US military says it's carrying out its 10th consecutive night of strikes on Iran
The United States military said late Monday it was carrying out its 10th consecutive night of strikes on Iran in a push to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The renewed bombings followed the death of another American service member, and came after Iran launched attacks on American allies Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain, home of the US Navy’s 5th Fleet.
US Central Command said on social media that the latest strikes “are designed to further degrade Iranian military capabilities used to attack commercial shipping" in the strait.
Even as the US and Iran inch closer to all-out war again, glimmers of hope appeared on the diplomatic front, as Iran's interior minister traveled to Pakistan, a key mediator in the conflict, for talks.
US soldiers killed by Iran were from Texas and Hawaii, military says
Two US Army soldiers killed in Jordan while defending against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks were identified on Monday — the first US troop deaths from direct Iranian fire since the opening days of the war.
The Defense Department said in a statement that Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas, were killed in Jordan in Friday’s attacks.
Feehan, a first lieutenant, will be posthumously promoted to the rank of captain and awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Combat Action Badge medals. The Army did not provide details about his commendations. He was assigned out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to the 32nd Army Air Missile Defense Command.
Gonzales was a private with the 10th Army Air Missile Defense Command in Ansbach, Germany. She graduated last year from Hebron High School in Carrollton, near Dallas, school officials said.
- British military says a ship is ablaze in the Strait of Hormuz near the coast of Oman
- Trump says US hitting Iran 'very hard' to honor Americans killed
- Iran's President Pezeshkian says country in 'full-scale war' with US
- Hamas names Khalil Al-Hayya as new leader
- Yemen’s Houthis announce maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia
- US military says new round of strikes launched on Iran
US military says new round of strikes launched on Iran
US forces launched a new round of strikes against Iran on Monday, US Central Command said.
The strikes, which began at 4:00pm (2000 GMT), are “designed to further degrade Iranian military capabilities used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” CENTCOM said.
Saudi-led coalition in Yemen says it will respond to Houthis threats to ships with force
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said it will respond to Houthis threats to ships with “force” after the Iran-aligned group declared a naval blockade on the kingdom.
The coalition said in a statement it began to implement safety measures for its ships passing through Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Fears over Gulf shipping and water rise as US-Iran trade strikes
The United States and Iran continued to exchange fire on July 20, raising fears for Gulf shipping and water supplies in the region. After Kuwait reported Iranian attacks on water and electricity plants as well as oil facilities over the weekend, Bahrain said Iran had attacked civil air navigation systems. Despite this, Tehran says communication with Washington remains active through diplomatic channels.
Netanyahu will not be arrested in US, Trump says, as New York mayor mulls options
US President Donald Trump said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested when he visits the US, after New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he was still considering the move.
“Benjamin Netanyahu will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America,” Trump wrote in a social media post. The Hague-based International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in 2024 for alleged war crimes during the Gaza war. Israel rejects the court’s jurisdiction and denies committing war crimes.
Trump did not mention Mamdani in his Truth Social post, but credited Israel with helping in the Iran war.
The New York City mayor said in an interview broadcast on Saturday that the city’s legal department is actively considering what the law might allow.
“I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague. He’s a war criminal who has been charged by the International Criminal Court,” Mamdani told a New York Times video podcast called “The Interview.”
Jordan army says downed three Iranian missiles targeting kingdom
Jordan’s army said its air defences have downed three Iranian missiles targeting the kingdom, with no injuries or damage reported.
“The air defence system intercepted and downed tonight three missiles coming from Iranian territory that entered Jordanian airspace and targeted the kingdom’s territory,” the army said in a statement, adding that it “did not lead to any injuries or material damage”.
Explosive-laden drone downed near Iraq’s al-Harir airbase in eastern Erbil, sources say
An explosive-laden drone was shot down near Iraq’s al-Harir air base which houses US forces, security sources told Reuters.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage from the incident which was reported east of Erbil.
