Iran launches retaliatory attacks after US completes ninth night of strikes

By Evelyn Ann-Marie Dom Published on 20/07/2026 - 6:04 GMT+2 Share Comments Add Euronews on Google Share Facebook Twitter Flipboard Send Reddit Linkedin Messenger Telegram VK Bluesky Threads Whatsapp Intensifying fighting between the United States and Iran has largely halted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, driving the price of Brent crude to $90 a barrel. The US military said on Monday it completed its ninth consecutive night of strikes against Iran, targeting military infrastructure and strategic sites across Iran. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT In a post on X, US Central Command said it targeted "Iranian military command centres, air defence and coastal surveillance sites, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and communications networks". The latest attack came after Washington announced the death of three American service members. Two were killed during an Iranian attack on a US base in Jordan, and another service member was killed in Iraq on Saturday during the "controlled detonation" of a downed Iranian drone. "We'll see what happens but we hit them very hard again tonight," US President Donald Trump told reporters upon his return to Washington following the World Cup final, adding that the strikes were "in honour" of the "three great patriots". On its end, Iran's Revolutionary Guard said on Monday that it launched a "surprise attack" on an "enemy" command centre in Syria, state media reported. Meanwhile, Kuwait's army said it was responding to an Iranian attack. "Any explosions heard are a result of air defence systems intercepting the hostile attacks," it said in a statement on X. A day prior, Iran said it targeted two US bases in Kuwait. Bahrain also sounded its missile alert sirens Monday morning, warning of an incoming Iranian attack. Rubio says Iran using Hormuz as leverage US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday that Iran is using the Strait of Hormuz as leverage and urged other countries to "step up" pressure and share the burden to protect global shipping. "It's clear that Iran, at least some people in Iran, want to control the straits and hold that as leverage against the world," Rubio told reporters ahead of traveling to the Philippines for a meeting of foreign ministers with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Traffic in the strait has once again largely stalled amid the intensified fighting, driving Brent crude above $90 a barrel on Monday. The renewed hostilities erupted despite an interim ceasefire after Iran attacked ships transiting the strategic waterway. "The United States will do and continue to do what it needs to, to protect global shipping, but other countries need to begin to step up and provide, whether it's hardware or finances, to help carry that burden," Rubio added. Two men wade in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz with vessels anchored in the background, off Bandar Abbas, Iran, Sunday, July 12, 2026. Razieh Poudat/ISNA via AP The Secretary of State said Washington remains open to diplomacy, but that the deal must be "real" and one that Iran is "willing to live by". "They can't have an MOU that's alive if they're violating the terms of it," Rubio said. "The United States always remains open to a diplomatic solution. We've tried multiple times with Iran, and we'll continue to try". On Saturday, Iran’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, warned of “unforgettable lessons” if the United States keeps attacking the Islamic Republic, as reported on State Television. Khamenei, who has not been seen in public since the war began, in a statement read on state TV, called US President Donald Trump’s signature on the interim ceasefire deal as “worthless and invalid". His comments came hours after a negotiator said Tehran was suspending its commitments to the agreement. In the past week, Trump threatened to target power stations and bridges to try to compel Iran to loosen its hold. Washington has also reimposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports to halt its shipments of crude oil. People stand on a bridge destroyed after a strike in Hormozgan province, southern Iran, Saturday, July 18, 2026. Amirhosein Khorgooi/Iranian Students' News Agency via AP US airstrikes on Saturday hit an electricity and desalination plant in Iran’s southern Hormozgan province, Iranian state TV reported. The IRNA state media said the Bonji desalination plant was destroyed, cutting off water supplies to about 10,000 people, and that a desalination plant on strategic Qeshm Island inside the strait was damaged. It reported that three bridges were hit Saturday, including one on a route to Bandar Abbas, Iran’s main port that sits near the narrowest part of the strait. Go to accessibility shortcuts Share Comments Add Euronews on Google Read more US airstrikes hit Iranian civilian sites as Tehran attacks Gulf neighbours Tehran vows to 'crush' regional infrastructure if US hits Iranian sites US resumes daylight strikes on Iran as tensions escalate over Strait of Hormuz Mojtaba Khamenei Donald Trump Iran and Usa Iran United States