Latest war news. Tehran: Strait of Hormuz closed for as long as US attacks continue. Iranian air strikes in Bahrain and Kuwait

Kuwait has stated that Iran has once again attacked vital power stations and desalination plants. According to a statement from Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy, Tehran struck the facilities for the fourth consecutive day on Monday night. The attacks caused fires and damage; repairs to the facilities are currently underway. Around 90 per cent of Kuwait’s drinking water comes from desalination.

After two American soldiers were killed by Iranian missiles in Jordan, on Saturday night, President Donald Trump’s fury was evident in massive air strikes on the Iranian island of Qeshm, marking the eighth consecutive night of US attacks since the conflict reignited.

Iran’s Interior Minister, Eskandar Momeni, began a series of meetings with regional mediators in Pakistan today, whilst the interim agreement between Tehran and the United States has now collapsed. According to two Pakistani officials, Momeni met with the Chief of the General Staff of the Army, Field Marshal Asim Munir. The authorities have not provided any details on the content of the talks. Later today, the Iranian minister is also expected to meet with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The visit forms part of an attempt to revive diplomatic efforts following the breakdown of the temporary agreement between Iran and the United States, and is part of the mediation initiatives promoted by countries in the region.

The Bahrain Defence Force has intercepted and destroyed several Iranian missiles, according to an official statement, as reported by Al Jazeera. The military has also urged citizens to “be vigilant, to stay away from any unusual or suspicious objects resulting from the debris of the cowardly Iranian attack, and to report them immediately”. The General Command of the Bahrain Defence Forces stated that “the deliberate use of missiles and drones to target civilians and private property constitutes a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law”. Iran has stated that it attacked the US military base at Sheikh Isa in Bahrain this morning using drones, and has warned that offensive operations will continue, as reported by the Iranian state news agency.

The US armed forces have struck Iranian military command centres, naval assets, missile and drone launch sites, and air defence systems, “with the aim of reducing Iran’s ability to continue attacking commercial vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz”. This was reported on X by the US Central Command (Centcom), which explained that it had thus completed another series of strikes against Iran.

The first steps have been taken to implement the security agreement reached between Israel and Lebanon in three ‘pilot zones’ in southern Lebanon. This was announced by the US State Department, which specified that these areas, designed to test the effectiveness of the trilateral agreement, have been established in the villages of Froun, Srifa and Sautar al-Gharbiya, and that Washington would continue to work with both parties to implement the agreement. Under the agreement reached at the end of June, the Lebanese Armed Forces are to take control of the areas and disarm Hezbollah, whilst the Israeli army carries out a gradual withdrawal from the Lebanese territory it occupies. The pilot zones are intended to test whether the process can be successfully implemented before it is extended to other parts of southern Lebanon. As part of the pilot programme, teams from the US, Israeli and Lebanese armies will coordinate and plan the further implementation of the agreement. The announcement comes ahead of a meeting between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and his US counterpart Donald Trump, which is due to take place today at the White House. Aoun said he hoped the talks would help ensure the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon. Under the agreement, Israel is required to complete its withdrawal from southern Lebanon only after non-state armed groups, including Hezbollah, have been disarmed – a provision that runs counter to the demands of Hezbollah and Iran, which supports the group. Hezbollah, which was not involved in the negotiations, has rejected the agreement and repeatedly refused to accept the disarmament provided for in the deal.

The Jordanian army has stated that it intercepted five drones launched from Iran and heading towards the kingdom. The armed forces made the announcement via the state news agency Petra. It was reported that the interception caused no casualties or damage on the ground. Jordan hosts US troops and aircraft and has been repeatedly targeted by Iran following the collapse of the interim agreement with the United States, caused by the dispute over control of the Strait of Hormuz.

“At present, the State of Israel has no interest in joining the US campaign” in Iran. This was stated by the Israeli Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, during the ‘Katif for National Responsibility’ conference, organised by the Gush Katif Heritage Centre. “The current situation is favourable to us and we have no interest in forcing ourselves into a conflict,” the minister added, noting that “we are prepared for any scenario”.

Il ministro delle Finanze israeliano Bezalel Smotrich interviene in una conferenza stampa sull’espansione dell’insediamento E1, da tempo congelato, che separerebbe Gerusalemme Est dalla Cisgiordania occupata, nei pressi dell’insediamento israeliano di Maale Adumim nella Cisgiordania occupata da Israele, il 14 agosto 2025. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/Foto d'archivio

The Strait of Hormuz will remain closed for as long as the United States’ aggressive actions continue. This was reported by the semi-official Iranian news agency Fars, citing a military source. The source told Fars that Tehran will not grant any vessel permission to transit through the Strait. “The Strait of Hormuz is under the full control of the Iranian armed forces,” the source said, explaining that “any decision to reopen the passage or to maintain the restrictions will be taken solely on the basis of security considerations and national interests; this situation will not change as long as the threats and hostile actions by the United States persist”.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have claimed responsibility for attacks on US military targets in Jordan. In a statement, the Psdaran claimed that their aerospace force had destroyed a missile defence radar system and an F-15 fighter jet, which was inside a secure hangar, during a missile strike on a military base. The group added that the operation was aimed at eliminating radar coverage in the region, thereby paving the way for more extensive attacks carried out using missiles and drones.

