The United States launched a fresh wave of airstrikes against Iran in the early hours of Sunday, July 19, in what officials described as a response aimed at “punishing” the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for the deaths of two US servicemen killed in a strike on an American target in Jordan on Friday.
Reuters reported that Washington and Tehran have stepped up hostilities since an interim ceasefire reached a month ago collapsed last week, fuelling fears of a return to full-scale war. U.S. Central Command said the latest operation began at 6 p.m. ET (2200 GMT) on Saturday on the orders of President Donald Trump.
It said the strikes were intended to further weaken Iran‘s ability to threaten commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and to retaliate against Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces that launched attacks on U.S. service members in Jordan the previous night.
Central Command later said the operation had concluded after striking Iranian military coastal surveillance and air defence facilities.
Iran’s Mehr news agency reported that U.S. forces struck an area near Sirik in southern Iran, adding that there were no casualties or damage to infrastructure. The semi-official Tasnim news agency said another U.S. strike targeted a location near Shadegan, close to the Iraqi border.
Iranian state television reported early on Sunday, citing an army statement, that Iran had responded by launching drone attacks against U.S. military assets and equipment at Kuwait’s Al-Adiri camp and Ali Al Salem Air Base. It said both facilities were targeted as part of Iran’s campaign against U.S. assets and allies in the Gulf that began last week.
Separately, Central Command said the two U.S. service members were killed on Friday and that a third remained missing in action. The announcement brought the number of U.S. military personnel killed since the conflict began to 16, while more than 420 have been wounded.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote on X that the deaths would only strengthen Washington’s determination, saying: “Their sacrifice only stiffens our resolve.”
Iran also appeared to target Saudi Arabia, Jordan and other U.S. allies in the Gulf on Saturday following American strikes on Iranian bridges, power facilities and other infrastructure.
In a statement carried by Iranian state media and the official social media accounts of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, Khamenei, whose whereabouts remains unknown, said the latest U.S. actions proved that Trump’s signature was “utterly worthless and devoid of credibility.” He warned that the United States would face “even heavier costs and further humiliation.”
