US President Donald Trump has threatened to expand attacks to civilian infrastructure next week if Iran refuses to bow to his demands, as Tehran vowed its forces will stand firm “until their last breath.”
The US Central Command reimposed the naval blockade of all vessels transiting to and from Iranian ports on Tuesday evening after launching yet another round of what Washington describes as “defensive strikes” against the Islamic Republic.
Trump said the strikes would continue until he personally decides “it’s enough,” promising that “next week comes the power plants. Next week comes the bridges.”
The escalation comes as the two sides vie for control of the Strait of Hormuz, which accounts for some 20% of global crude oil trade. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said that “as long as American mischief exists in the region, not a single drop of oil or gas will be exported.”
In retaliation for the ongoing US strikes, the IRGC claimed to have carried out attacks on several US military facilities in the region, including “weapons storage depots, a satellite communications center,” and the headquarters of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain. Iranian military spokesman Brig. Gen. Mohammad Akraminia insisted on Tuesday that the country’s forces would stand firm “until their last breath.”
Trump formally notified Congress last week that Washington had resumed what he described as “defensive” strikes against Iran. He also claimed that Washington was “taking over” the Strait of Hormuz and would charge vessels “20% on all cargo shipped,” but later walked back the proposal, instead requesting “massive investments” from regional allies.
Follow our live coverage below for continuous updates.
15 July 2026
The US Central Command says it has completed another seven-hour wave of strikes against Iran, targeting dozens of military sites near the Strait of Hormuz and along the country’s southern coast.
US fighter aircraft, drones, and naval vessels allegedly struck missile and drone positions, naval assets, and coastal defense systems in an effort to further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping.
“US forces remain vigilant, lethal, and prepared to execute operations directed by the Commander in Chief,” CENTCOM said.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it launched a fifth wave of missile and drone strikes against US military facilities in Bahrain, claiming to have destroyed the operations center, a command-and-control center, large military equipment depots, and fuel storage facilities used by the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet.
The IRGC said the operation was retaliation for the US military’s attempt to impose control over the Strait of Hormuz. It warned that if Washington continues to block Tehran's energy exports, “other oil and gas export routes that serve the interests of America and its allies” could also be targeted.
“Either the region’s oil and gas will be exported for everyone, or for no one,” the statement said.
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has urged Iraq to disarm Iran-aligned militias and take greater responsibility for counterterrorism operations as Washington winds down its military mission in the country.
“To deepen our partnership, Iraq must assert its sovereignty and disarm the Iran-aligned militias responsible for 600+ attacks on US personnel this spring,” Hegseth wrote on X following talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi at the Pentagon. “A secure Iraq opens the door to strong commercial and defense cooperation.”
The commander of US Central Command, Adm. Brad Cooper, has accused Iran of “unwarranted aggression” against commercial shipping in the region and claimed that American forces are holding Tehran “accountable” through the ongoing strikes.
Kuwait’s military says its air defenses are intercepting what it described as “hostile drone attacks” following “the criminal Iranian aggression.”
“The explosion sounds being heard are the result of air defense systems intercepting the hostile attacks,” the General Staff said in a statement, urging the public to follow official safety instructions.
Meanwhile, unverified footage circulating on social media purports to show an Iranian drone striking a warehouse in Kuwait.
Three projectiles struck a bottled-water plant near a village in the Musian district of Iran’s western Ilam Province, damaging factory equipment but causing no casualties, according to the state-run IRNA news agency, citing the local governor.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has condemned a US strike on an environmental ranger post in the village of Seyed Jowzar in Hormozgan Province that killed three members of a ranger’s family, calling it the latest example of America’s “heinous war crimes.”
“The list of America’s crimes against Iranians grows longer every day, and with each passing day, America reveals a new layer of its enmity toward Iran,” Baghaei wrote on X.
Air raid sirens have been activated in Bahrain, with the Gulf state’s interior ministry urging citizens to remain calm and find shelter.
