US Military Launches Strikes against Iran to "Further Degrade" Capabilities | BBC News

July 21, 2026 | The US military says it launched another round of strikes against Iran to "further degrade" its capabilities to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

The strikes - the 10th consecutive night of attacks - come after US President Donald Trump vowed to punish Iran for the deaths of US soldiers. In response, Iran said it struck two oil tankers in the waterway, as well as US military assets in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, state news agency IRNA reported.

President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran was now fighting a "full-scale war" with the US. Trump earlier said Iran had been hit "very hard" the previous night "in honour" of three US soldiers killed recently - two in Jordan and one in Iraq.

US Central Command (Centcom) said its latest strikes had hit Iranian "military command centres, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and air defence systems".

Iran-Krieg wieder in vollem Gang: Berichte über Vorbereitung größerer Militäreinsätze

TAGESSPIEGEL: Erneut bombardiert das US-Militär den Iran, wieder schlägt Teheran am Golf zurück. Washington zeigt sich zu Gesprächen bereit – dennoch stehen die Weichen aktuell auf Eskalation.

Im Iran-Krieg haben die USA die neunte Nacht in Folge Ziele in der Islamischen Republik bombardiert. Teheran meldete Explosionen in mehreren Landesteilen und reagierte wieder mit Vergeltungsangriffen auf Bahrain und Kuwait. Inmitten der Attacken gibt es erstmals seit Tagen aber auch wieder Zeichen für eine mögliche diplomatische Annäherung.

Das US-Militär teilte nach der jüngsten Angriffswelle am Morgen mit, man habe im Iran militärische Kommandozentralen, Anlagen zur Flugabwehr und Küstenüberwachung, Vorrichtungen für Raketenabschüsse und Drohnenstarts sowie Kommunikationsnetzwerke ins Visier genommen.

Laut der iranischen Nachrichtenagentur Tasnim wurden Explosionen aus der Stadt Tabris im Norden, der Hafenstadt Tschahbahar am Golf vom Oman, aus Konarak in der südöstlichen Provinz Sistan-Belutschistan, der Hafenstadt Mahschahr in der Provinz Chusestan sowie der Hafenstadt Bandar Imam Chomeini am Persischen Golf gemeldet. Die den Revolutionsgarden nahestehende Nachrichtenagentur Fars berichtete zudem über Detonationen im Raum Sirik nahe der Straße von Hormus sowie aus der Provinz Buschehr. » | Tagesspiegel | Montag, 20. Juli 2026

Eskalation im Nahen Osten: Warum sich die Welt jetzt auf einen langen Krieg einstellen sollte

BERLINER ZEITUNG: Sieben Nächte Bomben gegen Iran. Teheran schlägt zurück – in Kuwait, Bahrain, Syrien. Doch Trumps größter Gegner könnte er selbst sein. Eine Analyse.

Sieben Nächte in Folge bombardieren die USA den Iran. Teheran schlägt gegen US-Verbündete am Golf zurück. Brücken, Stromnetze, Entsalzungsanlagen – die Ziele werden ziviler, die Spirale der Gewalt dreht sich schneller. US-Präsident Donald Trump verspricht einen baldigen Sieg. Doch die Fakten lassen ein anderes Bild erkennen: Der Handlungsspielraum der US-Regierung wird enger, die Folgen werden für die Menschen in den USA spürbarer – von den Bürgern im Iran ganz zu schweigen.

Was als Operation zur Sicherung der Straße von Hormus begann, hat sich innerhalb einer Woche zu einem regionalen Infrastrukturkrieg ausgeweitet. Wie US-Medien übereinstimmend berichten, greifen die USA inzwischen Brücken, Eisenbahnknotenpunkte, Energieanlagen und Flughäfen im Iran an.

