WASHINGTON/TEHRAN – Tensions continue unabated in Middle East as United States launched 8th consecutive night of airstrikes on Iran, targeting key military infrastructure. Tehran also claims attacking US military installations in Kuwait.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the latest overnight operation targeted Iranian coastal surveillance systems, air defence sites, maritime assets, and missile and drone storage facilities. The strikes were carried out under the orders of President Donald Trump and are aimed at further degrading Iran’s military capabilities.
US CENTCOM carried out another round of strikes on Iran last night—the 8th straight night—hitting military coastal surveillance and air defense sites.
Overthrow Iran’s terror regime?
A. Yes
B. No pic.twitter.com/pBFVrTytYq— 𝔉🅰𝒏 Karoline Leavitt (@WHLeavitt) July 19, 2026
US struck units of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that Washington accuses of carrying out the deadly July 17 attack on US troops stationed in Jordan. More than 50,000 American troops remain deployed across the Middle East as the conflict enters an increasingly volatile phase.
Iranian officials reported fresh US strikes across Khuzestan and Hormozgan provinces early Sunday. BBC Persian, citing officials in Khuzestan, said a missile strike hit an area near Shadegan shortly before 6 a.m. local time, prompting emergency crews to rush to the scene as authorities began assessing the damage.
Several blasts reported from Qeshm Island after US warplanes allegedly carried out another round of strikes. The agency said investigators are assessing the impact and determining whether there were casualties, adding that other parts of the island had also come under missile attack earlier.
Iranian media further reported explosions in Bandar Abbas, Sirik, Hajiabad, Shadegan and Qeshm, although the US military has not commented on the reports and the claims have not been independently verified.
Iran’s military announced that it had launched the 16th phase of its “Operation Lightning,” targeting two American military bases in Kuwait with drones.
⚡️ BREAKING: 🇮🇷❌🇺🇸🇰🇼 Iran’s Army claims it carried out UAV strikes targeting an ammunition depot at Camp Arifjan and Patriot radar systems at Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait. pic.twitter.com/run3nW5igb
— The Geopolitics (@Newstoday555) July 19, 2026
According to Iranian military, the operation struck an ammunition depot at Camp al-Adiri, along with Patriot missile defence and air surveillance radar systems at Ali Al Salem Air Base. Tehran described the operation as retaliation for recent US strikes that it says hit civilian infrastructure and residential neighbourhoods inside Iran.
Neither the Kuwaiti government nor US officials have confirmed the reported attacks, and independent verification remains unavailable.
Iran’s embassy in India said seven civilians, including two young girls, were killed in Thursday’s US strike on a bridge in Bandar Khamir. Adding to the turmoil, Iranian media reported that a magnitude-5 earthquake struck Khuzestan province just hours after overnight US air raids hit several locations in the region.
Amid growing instability, Iraq is weighing plans for a strategic oil pipeline stretching from Basra to Kirkuk and onward to Türkiye’s Ceyhan port, with a possible extension to Syria’s Banias. The proposal is aimed at reducing Baghdad’s dependence on the increasingly volatile Strait of Hormuz for energy exports.
The latest attack in Jordan has pushed the number of US military personnel killed since the conflict erupted to 16, while more than 430 American service members have been wounded and one soldier remains missing. The first fatalities occurred on March 1, when an Iranian drone struck a civilian port in Kuwait, killing six US troops. Another soldier later died from injuries sustained during an attack on Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia the same day.
On March 12, six more American personnel were killed after a KC-135 aerial refuelling aircraft crashed in Iraq during operational missions. US officials said there was no evidence that hostile action or friendly fire caused the incident. A US Navy pilot was also killed on July 1 after a helicopter crashed in the Arabian Sea, with investigators finding no indication of enemy involvement.
Iran officially suspends Islamabad MoU, escalating attacks in Gulf
News Desk
About the Author
