The United States completed its 11th consecutive night of strikes against Iran on Tuesday, with the military declaring the wave finished just 75 minutes after it began. United States Central Command said the raids targeted Iranian military operations centres, naval forces, aircraft hangars, drone storage and logistics infrastructure to degrade Tehran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian state media reported air defences activated over Tehran and explosions near the Bushehr nuclear plant.
President Donald Trump, who previously threatened to destroy Iranian bridges and power plants if commercial vessels are attacked, warned of "multiple" retaliation for any further US military deaths. The US death toll has reached 17 since the war began in late February. Iran, which voided a June ceasefire framework on 18 July, fired missiles and drones at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait on Tuesday, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claiming a sixth wave of attacks on US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain. Only four commercial vessels transited Hormuz on 21 July, down from hundreds routinely escorted since May.