Teheran antwortet mit Raketenangriffen auf Kuwait, Bahrain, Katar, Jordanien und Oman – und übernimmt die Verantwortung für Angriffe auf US-Stellungen in Syrien. Die Waffenstillstandsvereinbarung ist gescheitert. Diplomatie findet praktisch nicht mehr statt. » | Harald Neuber | Samstag, 18. Juli 2026

„Man fühlt sich unweigerlich an die alte Weisheit erinnert, dass man in einem Loch zuerst das Graben einstellen sollte, bevor man nach Rettung sucht. Meines Erachtens sollte man diesen Krieg möglichst bald beenden.“ — © Mark Alexander

Iran Insists It Controls Strait of Hormuz as It Launches New Strikes

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The Iranian military said it had fired at U.S. targets across the Persian Gulf as the two sides engaged in another day of hostilities. President Trump on Sunday denied Iran’s claim to have closed the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran insisted on Monday that it controlled the Strait of Hormuz — an assertion the United States has denied — as it launched a fresh barrage of strikes aimed at American military assets throughout the Middle East. The new attacks, following dozens more American strikes overnight, extended a cycle of attacks that is unraveling the U.S.-Iran cease-fire.

Shipping through the strait plummeted over the weekend after Iran attacked a Cypriot-flagged container ship on Saturday, setting off an exchange of hostilities that spilled into Monday. Just 14 ships passed through the waterway on Sunday, the lowest level in a month, according to Kpler, a maritime data firm.

The latest Iranian salvos on Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman were aimed at U.S. targets including ammunition depots and radar facilities, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps said in a statement carried by state media. Authorities in Jordan and Kuwait said they were intercepting incoming fire, and air raid sirens sounded in Bahrain, hours after U.S. forces said they had struck dozens of military targets in Iran.

The Guards Corps added in its statement that the Strait of Hormuz would be open to vessel traffic only if the United States ceased its military operations and respected “the sovereignty of states over their own coastal waters.” » | Hari Raj, Eric Schmitt and Jenny Gross | Monday, July 13, 2026

Is this evidence of Trump putting his theories as propounded in The Art of the Deal into operation? — © Mark Alexander

ALSO READ:

How Trump Failed to Secure the Strait of Hormuz in His Iran Deal: President Trump signed an agreement that Iran said gave it control of the waterway — and global energy supplies. Now, Iran’s military is violently asserting authority. »

As U.S. Steps Up Attacks on Iran, Prospect of All-Out War Rises

THE NEW YORK TIMES: American officials said they were trying to safeguard maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran said it had responded by firing at U.S. bases in Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait.

The U.S. military says it sharply increased its attacks on Iran this week, as both countries extended a cycle of hostilities that has all but shattered a truce intended to pave the way to a long-term peace deal.

American military officials say they hit about 170 targets in Iran during strikes on Tuesday and Wednesday, 15 times the number struck during a previous round of attacks in late June. U.S. Central Command said the strikes had hit air defense systems, drone and missile storage sites and logistics infrastructure along the Iranian coast.

The goal, military officials said, is to degrade Iran’s ability to threaten ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran’s Health Ministry said that U.S. attacks over the past two days had killed at least 14 people and injured 78 others across five provinces. Iran said it had responded by firing at U.S. military bases in Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait. Jordan said it had also intercepted Iranian attacks.

The attacks have left the region deeply unsettled and seemingly caught in an ongoing cycle of sporadic war. They have raised the prospect of a return to the full-scale war that began in late February, when the United States and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran. » | Max Bearak, Yeganeh Torbati, Eric Schmitt and Michael Levenson | Thursday, July 9, 2026

Iran launches Drone Attacks on US Bases in Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain

Jun 10, 2026 | Iran has launched a barrage of ballistic missiles and drones at several US bases in the Gulf. Tehran targeted the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, the Al Azraq airbase in Jordan and the Ali Al Salem base in Kuwait. Fawaz Gerges of the London School of Economics weighs in.