14 July 2026
President Trump has not ruled out a ground campaign in Iran or an operation to seize the key oil hub on Kharg Island if he “thought it was appropriate,” but insisted that “other people” would carry it out without the involvement of American troops.
“Sometimes you need a ground campaign, but we have other people that will do the ground campaign for us... But we already hit Kharg Island twice, even three times. I said, ‘Hit everything but the oil!’” Trump told Fox News.
“As far as taking it is concerned, if we degrade them far enough and deep enough back, I would do that,” he added.
President Trump said US strikes on Iran would continue until he personally decides “it’s enough,” threatening to expand the campaign to civilian infrastructure next week if Tehran refuses to bow to his demands.
“They’ll continue until I say it’s enough,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News on Tuesday. “Next week comes the power plants. Next week comes the bridges. We’re going to knock out all their power plants. We’re going to knock out all their bridges, unless they get to the table and negotiate.”
Iran’s military has released new footage showing drone launches during what it described as the seventh phase of retaliatory strikes against US bases in the region.
According to the statement, explosive-laden drones targeted an F/A-18 fighter jet deployment area, an accommodation building, and a large US military equipment hangar at Al-Azraq Air Base in Jordan.
The Iranian military said the strikes were intended to reinforce its warning that “the era of hit and run is over” and that any attack on Iran’s territory, waters, or airspace would draw a proportionate response.
Several explosions were heard on Qeshm Island, while another blast was reported in the city of Ahvaz in southern Iran, according to the state broadcaster IRIB. The Mehr news agency had previously reported that US missiles also struck an area near the southern Iranian city of Sirik.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it targeted American military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait in a wave of missile and drone strikes on Tuesday, in retaliation for US attacks on Iranian coastal military positions earlier in the day.
According to the IRGC, the “third wave” of the operation targeted weapons storage depots and vessel and aircraft components at Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain, as well as an MQ-9 drone staging area at Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, destroying several drones and damaging others.
“As long as American mischief exists in the region, not a single drop of oil or gas will be exported from the region, and these aggressions will result in nothing but delays in the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz,” the IRGC warned. “Reciprocal action and punishment of the aggressor will continue as long as America’s criminality persists. In the event of further aggression, they will face surprise responses.”
The US naval blockade of Iranian ports is now in full effect, CENTCOM has announced in a statement on X.
”US forces resumed the naval blockade of vessels transiting to and from Iranian ports and coastal areas today at 4 PM ET. There are currently more than 20 US Navy warships and hundreds of military aircraft operating across the Middle East. American forces remain vigilant, lethal, and ready,” it said.
The US Central Command has announced “an additional round of strikes against Iran,” with the stated goal of further degrading “Iranian capabilities used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.”
“The strikes are taking place as American forces prepare to resume the naval blockade of Iranian ports and coastal areas,” it added.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry has condemned as “unjustified” and “irresponsible” Britain’s decision on Monday to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organization and a security threat.
It called the move by London “a despicable and provocative act” that violates international law and the UN charter.
The IRGC is an integral part of Iran’s military, which is tasked with defending the country’s territorial integrity, national sovereignty and security, the ministry stressed.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has recommended carriers to avoid the airspace above Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE as well as above the Gulf of Oman amid the continued exchange of strikes between the US and Iran. The advisory remains valid until at least July 29, the agency said.
“Unpredictable military developments, combined with the possible use of missiles, drones, combat aircraft and air-defence systems, create a high risk to civil flights at all altitudes and flight levels within the concerned airspace,” the statement by EASA read.
The Iranian media has reported new explosions in several parts of the country amid continued escalation between Washington and Tehran.
Four locations were hit by US missiles in southwestern Bushehr Province, which hosts a nuclear power plant of the same name, IRNA news agency has said.
At least five blasts were heard near the southern city of Bandar Abbas, according to state TV.
Fars news agency also reported attacks on the city of Abadan and the port of Mahshahr in an area of Iran bordering Iraq and Kuwait.
