US-Iran War

The United States has deployed a B-1 long-range bomber to strike Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targets, marking the first use of the aircraft in the 12-day conflict with Iran. The bomber launched from a base in Britain as Washington reinforced its Persian Gulf presence with special forces, medical personnel and additional military assets.

President Donald Trump [warned that Tehran would pay a

The United States struck Iranian military targets for a 12th consecutive night on Wednesday, escalating an offensive that has now entered its third week since a ceasefire collapsed. President Donald Trump, speaking at a rally in Georgia, asserted that Iran is not prepared to conclude a nuclear agreement, though he separately suggested Tehran would soon be ready to finalize a deal to halt the conflict.

Trump later attended a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base for four service members killed in Iranian strikes in Jordan and Iraq. The Pentagon identified the fallen as Tyler James Feehan, 25; Isabella Gonzales, 19; Angel S. Rampersad, 28; and Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30. U.S. military deaths have reached 18, with roughly 500 wounded since the U.S.-Israeli campaign began Feb. 28.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has requested an urgent $67 billion military injection, estimating the war has cost $37.5 billion. Trump threatened to destroy Iranian civilian infrastructure if Tehran continues striking ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to strike Iran's underground Pickaxe Mountain nuclear facility "very soon and with great force," saying the military campaign against Tehran is "not even close to over". Trump said Iran would need more than 20 years to recover from damage already inflicted.

The Pickaxe Mountain site near Natanz is suspected by Western intelligence of housing an undeclared uranium enrichment facility. Israel believes Iran moved advanced centrifuges and highly enriched uranium there following 2025 strikes. Trump acknowledged the U.S. has no confirmed records of such a transfer but dismissed its significance. Trump received a Situation Room briefing last week on escalation strategies, including an operation to seize Kharg Island and airstrikes on Pickaxe Mountain.

Washington and Tehran have been exchanging strikes for two weeks, shattering a June 18 ceasefire, with Iran expanding attacks across the region. Trump said he has no interest in meeting Iran until Tehran is prepared for meaningful nuclear negotiations, even as he claimed Iran is desperate for talks.

President Donald Trump threatened to bomb and destroy a bridge or power plant in Iran — including sites in or near Tehran — for every Iranian attack on a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, escalating his rhetoric after warning a day earlier of possible strikes on the Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site near Natanz.

The ultimatum followed a night of intensified exchanges: US Central Command said it struck Iranian military operations centres, drone storage facilities, air hangars and logistics infrastructure, while air defences were activated over Tehran and explosions were heard in Bushehr. Iran's Revolutionary Guard claimed attacks on US targets in Jordan, and Iran's military said it launched drone strikes on a US base in western Kuwait, with retaliatory hits also reported in Bahrain and Qatar. The US military death toll has risen to 18 since hostilities began on 28 February.

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth put the conflict's cost at $37.5 billion and requested an additional $67 billion from Congress. Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen announced a blockade of Saudi oil shipments through the Red Sea. US intelligence assessments indicate 11 days of renewed strikes have not altered Iranian behaviour, and Iran's UN ambassador called US attacks on civilian infrastructure war crimes, drawing concern from UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

Oil prices surged nearly 4 percent on Wednesday after U.S. Central Command carried out its 11th consecutive night of strikes against Iran, escalating a conflict that has redrawn energy-market risk premiums this week.

Brent crude futures for September delivery rose to $91.96 a barrel, while WTI climbed to $87.46, marking the first time in over a month that Brent closed above $90. Supply disruptions compounded the rally: Russia's CPC terminal stopped receiving Kazakh oil following tanker attacks, and Lukoil declared force majeure on an Iraqi oilfield it operates.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Strait of Hormuz remains a sticking point in broader tensions. Money markets are now pricing a 69 percent chance of a Federal Reserve rate hike in September as energy-driven inflation fears mount.

The Pentagon has identified a third U.S. service member believed killed in the July 17 Iranian strike on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, bringing the confirmed death toll in the renewed conflict to 18.

Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, 28, of Ozone Park, New York, was previously listed as missing in action following the attack that also killed 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales. Separately, Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, was killed July 18 at Erbil Air Base in Iraq during a controlled detonation of a downed Iranian drone, an incident that wounded a second service member.

