Tehran/Washington, 18 July (H.S.): The military confrontation between the United States and Iran has intensified further, with the Strait of Hormuz emerging as the epicentre of the conflict. There are currently no signs of an immediate de-escalation in the hostilities. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) carried out fresh strikes on Iranian targets, while Iran claimed that at least three civilians were killed and eight others injured in attacks early Saturday in Hormozgan Province, which borders the Strait of Hormuz.
CENTCOM rejected the Iranian claim, stating instead that two oil tankers struck naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz, triggering explosions. Meanwhile, the Iranian military claimed it had targeted US military installations in Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait.
According to reports by Al Jazeera, CNN, Gulf News and CBS News, Iran's Tasnim News Agency, citing military sources, said Iranian forces launched drone strikes against several US military facilities in Kuwait and Jordan. Tehran warned that its military operations would intensify further.
Officials in Bandar Abbas reported attacks on electricity infrastructure and the city's railway station. The latest escalation has heightened tensions across the Gulf region. Qatar said it had intercepted a missile attack near Doha and dismissed as baseless allegations that it had agreed to support military operations against Iran. Authorities in Dubai also rejected reports claiming explosions had occurred in downtown Dubai.
CENTCOM stated that, acting on the orders of US President Donald Trump, American forces carried out strikes on Iran for the seventh consecutive night. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed that US airstrikes had become more intense over the past several hours.
Explosions were reported in the central city of Yazd and the southern cities of Lar, Ahvaz, Sirik, Bushehr, Bandar Abbas and Darab. Qeshm Island also witnessed explosions for the second consecutive night.
Local officials in Hormozgan Province said US airstrikes targeted two bridges and a tunnel in the province. The Deputy Governor of Hormozgan said the attacks carried out at multiple locations before dawn on Saturday killed three people and injured eight others.
The IRGC claimed it tracked and shot down an MQ-9 drone over Bushehr. It also alleged that it targeted a US vessel in the northern Indian Ocean using a shore-to-sea cruise missile. The IRGC further confirmed attacks on US military bases in Bahrain.
According to the IRGC, four US-supported vessels attempted to pass through the Strait of Hormuz but were intercepted during a coordinated missile and drone operation. It also claimed that two oil tankers caught fire after explosions occurred while passing through a mined channel south of the Strait of Hormuz.
Tasnim News Agency reported that Iranian forces carried out drone attacks on multiple US military infrastructure sites in Kuwait and Jordan. The reported targets included the ammunition depot at Camp Udairi in Kuwait, headquarters buildings and ammunition storage facilities at Ali Al Salem Air Base, nearby connecting bridges, Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, Al Azraq Air Base in Jordan, and military fuel storage tanks.
Meanwhile, Mohsen Rezaei, senior military adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei, warned that if the United States continued its military campaign against the Islamic Republic following the collapse of the reported 14-point agreement, Tehran would move beyond retaliatory strikes and undertake broader military action.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