Beijing believes that “a proper settlement” is needed to end the dispute over transit through the Strait of Hormuz between the US and Iran, the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s spokesman, Lin Jian, has said.
The waterway is intended “for international navigation. Resuming safe and free passage in the strait at an early date serves the interests of all sides,” he argued.
“China stands ready to maintain communication on this with relevant countries and the international community,” Lin stressed.
The Strait of Hormuz “will never be reopened through war, aggression or American acts of hostility,” Iranian military spokesman Brig. Gen. Mohammad Akraminia has insisted.
The Iranian servicemen will stand firm “until their last breath” and would not yield “even an inch” of the country’s rights in the key waterway, he vowed, as cited by Tasnim news agency.
“The only way to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is for the United States to respect the rights of the Iranian nation and comply with the provisions of the memorandum of understanding (MoU),” Akraminia said.
Any American violations of the MoU “will be met with a decisive response from Iran,” he said.
The continued exchanges of strikes between the US and Iran indicate that “trust is gone” between the sides, former Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl, who now heads the G.O.R.K.I. Center at St. Petersburg University, has told RT.
“From an Iranian perspective, it’s difficult to understand what the US really wants in all of that,” he said.
Kneissl said that she believes that for Donald Trump “it’s all about the Strait of Hormuz… because he doesn’t want to see the oil prices go through the roof.”
“It’s not about the nuclear enrichment program. This is the Israeli agenda,” she said.
Iran has shipped 80 million barrels of oil over the past 26 days, with millions more awaiting departure, TankerTrackers, a maritime traffic monitor, has said.
The Bahraini air defenses have foiled several Iranian attacks this morning, the Gulf state’s military has said in a statement.
“Iran continues its systematic aggression through its heinous attacks targeting civilians in the Kingdom of Bahrain,” the statement read.
Tehran said earlier that its strikes, which were launched in response to the US bombardment, targeted American military bases in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan.
A tanker was reportedly hit by a missile while traveling southeast of Oman’s Limah area, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) has said. “Authorities are investigating,” it added.
New Delhi has summoned Iran’s deputy ambassador after an Indian crew member was killed and eight others, including six Indians, sustained injuries in an Iranian strike on two Emirati super tankers in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday.
The Indian Foreign Ministry said that it had lodged a protest with Mohammad Javad Hosseini against attacks on ships passing through the waterway close to Oman’s shores.
Tehran maintains that it targets vessels because they are traversing the strait via a shipping lane which was “illegally designated” by Washington, instead of taking the route mapped out by Iran.
The Iranian authorities have rescued 23 foreign crew members for a sinking vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, Fars news agency has reported.
A bulk carrier collided with another ship north of Iran’s Qeshm Island and began taking on water, the agency said. All of the sailors were safely transferred to the island, it added.
Iranian oil exports are continuing “as usual” despite the US decision last week to cancel a 60-day waiver on sanctions against the country, Tehran’s oil minister, Mohsen Paknejad, has said.
“The Americans, as usual, broke their promise,” but it “will be no problem” for Iran because the oil ministry has long developed mechanisms to neutralize the effects of US economic restrictions, Paknejad wrote in a post on Telegram.
A bill focused on security in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf was formally introduced to the Iranian parliament overnight, the head of the legislature’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, Ibrahim Azizi, has said.
The authorities in Tehran “remain steadfast in defending our red lines, particularly regarding the management of the Strait of Hormuz,” he wrote in a post on X. “This is the first step; subsequent measures are forthcoming,” Azizi stressed.
Air raid sirens have been activated in Bahrain for the fourth time this morning, with the Gulf state’s interior ministry urging citizens to remain calm and find shelter.
Iran said earlier that it had struck the facilities of the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain with missiles and drones.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has slammed Donald Trump’s claim that the US will be providing safe passage to vessels going through the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for a 20% fee on their cargo.
“In the old days, this was called piracy,” Lula said. He described Trump’s idea as neither democratic nor civilized, stressing that it’s “abnormal for someone to take advantage of a tragedy to make money.”