US Strikes Iran in Response to Downing of Military Helicopter | BBC News

Jun 10, 2026 | The US says it has carried out a series of strikes on Iranian military and surveillance sites in response to the downing of an American helicopter in the Gulf. Air defence systems, ground control stations and radar sites were targeted near the Strait of Hormuz, the US military Central Command (Centcom) said.

In response, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it launched strikes on 21 targets at US bases in the region, one in Bahrain and the other in Jordan, while Kuwait's army said it was also intercepting an attack.

The US has described its strikes as "a proportional response" for the Apache helicopter downing on Monday, while the IRGC described the attacks as "vicious".

US President Donald Trump had earlier accused Iran of shooting down the helicopter and said the US "must, of necessity" respond. The two crew members survived and were rescued by an American sea drone.

2-Week Cease-Fire Takes Hold

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Israel said the cease-fire did not include Lebanon. It was unclear whether ship operators considered the Strait of Hormuz safe for transit, or if word of the deal had reached local Iranian commanders.

The United States and Iran announced a two-week cease-fire on Tuesday evening, shortly before President Trump’s deadline for Iran to unblock the Strait of Hormuz or to see its “whole civilization” destroyed.

But on Wednesday morning, it was unclear whether word of the nascent deal had reached Iranian local commanders, as fresh missile and drone attacks were reported across the Persian Gulf. And even though the news sent the international oil price benchmark down 15 percent, to $93 a barrel, it remained unclear whether ship operators considered the strait — a critical passage for the world’s oil and gas — safe for transit.

After Mr. Trump said on Tuesday night that he had agreed to the cease-fire proposed by Pakistan, a U.S. official said American military strikes against Iran had stopped. Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said the country’s armed forces would “cease their defensive operation,” and that safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible for two weeks if it was coordinated with Iran’s military.

But early on Wednesday, emergency sirens in Israel warned of incoming Iranian ballistic missiles. Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates reported missile and drone attacks. Bahrain’s interior ministry sounded warning sirens and reported a fire started by an Iranian attack. Iranian local commanders are allowed to make their own strike decisions under a decentralized control system. Iran War Live Updates » | Francesca Regalado, Elian Peltier, Ephrat Livni and Farnaz Fassihi | Wednesday, April 8, 2026

'Open the F—in' Strait' — Trump Fires Off a Profanity-laden Social Media Attack on Iran | DW News

Apr 5, 2026 | US President Donald Trump on Sunday heightened tensions with Iran, renewing a threat to strike key infrastructure if Tehran does not lift its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, in an expletive laden post on his Truth Social platform.

Trump's references to 'Power Plant Day' and 'Bridge Day' as imminent actions were widely interpreted as threats against civilian infrastructure, including electrical grids and transportation networks. Under the Geneva Conventions, deliberately targeting civilian objects — such as power plants, bridges, or water systems not being used for military purposes — constitutes a war crime.

Meanwhile, Iran's Revolutionary Guards have claimed responsibility for attacks on petrochemical plants in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Bahrain. The IRGC has warned that it will intensify its attacks on US economic interests in the region if Washington strikes additional civilian targets.

‘Down with the King!’: Could Bahrain Be at a Tipping Point amid War on Iran? | MEE Live

Apr 1, 2026 | Bahrain is home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet - where 9,000 American troops are based.

The presence of US troops has been a point of contention among Bahrainis for decades.

Now, as Iran targets US bases across the region, that relationship has come into the spotlight once again.

To find out why, we are joined by Maryam al-Khawaja, a Bahraini activist who played a key role in pro-democracy protests in Bahrain in 2011, and advocates for human rights and political reform.

Gulf Countries Warn of Rising Threat from Iran-backed Militias and Proxies

THE GUARDIAN: Fears grow that Tehran may start activating sleeper cells across Middle East as part of war with US and Israel

Gulf countries have raised concerns over the prospect of attacks by Iran-backed militias and proxy armed groups in the region, which they fear could destabilise their regimes and escalate the war in the Middle East.

In a joint statement this week, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Jordan condemned Iranian attacks on their soil, both as strikes carried out directly from Iran and “through their proxies and armed factions they support in the region”.