Nearly 100 American troops have been injured in multiple Iranian attacks since July 7. Iranian authorities say U.S. strikes over the past three weeks have killed at least 50 people and wounded more than 500.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth testified before a Senate committee on Tuesday, pressing lawmakers to approve a $67 billion supplemental Pentagon funding package to sustain the war effort against Iran. The request is part of a broader $87.6 billion package from the Trump administration, with $67.1 billion earmarked specifically for ongoing military operations.

Hegseth, appearing alongside General Dan Caine, detailed urgent needs including $1.5 billion to address critical fuel shortfalls and $2 billion to replace combat-damaged equipment. The US has conducted a tenth consecutive night of strikes against Iranian military infrastructure as of Monday. The conflict, which began in February, has killed 17 American service members and wounded nearly 100, including three deaths last week.

The broader spending package also includes roughly $11 billion in agricultural aid, with Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins separately appealing for support for US farmers.

Yemen's Houthi rebels announced a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia on July 20, closing the Bab al-Mandeb Strait to Saudi-linked shipping with immediate effect. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree described the measure as retaliation for a Saudi blockade of ports and airports in Houthi-controlled territory and a strike on Sanaa International Airport the previous week. The internationally recognized Yemeni government claimed responsibility for the Sanaa attack, saying it aimed to prevent Iranian aircraft from landing. Following the announcement, two oil tankers rerouted after departing Saudi Arabia on July 21.

The Bab al-Mandeb chokepoint handled 7.4 million barrels per day of petroleum in June, while Saudi exports from Yanbu port reached a record 4.19 million barrels daily that same month. The embargo compounds disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, effectively closed since late February following U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.

The escalation threatens a fragile 2022 truce and follows 10 consecutive days of U.S.-Iranian exchanges, with U.S. Central Command targeting Iranian military infrastructure on July 20.

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Tuesday that Israel has no interest in joining the renewed military campaign between the United States and Iran, calling the current limited conflict the best outcome for his country. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a security forum on Monday to review developments, while three Israeli sources told CNN that the military remains on high alert and is drafting operational plans for potential escalation.

The renewed hostilities, which erupted in early July 2026 after Iranian attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, mark a collapse of the ceasefire reached in April following the joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran in February 2026. The US has since launched air strikes while Iran has targeted Gulf states hosting American bases.

Israeli officials are satisfied with the status quo as Washington and Tehran exchange blows, sources said. Smotrich told a conference that a contained US-Iran clash suits Israel. However, if drawn in, Israel would seek to strike Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear sites that were off-limits during the March 2026 campaign.

Iran launched missile strikes against power stations and seawater desalination plants in Kuwait on Monday evening, sparking fires at multiple facilities hit for a fourth consecutive day. Kuwait's Energy Ministry said repairs were underway while several units were taken offline as a precaution to protect grid stability in a country where 90 percent of drinking water comes from desalination.

The Revolutionary Guard said it targeted US radar, missile, and defence systems at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait and bases in Bahrain, and also struck Amazon data centres in Bahrain. Two oil tankers caught fire after explosions near the Strait of Hormuz, while UKMTO reported a tanker hit by an unidentified projectile off Limah.

The strikes came after US Central Command carried out a five-hour campaign against Iran beginning at 23:30 local time on 20 July, aimed at degrading Tehran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the strait. Hostilities between Washington and Tehran resumed on 7 July.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed responsibility for striking an Amazon data center in Bahrain with cruise missiles, calling it retaliation for US attacks on Iranian infrastructure. The assault occurred during the tenth consecutive night of American strikes against Iran, which lasted approximately five hours early Tuesday.

Iran fired rockets at American radar and defense systems at bases in Kuwait and Bahrain, while the Revolutionary Guard said two oil tankers caught fire attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz. The British maritime security service UKMTO reported a tanker struck by an unknown projectile off Oman's coast. US Central Command maintained commercial shipping continues through the strait.

The State Department issued a global warning for Americans on July 20 citing elevated Middle East tensions. The Amazon facility was previously targeted in March.

Israeli air strikes across Gaza killed at least 14 Palestinians on Monday, including a father and his 28-year-old daughter in a bombing of the Yemen al-Saeed Hospital in a northern refugee camp, and five people, three of them children, in an apartment fire in Gaza City's Sabra neighbourhood. Six others were wounded in the hospital strike, including several children. Additional strikes killed a cyclist in Al-Zawaida and at least three people near Khan Younis. The attacks violated the ceasefire that took effect in October 2025.

