around 900 commercial vessels carrying 450 million barrels of crude oil.
US said that American forces remain postured and prepared to hold Iran accountable for unwarranted aggression toward civilian mariners seeking to freely and openly transit the strait.
Iran responded with strikes by targeting against U.S. positions and Gulf countries hosting U.S. military forces.
Iranian forces also targeted American positions across the region. Pentagon officials said three U.S. troops, two in Jordan and one in Iraq , were killed in attacks over the past several days, while nearly 100 American personnel have been wounded since hostilities intensified on July 7. About 96% of those injured have returned to duty, officials said.
Iran’s military claimed it had targeted U.S. assets in Kuwait and Bahrain in retaliation for American strikes. Kuwait’s armed forces said their air defense systems were activated on Monday to intercept incoming Iranian weapons.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had launched attacks against locations housing U.S. forces, including the Rukban area, and claimed strikes on U.S. military infrastructure in Kuwait and Bahrain. The claims included attacks on HIMARS missile systems, radar installations, satellite receivers, telecommunications facilities and MQ-9 drone hangars.
Jordan’s military later said it had intercepted five Iranian drones launched toward the kingdom, according to the state-run Petra news agency. The military said the interceptions caused no casualties or damage.
The widening conflict has increased fears over global energy supplies, with fighting affecting shipping routes around the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important oil transit corridors.
Oil prices have risen and global markets have faced renewed uncertainty since the conflict began.
Two Greek-owned oil tankers were struck in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, while the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported that another tanker was hit near Oman’s port city of Limah, forcing the crew to abandon the vessel.
Early Tuesday, the IRGC claimed that two additional oil tankers attempting to use what it described as an “unsafe southern route” through the Strait of Hormuz suffered explosions and “massive fires.”
The Iran-backed Houthi movement in Yemen also announced plans for a naval blockade targeting Saudi Arabia, raising further concerns over regional trade and energy disruptions.
The latest strikes followed President Donald Trump’s warning that Iran would face retaliation after the deaths of U.S. troops.
Shortly before the bombing campaign began, Trump said on social media that Iranian attacks on American military personnel would be met with consequences “many times over.”
Trump has also warned that future U.S. targets could expand to include Iranian energy facilities and bridges if attacks continue.
But if strikes are carried on infrastructure considered essential to civilian life it could raise legal questions under the Geneva Conventions, which restrict attacks on protected civilian sites during armed conflicts.
A section of U.S. lawmakers including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called for an end to the military campaign, saying Democrats would push Republicans to vote on halting operations.
In a post on X, Schumer wrote that “every second Trump prolongs his war in Iran is another second our service members remain in danger.”
He said Senate Democrats would “force Senate Republicans to take another vote to end this war and bring our troops home.”
