DUBAI/CAIRO: US-Iran strikes intensified across theCAIRO: US-Iran strikes intensified across Gulf region on July 18 as Tehran attacked US allies and Washington hit Iranian military sites, while shipping through the Strait of Hormuz faced further disruption.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said its seventh consecutive night of strikes targeted surveillance sites, military logistics infrastructure, underground weapons storage and maritime capabilities. Fighter aircraft, drones and warships participated, while more than more 50,000 US personnel remained deployed across the Middle East, it said. CENTCOM confirmed similar targets and force levels during the preceding wave.
Iranian state media said three people were killed and eight were wounded in Hormozgan province, where bridges and a road tunnel were damaged. It also reported strikes on power facilities and desalination pumps in Jask that cut water to nearby villages; the reports were not independently verified.
At sea, the US said it redirected four commercial vessels, disabled one and boarded another while enforcing its blockade. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it stopped four vessels and claimed two tankers struck mines and caught fire; CENTCOM rejected the tanker report as false.
Read: Iran-US Gulf Strikes Escalate After Sixth Night of Attacks
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres expressed concern about the escalation and attacks on civilian infrastructure, his spokesperson said. The United Nations had previously called for an immediate end to renewed military confrontations in the Gulf.
American forces remain vigilant as the United States strictly enforces the naval blockade against Iran. During the first three days of renewed implementation, U.S. forces have redirected 4 commercial vessels, disabled 1, and boarded 1 to ensure full compliance. pic.twitter.com/VIY63sY9Fh
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 17, 2026Oil prices rose more than 4% on Friday to their highest level in over a month, according to a Reuters report. The Strait of Hormuz carries about one-fifth of the world’s oil supply.
The renewed fighting followed the collapse of a fragile ceasefire the previous week.
