On Sunday, July 19th, 2026, the United States launched another wave of air strikes against Iran, marking the eighth consecutive night of attacks. These strikes targeted Iran’s coastal surveillance, air defense facilities, maritime capabilities, and missile and drone storage sites, according to US Central Command (Centcom).

The campaign intensified after two American soldiers were killed in Jordan by Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks, with another US service member reported missing. Centcom confirmed that the strikes specifically targeted Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a key power base controlling Iran's ballistic missile arsenal.

In response, Iran's military announced drone attacks on two US bases in Kuwait, including Camp Udairi and Ali Al Salem Air Base, as reported by Iranian state media. Tehran has also targeted power and desalination plants in Kuwait, escalating the conflict that has spread across the Middle East.

The US death toll in the conflict has risen to 16, including an American Navy pilot declared dead earlier this month. The renewed hostilities follow the collapse of a preliminary ceasefire and the reimposition of a US blockade on Iranian ports. Iran has declared the Strait of Hormuz closed, a critical shipping channel for global oil and gas trade.

Meanwhile, Israeli authorities reported that Iranian missiles were launched toward the southern Jordanian city of Aqaba, near the Jordan-Israel border and the Israeli city of Eilat. The US Embassy in Amman issued a warning to its citizens to avoid air and sea ports in Aqaba due to a "specific and credible threat." However, Jordanian officials stated that no evacuations or threats had been detected recently. Later, Jordan announced it had shot down three missiles, with a fourth falling in a remote area.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei condemned the US, stating, "The repeated breaches of covenant by the Great Satan regarding the memorandum of understanding signed between the presidents of Iran and the United States once again proved to everyone this truth: that the signature of the President of the United States is utterly worthless and invalid."

The ongoing conflict reflects deepening tensions over control of the Strait of Hormuz and broader regional power struggles.

Sources