Iran has published another AI-generated Lego-style clip, promising to take revenge on Donald Trump for ordering attacks on the country.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has issued an address to the people of Jordan, saying that it has struck an “airbase on your soil occupied by the US' child‑killing army,” which had been used by the American military to carry out attacks against Iran.
“You know that we hold no animosity toward your country; on the contrary, we deeply love you, the noble people. You understand the pain and suffering of the Palestinian people better than any other nation, and you are aware of the crimes of the Zionist regime [Israel],” the IRGC said.
Jordan’s armed forces have shot down four Iranian missiles which entered the country’s airspace, Petra news agency has reported, citing a military source. Emergency workers have been deployed to areas where the debris fell, the official outlet added.
Any attempts to infringe upon the sovereignty of the kingdom or violate its airspace will be confronted with all firmness, within the approved rules of engagement, the source stressed.
A missile struck a site belonging to an Iranian Kurdish opposition group east of the city of Erbil in northern Iraq, Reuters has reported, citing security sources. There were no immediate reports of casualties, it added.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has responded to Donald Trump’s claim that the US will be providing safe passage to vessels going through the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for a 20% fee on their cargo.
“Iran has always been the GUARDIAN of the Strait and will remain so FOREVER,” Araghchi said in a post on X.
The payments that Tehran would be taking for using the waterway are going to be much more reasonable than those wanted by Trump, he stressed.
The US, not Iran, is now in control of the Strait of Hormuz, Donald Trump has claimed.
“We control it. They can make trouble. They can do things that are not nice, but we control it,” the US president told Newsmax.
The American attacks over the past four months “knocked out most of their radar, a lot of their ammunition, a lot of their weapon launchers, you know, the missile launchers… And we control it. And we’re going to keep doing it,” he insisted.
The Iranian military warned earlier that it “will under no circumstances allow the US to interfere in the management of the Strait of Hormuz.”
The IRGC says it targeted “several weapons storage depots, a satellite communications center, and a building housing US personnel” at the Naval Support Activity (NSA) facility in Bahrain, the headquarters of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet.
“This strike comes in response to last night’s confrontation in the Strait of Hormuz,” the IRGC said, adding that the “retaliatory operation” against the latest US attacks “remains ongoing.”
The US Central Command says it has completed its latest wave of strikes against Iran, which lasted more than five hours.
“During the five-hour mission, US forces successfully struck military targets across Iran, including Bushehr, Chabahar, Jask, Konarak, Abu Musa, and Bandar Abbas,” CENTCOM said, adding that it had “employed precision munitions against Iranian coastal defense systems, missile and drone sites, and maritime capabilities.”
Air raid sirens are blaring in Bahrain for the third time tonight, with the Interior Ministry again urging residents to “remain calm and head to the nearest safe place.”
Global oil prices have risen further amid the ongoing exchange of strikes between the US and Iran, following a nearly 10% jump on Monday. The international Brent crude benchmark was trading at nearly $85 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) was trading just below $80.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy said that two supertankers that allegedly ignored repeated warnings and attempted to pass through a mined route in the Strait of Hormuz, were “hit and disabled.”
The IRGC claimed that the vessels had switched off their navigation systems after being “deceived” by the US military into using what it described as an illegal route. It warned that cooperation with Washington and attempts to navigate the mined passage would lead to further damage, delays in reopening the strait, and a worsening global energy crisis.
Iranian forces have targeted Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in eastern Jordan, which hosts US F-35 stealth fighter jets, according to Iranian media reports. There has been no official confirmation of an attack, but unverified footage circulating online purports to show missiles flying over Jordan and air-defense activity.
President Trump privately approved a Saudi military strike against the Iran-backed Houthis before Riyadh bombed Sanaa International Airport on Monday, marking the most serious escalation between the two sides since 2022, Axios has reported, citing US officials.
According to the outlet, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman informed Trump of the planned operation during a phone call on Friday and requested Washington’s backing, which the US president reportedly granted.
