US base hit by Iranian fire, Strait of Hormuz blockaded.
While Washington conducted its seventh consecutive night of airstrikes on Iranian territory, Tehran immediately retaliated with direct attacks targeting a number of US military bases in Gulf states.
According to a statement issued on the morning of July 18th by the US Central Command (CENTCOM), US armed forces completed their seventh consecutive night of airstrikes against Iran. The attacks focused on surveillance stations, military logistics infrastructure, underground weapons depots, and naval bases, aiming to weaken Tehran's operational capabilities.
Iran's state news agency (IRNA) confirmed that US airstrikes killed at least three people and injured eight others in the southern province of Hormozgan. Several loud explosions were also reported in the central city of Yazd and in some southern provinces.
Iranian state media previously reported that at least eight people were killed and 20 injured in the US attacks. Iran's power facilities also suffered significant damage, forcing authorities to urge citizens to conserve electricity.
On July 18, the Iranian military also announced that it had carried out attacks on US military targets in Kuwait and Jordan. On state television, the Iranian military stated that its forces targeted an ammunition depot at Al-Adiri camp, as well as a command center and weapons depot at Ali Al-Salem base (Kuwait). In Jordan, fuel depots at the US Al-Azraq air base were also attacked.
The Kuwaiti military reported intercepting hostile targets and noted seven soldiers were injured in drone (UAV) attacks on military facilities. Air raid sirens sounded in the Bahraini capital, home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet. Both Bahrain and Qatar confirmed they activated their air defense systems to intercept missiles flying through their airspace.
Warning of an all-out war, Iranian General Mohsen Rezaei declared that Tehran would resume "full-scale offensive operations" if the US did not stop. "Iran will no longer limit itself to proportionate retaliatory measures... and there will be no safe political borders," Rezaei was quoted as saying by the IRIB news agency.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said two oil tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz struck mines and caught fire. The IRGC accused the ships of acting on instructions from "US intelligence agencies," and confirmed it had intercepted four other vessels attempting to pass through the strategic waterway. Major General Majid Mousavi, commander of the IRGC's Aerospace Forces, vowed to continue attacks until the US ceases its military actions against Iran's southern coast.
The disruption in the Strait of Hormuz immediately caused Brent crude oil prices to surge, jumping above $86 per barrel. Analysts warn that prolonged disruptions there and in the Red Sea could cause a major shock to the global energy supply chain.
Amid escalating violence that spiraled out of control, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the attacks, calling them "completely unacceptable" against civilian infrastructure in Iran and other parts of the Middle East.
