Trump says the latest US strikes on Iran hit the country hard and were carried out in honour of three American soldiers killed in the region.
President Donald Trump said the latest US strikes on Iran hit the country “very hard” and were carried out in honor of three American soldiers killed in recent days, including two in Jordan and one in Iraq. The comments came as the conflict widened across the region and the United States continued a new round of attacks.
In the early hours of Monday local time, US Central Command said it had launched a new wave of strikes for the ninth night in a row, with explosions reported across Iran. The US said the targets included military sites and communications networks, part of what it described as an effort to weaken Tehran’s attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian media, meanwhile, reported that several cities were hit, including Tabriz, Chabahar, Konarak, Bandar Mahshahr and Bandar Imam Khomeini.
Iran said it answered with a surprise attack in Syria and targeted US aircraft at Jordan’s Aqaba airport. Kuwait’s armed forces said they intercepted Iranian drones. At the same time, Iranian state media reported that two oil tankers exploded while trying to cross the Strait of Hormuz. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the vessels were traveling on what it called an unsafe southern route and claimed they were halted after the blasts. US Central Command disputed that account.
“Trump says the latest US strikes on Iran hit the country hard and were carried out in honour of three American soldiers killed in the region.”
The IRGC warned that the strait would not be safe for petrochemical shipments, or even “a single drop of oil and gas,” while the US strikes continue, and said it would carry out a punitive operation. The latest violence follows attacks over the weekend that killed American service members. The US confirmed that one service member died after an Iranian attack in northern Iraq on Saturday. That came a day after an attack on a base in Jordan that killed two US soldiers, with another service member initially reported missing. Officials said unidentified remains were found, and verification was still under way.
As the US strikes on Iran continued, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States still remained open to a diplomatic solution. He also argued that the world must decide whether it will allow Iran to control a major international waterway, saying Tehran was using the shipping route as leverage. A preliminary deal reached in mid-June to stop the fighting has fallen apart, and talks toward a lasting peace have made little progress since Trump said the agreement was over on July 8. The takeaway: this fight is now threatening troops, shipping, and the broader stability of a key global waterway.
Frequently asked questions
Why did Trump say the strikes were carried out?
Trump said they were carried out in honor of three American soldiers killed in recent days, including two in Jordan and one in Iraq.
What did the US say it targeted in Iran?
US Central Command said the strikes hit military sites and communications networks. The US said the attacks were meant to weaken Tehran’s attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
How did Iran respond to the US strikes?
Iran said it launched a surprise attack in Syria and targeted US aircraft at Jordan’s Aqaba airport. Iranian state media also reported explosions involving two oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, though US Central Command disputed Iran’s account.
What is the status of diplomacy?
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States remained open to a diplomatic solution. But a preliminary deal from mid-June has fallen apart, and talks toward a lasting peace have made little progress since Trump said the agreement was over on July 8.
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