In retaliation, the Houthis launched missile and drone attacks targeting Abha International Airport in Saudi Arabia and claimed that “the operation achieved all its objectives, delivering a clear message that aggression against Yemen will not go unanswered.” However, a spokesperson for the Saudi-led military coalition said that the country had intercepted all missiles “launched by the terrorist Houthi militia.”
Bahrain’s air defenses “intercepted and destroyed” at least two waves of “Iranian aerial attacks” over the past hour, according to Nabeel Alhamer, a media adviser to the country’s king.
Multiple US airstrikes allegedly targeted Bushehr Airport in Iran, with black smoke seen rising from the area, according to local reports and witnesses cited by the Mehr news agency.
13 July 2026
Air raid alerts have been activated in Bahrain, with the Interior Ministry warning citizens and residents “to remain calm, head to the nearest safe location, and follow updates through official channels.”
President Trump has also threatened to strike Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain, a vast underground tunnel complex that Western analysts believe was built to protect sensitive parts of Tehran’s nuclear program even from the most powerful conventional US bunker-buster bombs.
“We’re going to take out Pickaxe Mountain. Tell the Iranians to be ready. Let them know we’re coming, okay? There’s not a damn thing they can do about it,” Trump told Hugh Hewitt.
Known as Kolang Gaz La, the site has been under construction since around 2020 and consists of multiple deeply buried tunnel complexes carved into a mountain south of Natanz.
“We’re watching it closely. We see no activity there. They’re not doing well with their nuclear situation. Every time we hear about it, we blow it up. So they don’t like talking about it. But we’ll probably give Pickaxe a shot relatively soon,” Trump said.
Several explosions were also reportedly heard in the coastal city of Konarak in Iran’s southern Hormozgan Province, with unverified videos purportedly showing the strike circulating on local Telegram channels.
The UAE Defense Ministry has accused Iran of targeting two Emirati tankers with cruise missiles in Omani territorial waters in the southern Strait of Hormuz.
The Mombasa and the Bahia sustained damage after fires broke out on board, but the blazes have since been brought under control, according to the statement. One Indian crew member aboard the Mombasa was killed and eight others were injured, including four seriously, the ministry said.
Abu Dhabi condemned the alleged attack as a “serious violation” of international law and said it reserved the right to respond and take measures to protect the country’s security and interests.
Several explosions have been heard in Jam, a city in Iran’s southern Bushehr Province, and on Qeshm Island, according to Iran’s Fars news agency.
At least three explosions were heard in the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas, while six were reported on Kish Island, according to Press TV.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has released new footage of its earlier strikes on US military facilities in the region.
“In response to repeated US attacks, the Iranian Army targeted US military communications systems, fuel depots, a Patriot air-defense system, a control tower, and an ammunition depot in Kuwait with suicide drones,” it said in a statement. It added that Iranian forces had also “struck a hostile US vessel with cruise missiles in response to missile attacks on several military sites.”
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has claimed that its air defenses shot down a US MQ-1 Predator drone over the Strait of Hormuz. According to the IRGC, the aircraft was “targeted by advanced systems operated by its Aerospace Force under Iran’s integrated air-defense network.” The US military has not yet confirmed the loss.
US President Donald Trump called Iran’s leadership “stone-cold crazy people” and stopped just short of announcing an intention to assassinate its members when asked, “Do you know where they are? Can you kill them?”
“Yeah, I do. But we don’t want to talk about that,” Trump told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt. “But we will. We will be hitting them. Like, as an example, we’re going to hit them very hard tonight. And we’re going to hit them hard tomorrow. And there’s not a damn thing they can do about it. They have nothing. They have nothing going other than they have big mouths.”
The US Central Command has announced that it has begun "launching the third consecutive night of strikes against Iran, at the commander-in-chief’s direction.”
“These strikes will continue imposing a heavy cost on Iranian forces and degrade their ability to attack innocent civilians and commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” it added in a post on X.