On Wednesday, Kuwait said it had foiled a plot to kill state leaders, and arrested six suspects believed to be associated with Iran’s most powerful proxy group, Hezbollah.

For decades, Iran has used proxy militias as a pillar of its foreign and security policy, as a means to export its revolution, expand its regional influence and destabilise enemy countries. The most prominent examples are Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen but other brutal and influential Iran-backed militias also operate in Iraq and Syria.

On Friday, the Houthis confirmed they had launched a missile strike on Israel, the first time the proxy group have admitted involvement in the war in Middle East. » | Hannah Ellis-Petersen in Dubai | Saturday, March 28, 2026

Vital Desalination Plants in Iran and Bahrain Are Attacked

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Strikes on nonmilitary infrastructure were a “serious escalation,” analysts said, and could widen the war’s impact on civilians.

Water desalination plants have come under attack in Iran and on the Persian Gulf island of Bahrain over the weekend, threatening a resource vital to life in the harsh desert climates of the region.

On Saturday, Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, accused the United States of attacking a desalination plant on Qeshm Island, affecting the water supply for 30 villages.

“The U.S. set this precedent, not Iran,” he said on social media, calling the attack “a dangerous move with grave consequences.”

Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for the U.S. Central Command, said that U.S. forces were not responsible for that attack.

A day later, Bahrain’s interior ministry said that an Iranian drone had “caused material damage” to a desalination plant there, accusing Iran of “indiscriminately” attacking civilian targets. The country’s water and electricity authority said there had been “no impact on water supplies or water network capacity.”

It was not immediately clear whether either plant was still functioning. And there was no immediate comment from Iran on Bahrain’s allegation.

Iran has faced severe water shortages in recent years, and Gulf countries like Bahrain depend heavily on desalination technology — which turns seawater into drinking water — to sustain tens of millions of people. Desalination infrastructure is one of the most vulnerable military targets in the region because without it, the Gulf’s sprawling metropolises would effectively collapse. » | Vivian Nereim | Reporting from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | Sunday, March 8, 2026

Iran Says It Will Never Surrender as Trump Warns It Faces Complete Destruction | BBC News

Mar 7, 2026 | Iran’s President has said the country will never surrender, in the face of the onslaught by the US and Israel. Speaking on state television, President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country’s enemies “will take their dream of the Iranian people’s surrender to their graves”. It follows President Trump’s recent statement that only Iran’s total capitulation would bring the war to an end.

The Iranian president also apologised to neighbouring Gulf states for Iran’s recent "actions” after retaliatory strikes on US allies in the region. Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have all come under attack from Iranian missiles and drones.

President Trump responded by stating on his Truth Social media platform that if Iran did not surrender it would be “hit very hard” and faced “complete destruction”. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also said his country would continue to strike Iran “with all our might”.

A military aircraft carrying the remains of six US service members killed in the Middle East has returned their remains to an air force base in Delaware. President Trump and other senior member of his administration attended a ceremony there.

Clive Myrie presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Joe Inwood, Jack Fenwick, Nick Beake, Wyre Davies and Orla Guerin.

Trapped Between U.S. and Iran, Gulf Countries Face Nightmare Scenario

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The energy-rich nations that sought to avert the American-Israeli war on Iran have been sucked into the spiraling conflict.

For years, the Persian Gulf countries had worried about the prospect of an out-of-control war with Iran, which would bring missiles and drones to their gleaming cities, trapping tourists and sending foreign executives fleeing.

The fear of conflict is one reason they have cultivated such close ties with the United States. They have built American military bases and spent tens of billions of dollars on American weapons.

They had hoped to buy protection from Iran and its regional proxies.

But the United States and Israel have launched a massive assault that has rapidly spiraled into a nightmare scenario for Gulf leaders. In retaliation, Iran has fired more than a thousand missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman. The strikes have killed at least seven people in those countries, according to official reports tallied by The New York Times.