Head of Yemen’s presidential council says will work on resuming oil exports
Rashad al-Alimi, the head of Yemen’s Saudi-backed presidential council, said it will work on resuming oil exports starting July 20.
The internationally-recognised government in Yemen has been blocked from exporting oil by the Iran-backed Houthis group, which controls northern Yemen.
In a televised address, al-Alimi said his government has exercised in the past periods “the highest degrees of restraint” after Houthis targeted vital oil facilities in the country.
Sirens sound in Jordan, state TV says
Sirens are sounding in Jordan, including in the capital Amman, the state-run Al-Mamlaka channel said.
Trump says Iran ‘will pay’ for killing US soldiers
President Donald Trump said Iran will pay “many times over” for killing US soldiers after multiple American service members were killed in action over the weekend.
“This directive has been passed on to secretary of war, Pete Hegseth, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, Daniel Caine, and every leader in the military,” he wrote in a post on social media.
Houthi blockade of Saudi Arabia risks ‘even wider’ regional conflict, UN spokesman says
The threat from Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, who have announced a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia, risks an “even wider” regional conflict, the spokesman for the UN secretary-general warned.
“We’ve seen the reports and are very much concerned by the renewed Houthi threats against Saudi Arabia, against freedom of navigation, which leads to the risk of an even wider regional escalation,” spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters.
British military says second ship attacked in the Strait of Hormuz
US says it disabled one vessel, redirected seven others as part of blockade on Iran
The US military said it has redirected seven commercial vessels and disabled one as part of the US naval blockade on Iranian ports.
French FM says two embassy officials ‘seriously intimidated’ by Iranian security services
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said two embassy officials were seriously intimidated by Iranian security services on Sunday.
Barrot said the French diplomats were detained without reason for several hours and interrogated. One of them was also physically abused before the two were finally able to return to the embassy.
“I let Iran’s foreign minister know that these extremely serious and unacceptable violations of the integrity of our agents could not go without consequences,” Barrot wrote in a post on social media platform X.
US gasoline back at $4 a gallon as Mideast war reignites
US gasoline prices jumped back to an average of $4 per gallon, according to the AAA motor club, as Iran said it was fighting a “full-scale war” with the United States.
Prices at the pump breached this threshold in March when Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for US and Israeli attacks. Global oil prices soared in the wake of the Iran war, sending US gasoline costs higher as well.
Prior to that, the last time prices surged above $4 a gallon was in 2022, on the back of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
A year ago, the national average cost for a gallon of regular gasoline was $3.14.
Lebanon army begins taking over southern ‘pilot zones’, US says
The Lebanese army has begun taking charge of security in three Lebanese villages in the south, the United States said. The move is part of a deal to secure an Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon and the disarmament of Hezbollah.
The US said operations had started in “pilot zones” in Froun, Srifa and Zawtar al-Gharbiya “in accordance with the Trilateral Framework and under the auspices of the Military Coordination Group for Lebanon.”
Kuwaiti army says it is intercepting missiles and drones
Kuwait’s military said on it was responding to renewed missile and drone salvos.
“Kuwaiti air defences are currently confronting hostile missile and drone attacks,” the Gulf state’s army said in a statement blaming Iran. In neighbouring Bahrain, air raid sirens also sounded, according to the island kingdom’s interior ministry.
Iran’s revolutionary guards say targeted air base and port in Bahrain, base in Kuwait
Iran’s revolutionary guards said they have targeted the al-Sakhir air base and Bin Salman port in Bahrain, as well as the Arifjan base in Kuwait.
Yesterday's key developments:
- A US service member was killed on Saturday "during a controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance" in northern Iraq , US Central Command (CENTCOM) has said in a statement.
- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised Lebanon for its "move towards peace " after meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in Washington.
- Israel 's defence minister has said his country will respond powerfully to any attack by Iran , after Israeli and Jordanian forces intercepted an Iranian missile launched towards the Jordanian city of Aqaba.
(FRANCE 24 with Reuters, AP and AFP)
