The United States military carried out its ninth consecutive night of strikes on Iran, targeting military command centers, air defense and coastal surveillance sites, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and communications networks. This action was announced by the US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Monday, July 20, 2026, following the death of a US soldier in northern Iraq during a controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian drone.

CENTCOM stated that the strikes aimed to diminish Iran's ability to attack commercial vessels and civilian mariners transiting the Strait of Hormuz. However, the US military did not disclose specific details about the sites targeted in Iran.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reported that two oil tankers exploded and were halted in the southern Strait of Hormuz late on Sunday. Additionally, an MQ-9 drone was intercepted and shot down over Eslamabad-e Gharb in western Iran’s Kermanshah province.

In a separate development, the IRGC claimed it launched ballistic missiles at US C-17 transport planes and P-8 aircraft at Aqaba airport in Jordan, asserting that several were heavily damaged. The IRGC also stated that 20 hangars housing US forces at the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Azraq were destroyed.

Meanwhile, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported that a vessel approximately 8 nautical miles northwest of Kumzar, Oman, caught fire late on Sunday.

These events mark a significant escalation in hostilities between the US and Iran, with both sides reporting attacks and damages in the region.

Sources