Their governments are now facing uncomfortable questions about whether their stockpile of missile interceptors and strategic food reserves can last through the war. » | Vivian Nereim | Reporting from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | Tuesday, March 3, 2026

US-Israel War in Iran: What Next for the Gulf? | The Global Story

Mar 3, 2026 | The US-Israel war with Iran is now engulfing the Gulf.

The Gulf states - including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain - are some of the wealthiest places on earth and have until recently been mostly insulated from Middle East conflicts.

But why are places including Dubai, Qatar and Kuwait being targeted by Iranian strikes? And will the Gulf states retaliate if the bombing continues?

The BBC's Security Correspondent, Frank Gardner, is an expert in the region.

He explains why the Gulf may soon be pressed into action and offers his thoughts on what might happen next.

Israel and Hezbollah Exchange Fire after Iran Attack | BBC News

Mar 2, 2026 | Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon have exchanged strikes as the Iran conflict widens across the Middle East.

The Lebanese health ministry said Israeli attacks in Beirut and southern Lebanon have killed at least 31 people, with 149 injured. Israel said it was responding to Hezbollah attacks.

Meanwhile, apparent Iranian strikes around the region continue - with explosions reported in Bahrain and Dubai, while an oil refinery was attacked in Saudi Arabia.

In Kuwait, “several” US fighter planes have crashed, the Kuwaiti military has said.

Democracy Now! Special Report: U.S. & Israel Launch Unprovoked Attack on Iran, Risking Broader Regional War

Feb 28, 2026 | The U.S. and Israel have launched an unprovoked attack on Iran striking sites across the country, including the compound of Iran's Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Both Israel and the U.S. say Khamenei was killed. Iranian state media also reports one Israeli strike hit an elementary girls’ school in Minab, killing at least 85 people including scores of children. Iran has responded by launching attacks across the Middle East targeting Israel and U.S. military installations in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan.

Democracy Now! can be supported here.

Trump Leads U.S. into War with Iran

Feb 28, 2026 | Donald Trump has launched major combat operations against Iran — without Congressional approval, without UN authorization, and without a clear endgame. In coordination with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the U.S. has escalated the conflict into a full-scale regional war that is already spreading across the Middle East. Iran has retaliated with missile strikes on U.S. bases in Qatar, the UAE, and Bahrain, while explosions have rocked cities across the Gulf. Oil markets are on edge. American forces are on high alert. And the world is bracing for what could become the most dangerous escalation since the Iraq War.

ANTHONY DAVIS can be supported on Patreon here.

What We Know So Far: Supreme Leader's Compound Hit and Iran's Retaliatory Strikes

BBC: The US and Israel have launched a large-scale attack on Iran.

President Donald Trump said the US had begun "major combat operations" and urged Iranians to overthrow their clerical rulers once they were complete.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz earlier announced that Israel had launched a "pre-emptive attack" against Iran to remove threats to the country.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the strikes were "wholly unprovoked, illegal, and illegitimate".

His country responded by launching missiles towards Israel and four Gulf Arab countries which host US military bases: Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE.

It came after weeks of threats from Trump that he would order military action if Iran did not agree a new deal over its nuclear programme.

Here's what we know. » | Hafsa Khalil and David Gritten | Saturday, February 28, 2026

Iran Launches Retaliatory Strikes at Targets across Middle East

BBC: Iranian forces say they have struck a US naval base in Bahrain, as Iran launched strikes across the region in retaliation for a "massive" and ongoing attack against it by the US and Israel.

Huge plumes of black smoke were seen rising from an area near the headquarters of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet in Manama, Bahrain. The extent of any damage is unclear and the US has not commented.

Elsewhere across the region, explosions have been heard in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait - also homes to US military bases.

In Doha, Qatar's defence ministry said it had intercepted several missiles apparently targeting the al-Udeid air base, the largest American military base in the region. » | Tom Bennett | Saturday, February 28, 2026