US hits Iran for eighth consecutive night, Iran returns fire on Gulf bases

SaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkA satellite image shows smoke billowing near an oil facility in the Ahmadi governorate, Kuwait, July 18, 2026 [Handout/European Union/Copernicus Sentinel-2/Reuters]By Al Jazeera Staff, AP and ReutersPublished On 19 Jul 202619 Jul 2026The United States military said Sunday that it launched new strikes on Iran to “swiftly punish” the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for an attack that killed two American service members and left one missing and four requiring hospitalisation.An area near Sirik in Iran’s Hormozgan province and Qeshm Island have been hit on the eighth consecutive night of US air strikes on Iran, according to Iran’s semi-official Mehr and Tasnim news agencies.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3What to expect after the US reimposes naval blockade on Iran’s ports?list 2 of 3US military says two service members killed in Iranian strike in Jordanlist 3 of 3Damage visible at Iran bridges and water plant after US attacksend of listThe attacks happened early on Sunday, hitting Sirik at 1:30am local time (22:00 GMT, Saturday), and Qeshm Island at about 3:38am (00:08 GMT, Sunday) and again at 6:10am local time (0240 GMT) according to Iranian reports.Tasnim also said the US military targeted a location near Shadegan in Iran’s Khuzestan province at 5:55am (02:25GMT Sunday).The reports said there were no casualties and that residential and commercial infrastructure was not damaged in the attacks.In a post on X, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the US military launched new strikes “designed to further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz”.The post added that strikes were also in retaliation for Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks on a US base in Jordan that killed the two US service members on Friday.US Central Command later said its strikes targeted “Iranian military coastal surveillance and air defense facilities, maritime capabilities, and missile and drone storage sites.”Since the war began in February, 16 US service members have been killed and more than 430 wounded.The Tasnim news agency said there were reports of explosions in Qom, Arak and Behbahan that were later denied by local authorities.The governor of Arak said that “the situation is completely normal and so far we have not had any reports of attack or explosion”.Iranian retaliatory strikesTasnim news agency said the Iranian army targeted US military assets in two bases in Kuwait.A statement from Iran’s military said, “In response to the repeated aggressions of the enemy”, the army targeted a US “ammunition depot at Al-Adiri camp and the Patriot radar and air radar” at the Ali Al Salem base in Kuwait.“Unforgettable lessons”Before the latest US strikes began, Iran’s supreme leader warned of “unforgettable lessons” if the US continued its attacks on Iran.Initially, the battle focused on control of the Strait of Hormuz. But US strikes have now widened to include civilian infrastructure, including bridges and desalination plants for drinking water.State-run news agency IRNA said the Bonji desalination plant was destroyed, cutting off water supplies to about 10,000 people, and a desalination plant on strategic Qeshm Island inside the strait was damaged.Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi told state television the US is violating terms of the interim deal and “no longer implementing them”.Iranian authorities said at least 50 people have been killed and more than 500 wounded in US strikes in the past three weeks.Late Saturday, the Iranian embassy in India named two girls – Sogand Dardmand and Fatemeh Zahra Akbari – who were among seven killed in a US strike on Bandar Khamir in southern Iran, which took place on Thursday.Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi, reporting from Tehran, said that the last eight nights of US strikes on Iran have caused “anger” and “frustration” among the populace.“People don’t really know whether they are going to see the continuation of this confrontation, or how long it’s going to take, and also if there is a possibility for a diplomatic settlement to resolve all these complexities and find a long-lasting solution”, he said.