Iran-US tensions continue as sides exchange threats, military strikes

Our Privacy Statement & Cookie Policy By continuing to browse our site you agree to our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. You can change your cookie settings through your browser. Cargo vessels are seen at one end of the Strait of Hormuz near the coast of Dibba Al Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, July 21, 2026. /VCG Iran and the United States traded fresh threats and military strikes on Tuesday and Wednesday, with hostilities continuing across the wider Middle East. US forces on Tuesday struck military targets in Iran for the 11th consecutive night, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said. The strikes, which began at 7 p.m. ET (2300 GMT), were "designed to continue degrading Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz," CENTCOM said. Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters warned that any US attack on Iranian nuclear and other sensitive sites would be viewed as an expansion of the conflict and would be met with strikes against US interests and those of its allies in the region. The warning came after US President Donald Trump said Washington had no interest in talks with Iran unless Tehran was prepared to engage in what he called "meaningful" negotiations. Trump also said US forces would strike Iran's Pickaxe Mountain nuclear facility "pretty soon." The fortified underground site was declared by Iran to the International Atomic Energy Agency in 2020 as the future location of an advanced centrifuge assembly plant. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said its forces had destroyed an early warning radar system and several tactical radar installations around Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, as well as another radar system on Bubiyan Island. In separate statements on Tuesday, the IRGC said it had launched missile and drone strikes against US targets in Kuwait and Bahrain, claiming to have destroyed radar facilities and Patriot air defense systems. Jordan's armed forces said on Tuesday that its air defense systems intercepted three Iranian missiles and shot down five Iranian drones over the previous night and during the day. The military said the incidents caused no casualties or property damage. The conflict has also affected maritime security in the Gulf. Kuwait summoned Iran's ambassador on Tuesday and delivered a diplomatic note protesting an earlier attack on a Kuwaiti tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. The previous day, a tanker was attacked near the strategic waterway, causing a fuel tank fire and forcing crew members to abandon the vessel. Meanwhile, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told a Senate budget hearing that the conflict has cost the United States an estimated $37.5 billion so far. He described additional funding for military operations as "urgent" and "necessary." According to the Pentagon, nearly 100 US troops have been injured since July 7. The latest developments come despite a memorandum of understanding signed on June 18, under which Iran and the United States were scheduled to hold negotiations within 60 days aimed at reaching a final agreement.