The United States escalated its military campaign against Iran in the early hours of Monday, July 20, 2026, marking the ninth consecutive night of strikes across the region. US President Donald Trump confirmed the latest attacks hit Iran "very hard," stating they were "in honour" of three American soldiers recently killed – two in Jordan and one in Iraq.
US Central Command (Centcom) reported launching a "new wave" of operations, targeting Iranian military sites and communications networks. This action, Centcom explained, aims to "further diminish" Tehran's ongoing assaults on vessels navigating the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Explosions reverberated across several Iranian cities, including Tabriz, Chabahar, Konarak, Bandar Mahshahr, and Bandar Imam Khomeini, according to Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed a "surprise attack" in Syria and targeted US aircraft at Jordan's Aqaba airport in retaliation. State media also reported two oil tankers exploded while attempting to traverse an "unsafe and hazardous southern route" of the Strait of Hormuz, an assertion Centcom disputed. The IRGC further warned the strait "will not be safe for the transit of petrochemical products, nor even a single drop of oil and gas" as long as US strikes persist, vowing a "punitive operation." Elsewhere, Kuwait's armed forces intercepted Iranian drones.
The US military identified the soldiers killed in a Friday attack on a base in Jordan as Pte Isabella Gonzales, 19, and Lt Tyler James Feehan, 25. A third service member remains missing from that incident, with "unidentified remains" found during the search. A separate Iranian attack in northern Iraq on Saturday also claimed the life of another US service member.
Despite the intensifying conflict, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated America's openness to a diplomatic solution. He urged the international community to address Iran's perceived leverage over the crucial Strait of Hormuz. These comments follow the unravelling of a preliminary deal made in mid-June to halt fighting, which President Trump declared "over" on July 8, citing little progress in permanent peace negotiations.
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📰 Source: BBC World