US and Iran Continue Strikes; Trump Threatens Retaliation

The United States and Iran continued their exchange of military strikes overnight Tuesday into Wednesday, marking the eleventh consecutive night of hostilities. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced a new wave of attacks lasting 75 minutes, targeting Iranian military operations centers, naval forces, aircraft hangars, drone storage, and logistics infrastructure. The stated goal was to further degrade Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) responded by announcing a "sixth wave" of its operation Nasr 2 and claimed attacks on US military installations in Kuwait and Bahrain. On July 21, Iran struck Camp Arifjan in Kuwait with missiles and drones. Kuwaiti authorities said their air defenses intercepted some of the projectiles. Independent verification of the claimed results is lacking.

According to US military reports, Iran has attacked more than 30 commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz over the past three months. Despite this, the US insists the strait remains open. CENTCOM claims to have facilitated the passage of about 900 commercial ships and the transport of 450 million barrels of crude oil since May. However, data from the London Stock Exchange shows that only four ships passed through the strait on July 19 and eight on July 18.

Earlier, on July 18, Tehran declared void the framework truce reached with Washington in June, which was intended to lead to a final peace agreement within 60 days. On July 20, Iran struck targets in the Persian Gulf in retaliation for a previous US night attack. Kuwait and Jordan reported shelling with rockets and drones.

On the night of July 21, US President Donald Trump threatened Iran with "multiple" retaliation if any American soldiers are killed. He posted on Truth Social: "Every time Iran kills an American soldier, it will pay multiple times for it!" He said the order had been communicated to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Since the latest escalation, CENTCOM has reported three US service members killed. Total US military deaths since the conflict with Iran began in late February now stand at 17.