A senior Hamas commander, who had led his brigade’s incursion into Israel during the attack on 7 October 2023 and had subsequently taken several people hostage, was killed in an air strike at the weekend. This was announced by the IDF and Shin Bet, as reported by The Times of Israel. According to the armed forces, Saturday’s strike on Gaza City killed Adham Ibrahim Shaaban Nasman, who served as head of operations for Hamas’s Gaza City Brigade. Nasman had previously commanded a battalion of the elite Nukhba forces and, during the attack on 7 October, “commanded and directed the infiltration into the State of Israel by Hamas’s Gaza City Brigade”, the IDF stated, adding that Nasman was responsible for the detention of numerous hostages held by Hamas, including Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, Ziv and Gali Berman, Eitan Mor, Matan Angrest and Omri Miran.

Un uomo cerca di spegnere le fiamme mentre alcuni palestinesi ispezionano il luogo in cui un veicolo è stato colpito da un attacco israeliano nella città di Gaza, il 20 luglio 2026. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has claimed to have struck a US commercial target in Bahrain using cruise missiles. In a statement released by the semi-official Tasnim news agency, the Pasdaran stated that the aerospace force had destroyed Amazon’s central data infrastructure using several cruise missiles. The group added that the attack was carried out in response to recent US strikes against civilian infrastructure in Darkhovin.

Regional mediators are attempting to revive a 10-day truce between the United States and Iran, whilst US President Donald Trump is weighing up whether to pursue diplomatic channels or a massive military escalation alongside Israel. This is according to Axios, citing regional and US sources. According to the news portal, Qatar, Egypt, Pakistan and other countries in the region have presented Washington and Tehran with a proposal for a ten-day ceasefire, with the aim of reopening the Strait of Hormuz and creating the necessary space for new negotiations. The Trump administration is reportedly examining the plan and has urged Israel to avoid actions that could jeopardise the diplomatic window of opportunity. At the same time, however, the United States is preparing for the possibility that the talks might fail. The mediators’ proposal calls for a suspension of hostilities, the full reopening of the two shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz, and the launch of negotiations on a long-term agreement to ensure the safety of shipping. Among the options under discussion is a system that would allow Iran to charge ‘reasonable’ fees for maritime security and environmental protection services, or the creation of a fund involving the International Maritime Organisation. At present, neither Washington nor Tehran has accepted the proposal. According to Axios, both sides are first seeking to strengthen their positions on the ground.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is due to meet US President Donald Trump today at the end of his four-day visit to Washington, in an attempt to bring lasting calm to the war-torn country following months of conflict between Israel and the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah. The meeting between Aoun and Trump comes as Lebanon and Israel continue to hold rare direct talks mediated by Washington. Lebanon hopes that these talks will lead to the withdrawal of Israeli troops from large swathes of southern Lebanon currently under their control, and that the Lebanese army will receive the necessary support to take full control of the areas where Hezbollah previously exerted its influence.

According to reports from Hamas-affiliated media in Gaza, five people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a house in the southern part of Gaza City this morning. According to reports, three of the victims were children, all from the same family.

Oil is trading at over $90 a barrel, at a one-month high, and gas is back above €60 per megawatt-hour on the TTF for the first time since March. Energy prices returned to critical levels on Monday 20th. And although the surge subsided later in the day, when there were signs that negotiations between the United States and Iran might resume, the alarm on the markets cannot be considered to have been allayed.

Brent crude, whilst seeing its rise ease, still closed above $88 a barrel, whilst European gas was trading at €58.50 at the close of trading, up 2% (after peaking at over 6%). The slowdown did not fully reassure the stock markets, which closed virtually unchanged across Europe (Milan -0.04%), despite Wall Street attempting a recovery led by the semiconductor sector.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has announced that it has intercepted two oil tankers that were travelling along the so-called ‘southern route’ through the Strait of Hormuz, which is not recognised by Tehran. This was reported by the official IRNA news agency.

“Two non-compliant oil tankers, which were attempting to cross the dangerous southern route through the Strait of Hormuz, were stopped after explosions caused serious fires on board,” Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said in a statement released by the agency.

Navi nello Stretto di Hormuz, viste da Musandam, Oman, il 21 luglio 2026. REUTERS/Stringer

The US State Department has issued a warning urging US citizens worldwide to “exercise increased caution” in light of the conflict with Iran. “Due to rising tensions in the Middle East,” Washington states, “the security situation remains complex, with the potential for unpredictable escalation. Americans outside the Middle East should reconsider travelling to or through the region” due to the “possibility of attacks against US diplomatic missions or locations associated with the United States and Americans worldwide”.

During a coordinated attack on the Ahmed Al-Jaber base in Kuwait, the IRGC – the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – succeeded in destroying several US military assets, including an early-warning radar, a missile defence radar, an FPS-117 surveillance radar, a Patriot air defence battery and the satellite communications infrastructure supporting the air defence network. A US air defence battery and a radar installation in Muharraq, Bahrain, were completely destroyed and rendered inoperative. This was reported by IRNA (Islamic Republic News Agency), the official news agency of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which stated: “Officials have indicated that, following this operation to neutralise the radars, the enemy must prepare for even more decisive and devastating waves of drone and missile attacks.”

Nearly 100 US military personnel have been injured in a series of Iranian air strikes on bases in the Middle East this month. This was reported by Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell, who confirmed the figures in a statement to CBS News, stating that nearly 100 people “were assessed as having sustained some degree of injury since 7 July 2026”, 96 per cent of whom have returned to duty. “The vast majority of the injuries sustained were minor concussions,” said Parnell.

The US armed forces have struck Iranian military command centres, naval assets, missile and drone launch sites, and air defence systems, “with the aim of reducing Iran’s ability to continue attacking commercial vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz”. This was reported on X by the US Central Command (Centcom), which explained that it had thus completed another series of strikes against Iran. “US forces remain ready and prepared to hold Iran accountable for any unwarranted aggression against civilian seafarers seeking to transit freely and openly through the strait,” the social media post continues.