The United States carried out its 10th consecutive night of strikes against Iran on Monday night, July 20, 2026, targeting Iranian military infrastructure that US Central Command (CENTCOM) said had been used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM said the operation — completed at 9 pm Eastern Time (0100 GMT on July 21, 2026) — hit “Iranian military command centers, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and air defense systems,” aiming to further degrade Tehran’s ability to threaten shipping lanes.
Iranian state-linked media reported explosions in multiple cities and provinces, including Sirik, Bandar Abbas, Qeshm Island, Shiraz and Isfahan, as the strikes unfolded. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued statements claiming its forces had retaliated with strikes inside the region, saying they struck targets in Kuwait — including US HIMARS missile systems, radars, satellite receivers, a telecommunications centre and an MQ‑9 drone hangar at several locations — and destroyed a radar and US air defence systems in Bahrain.
The attacks occurred amid a spate of incidents in the Strait of Hormuz. Two Greek-owned oil tankers were hit earlier on Monday, July 20, while the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported another tanker struck off Oman’s port city of Limah, forcing the crew to abandon ship. Early on Tuesday, July 21, the IRGC claimed two more oil tankers attempting to transit the “unsafe southern route” in the strait suffered explosions and “massive fires.”
President Donald Trump posted on social media shortly before Monday’s strikes, warning that Iranian attacks on US military personnel would be paid back “many times over.” The warning followed an incident on Friday, July 17, 2026, in which an Iranian missile strike in Jordan killed two US soldiers and left a third missing, and a separate death of a US service member in northern Iraq. Trump also reiterated that continued attacks on commercial vessels would be met with a stronger response.
Domestically, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer urged an end to the conflict, saying Democrats will force Republicans to vote on halting military operations. Posting on X, Schumer wrote: “Every second Trump prolongs his war in Iran is another second our service members remain in danger,” and said Senate Democrats would “force Senate Republicans to take another vote to end this war and bring our troops home.”
The White House told Al Jazeera that strikes on Iran will continue until Trump decides otherwise, while also saying diplomatic talks between the US and Iran are ongoing. Meanwhile, Yemen’s pro‑Iranian Houthi movement has declared a blockade on Saudi Arabia, raising fears that renewed fighting could reignite the long‑running Yemeni conflict and further threaten shipping in the Red Sea.
Original Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/21/us-launches-tenth-consecutive-night-of-attacks-on-iran
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Publish Date: 2026-07-21 09:02:00
