US military launches new airstrikes to punish Iran for deaths of US troops

UPDATE: The U.S. military launched new airstrikes against Iran on Sunday, July 18, marking the eighth consecutive night of operations and targeting Iranian coastal surveillance and air defense facilities, maritime capabilities, and missile and drone storage sites. The strikes, described as a measure to "swiftly punish" Iran’s Revolutionary Guard for an attack in Jordan that killed two American service members, aimed to degrade Tehran’s ability to restrict oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. This follows a drone and missile attack on a U.S. base in Jordan on Friday, which the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) attributed to Iran. The latest strikes also come as Iran fired missiles toward Jordan, risking wider regional conflict and prompting Israel to warn of potential spillover into its territory.

The U.S. military’s Central Command said the strikes targeted Iranian military coastal surveillance and air defense facilities, maritime assets, and missile and drone storage sites, with the goal of degrading Iran’s ability to control the strait. The operation followed a series of attacks by Iran on U.S.-allied Arab states, including Kuwait, where Iranian missiles and drones struck military-linked facilities and critical infrastructure. Kuwaiti officials reported that air defenses intercepted several incoming threats, though some attacks damaged facilities and injured firefighters and oil sector workers. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility for targeting U.S. military support sites in Kuwait, including an ammunition depot at Camp Udairi and Patriot radar systems at Ali Al Salem Air Base.

Iran’s missile attacks on Jordan, which the country’s military said it successfully intercepted, raised concerns about potential spillover into Israel. Israeli authorities warned that missiles launched toward the Jordanian port city of Aqaba could cause fires to spread into Israeli territory, marking the first such risk in weeks. Eilat, a city adjacent to Aqaba, reportedly launched two interceptors to prevent debris from falling. Meanwhile, Iran’s atomic energy agency reported that U.S. strikes targeted the construction site of a planned nuclear power plant in the southwest, though satellite images from Planet Labs PBC showed the site in the “very early stages of construction” with no nuclear material present, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The conflict has increasingly threatened civilian populations and critical infrastructure. In Kuwait, a power and water desalination plant was attacked for the second time in two days, causing fires and disrupting water supplies. Residents reported heightened demand for water and canned goods amid fears of supply chain disruptions. Iran also targeted a Kurdish dissident group’s base in Iraq, wounding eight members, while Saudi Arabia and Bahrain issued air defense alerts. The U.S. military said it launched fresh airstrikes against Iran at 6 pm ET on the orders of the commander in chief, targeting IRGC forces linked to the Jordan attack.

Iran’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, warned of “unforgettable lessons” if the U.S. continued its strikes, while senior military officials threatened “full-scale offensive operations” and a “decisive and devastating response” to further U.S. aggression. The Iranian military also accused the U.S. of violating international norms and suspended its commitments to an interim peace deal signed a month prior, signaling a hardening stance. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) accused Iran of war crimes for attacking civilian infrastructure, and the U.S. issued a global travel alert amid rising tensions.

Since the war began in February 2026, 16 U.S. service members have been killed and over 430 wounded, according to CENTCOM. Iran’s state media reported at least 50 people killed and 517 injured in the latest U.S. strikes, though no overall materiel losses have been disclosed. The U.S. has reimposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports, redirecting five ships and disabling one in recent days. Maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains low, with only eight transits recorded on Saturday, compared to a daily average of nearly 140 before the war. The IAEA and other international bodies have monitored the situation, but no explicit calls for de-escalation are attributed to them in the sources.

President Donald Trump defended the U.S. military campaign, stating that the troops’ deaths were a sacrifice to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. He also criticized Democratic lawmakers who called for withdrawal from the Middle East, accusing them of ignoring the risks of a nuclear-armed Iran. Meanwhile, the Pentagon deployed additional warplanes, including F-16s from Germany and F-35s from the UK, to the Gulf region. The conflict’s economic and humanitarian toll continues to grow, with fuel and goods prices affecting vulnerable regions worldwide.