US strikes Iran again as missiles towards Jordan deepen regional war risk

Dubai,UPDATED: Jul 19, 2026 20:52 IST

The United States carried out more airstrikes on Iran on Sunday in response to the killing of US troops, while Iran fired missiles towards Jordan in a move that risked widening the conflict into neighbouring Israel. The two sides have moved closer to all-out war as last month’s interim deal to permanently end the fighting has broken down and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has largely stalled.

The latest escalation came as both sides continued to target civilian infrastructure used by millions of people. The US military said its new strikes were aimed at Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in retaliation for Friday’s killing of troops in Jordan. In the campaign’s second week, the US has struck bridges, water desalination plants and electrical facilities in Iran, while Tehran has attacked US-allied countries across the Middle East. Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain again activated air defences against incoming Iranian drones and missiles, and Israel warned that missiles launched towards Jordan could spill over into its territory for the first time in weeks.

The US military’s Central Command said it struck “Iranian military coastal surveillance and air defence facilities, maritime capabilities and missile and drone storage sites”. It said the operation was meant to reduce Iran’s ability to control the strait and “swiftly punish Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces”, which control Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal. Footage released by the US military appeared to show strikes by fighter jets and Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from the sea. One site appeared to be in a mountain valley, where the Guard often places missile bases and other military equipment.

Iran’s atomic energy agency said US strikes hit the construction site of a planned nuclear power plant in the south-west, according to state television. Satellite images from Planet Labs PBC of the Darkhovin nuclear plant site showed earth clearing but little construction as of July 9. Iran had not previously said the site was targeted. The Atomic Energy Agency said the site, in the “very early stages of construction”, contained no nuclear material when the UN watchdog last visited.

Jordan’s military said it shot down several Iranian missiles and that there were no casualties or damage. Jordan hosts major US bases and depends on US air defence systems. Israel’s military said Iranian missiles launched towards the Jordanian port city of Aqaba, just across the border, could spill over into Israel, and warned residents to expect the first air-raid sirens in weeks. In Eilat, which borders Aqaba, city authorities cited security officials as saying two interceptors were launched from its outskirts to prevent debris from falling.

Kuwait said one of its power and water desalination plants was attacked for the second time in two days, causing fires, though its Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy said the power grid remained stable. About 90 per cent of Kuwait’s drinking water comes from desalination. Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed al-Budaiwi accused Iran of “war crimes” over strikes on infrastructure and civilian facilities. humanitarian law generally protects civilian infrastructure such as bridges and power plants, though such sites can lose that protection if they are used for military purposes. In those cases, attacks must be proportionate and minimise civilian harm.

The Strait of Hormuz remained central to the conflict. US President Donald Trump has threatened to hit Iran’s power stations and bridges in an effort to force Tehran to loosen its hold on the strait, through which one-fifth of global oil supplies passed before the war. Recent attacks suggest the US military is carrying out that plan. The US last week reimposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports to stop crude oil shipments, and the military said on Saturday that it had redirected five ships and disabled one since then.

A maritime organisation overseen by the US Navy said on Sunday that the threat to mariners was severe after earlier Iranian attacks, with “deliberate hostile action considered highly likely”. It said traffic remained low, with eight transits on Saturday and three on Friday, against a daily average of almost 140 before the war. Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Saturday that the US would face “unforgettable lessons” if it kept attacking the Islamic Republic. An Iranian negotiator said Tehran was suspending its commitments under the interim deal and accused Washington of violating it. More than half of the 60-day period set under the deal to negotiate a permanent end to the war, along with other issues including Iran’s nuclear programme, has now passed.

Since the war began, 16 US service members have been killed and more than 430 wounded. Iranian authorities said on Sunday that at least 50 people were killed and 517 wounded in the latest US strikes, though Iran has not given overall figures for its material losses. Far beyond the region, the war has also pushed up fuel and other prices, hitting some of the world’s most vulnerable areas hard. Sunday’s developments underlined how the fighting has deepened, with fresh strikes, regional missile threats and mounting pressure on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

With PTI Inputs

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