The escalation follows the killing of senior Hamas commander Adham Ibrahim Shaaban Nasman in an Israeli strike over the weekend.

In a widening regional confrontation, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps struck US military targets in Jordan, destroying a missile defence radar and an F-15 fighter, and hit Amazon's central data infrastructure in Bahrain with cruise missiles. The force also seized two tankers in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday.

President Donald Trump warned on Sunday that Iran will face severe retaliation for the deaths of US service personnel, saying the country will pay "many times over" for each soldier killed. The directive, posted on Truth Social, was transmitted to Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Daniel Caine, and all military commanders.

The warning followed the deaths of three US service members over the July 18–19 weekend: two soldiers killed in Jordan on July 17 and one who died in Iraq during a controlled detonation of a downed Iranian drone. The fatalities bring the US death toll to 17 since the war began on February 28. Another service member remains missing.

US forces struck targets inside Iran early on July 20, killing at least 50 people. Separately, Trump defended Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against an International Criminal Court arrest warrant, saying he would not be arrested in the United States.

Iran has warned that its armed forces are prepared to confront American troops if the United States moves against Kharg Island, through which roughly 90% of Iran's crude oil exports flow. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei cautioned that any provocation targeting the island would carry consequences for Washington.

The warning follows reports that President Donald Trump is considering expanding military operations against Iran, including a potential ground invasion of Kharg. The United States has launched multiple waves of strikes against Iran since July 8, citing Tehran's actions against commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded by firing missiles at hostile targets, and a ship was recently attacked and set ablaze near Kumzar, Oman, though all crew were rescued.

The escalation comes despite a June 18 memorandum of understanding signed to end the conflict that erupted on February 28. Amid the tensions, Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni arrived in Islamabad.

The United States carried out a ninth consecutive night of strikes against Iran, targeting military command centers, air defenses, and missile sites in a three-hour barrage designed to degrade Tehran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump said the strikes were conducted in honor of fallen soldiers after three American service members were killed in fighting with Iran, including an attack on a base in Jordan on Friday that left two dead, four wounded, and one missing.

Iran responded with attacks across the region, with the Revolutionary Guard claiming it destroyed a radar installation, equipment depot, and drone hangar at the Ali Al Salem base in Kuwait. Kuwaiti air defenses intercepted hostile drones, while sirens sounded in Bahrain and a vessel caught fire near Oman. Iranian authorities reported at least 50 people killed and more than 500 wounded in the renewed US strikes, which also hit a desalination plant cutting water to 10,000 people.

The US death toll from the conflict, which began in February, has reached 17. Supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei suspended an agreement with Washington reached last month. Oil prices held steady as Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged allies to increase pressure on Iran to protect global shipping.

The national average price of regular gasoline in the United States reached $4.003 per gallon on July 20, 2026, up sharply from $3.14 a year earlier, as renewed hostilities with Iran roiled energy markets.

Oil prices jumped 16% in the past week, with Brent crude rising to $90.95 per barrel on Sunday. The spike ended an eight-week decline in pump prices that followed a surge to roughly $4.57 per gallon after the conflict began on February 28. Diesel climbed above $5 per gallon, reaching $5.11. Prices vary widely by state, from $5.40 in California to $3.80 in Ohio, the lowest in the nation.

The upswing tracks a collapse of diplomacy. A June 18 ceasefire memorandum crumbled when President Donald Trump declared the truce void on July 9, days after the US resumed strikes against Iran. A Gallup poll found two-thirds of Americans reported fuel costs causing household financial hardship.

Bahrain's military said it intercepted and destroyed Iranian drone strikes targeting air navigation equipment in the Gulf kingdom on Monday, as explosions and air-raid sirens were heard across the capital, Manama.

The Bahrain Defence Force accused Iran of systematically targeting civilians and said all its units and weapons systems remain on the highest state of alert. The interior ministry urged residents to stay calm and move to safe locations. The Bahrain Civil Aviation Authority said air traffic was operating normally despite the attacks.

The incidents come amid a broader exchange of strikes between the United States and Iran, with Washington launching attacks citing violations of an existing memorandum of understanding and Tehran retaliating against U.S. interests. Bahrain has been targeted for several days as a U.S.-allied neighbour of Iran.