Tehran [Iran], July 20 (ANI): US strikes targeted the town of Khormoj in southwestern Iran, causing power outages across parts of the administrative center of Dashti County in Bushehr province, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported, citing a local official.
The targeted region lies along Iran’s Gulf coast near the strategic Strait of Hormuz. The area has previously been subjected to US military operations aimed at degrading the naval and missile assets maintained by Tehran in the region.
According to reports, the affected area houses military facilities linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy. The strikes caused immediate disruptions to the electricity grid in parts of Khormoj.
The strikes were part of a broader escalation Monday, as US forces launched military operations against Iran for a ninth consecutive day.
US Central Command confirmed it had initiated “a new wave of strikes” with the stated objective of degrading Tehran’s ability to intercept commercial cargo vessels operating along the critical maritime routes of the Strait of Hormuz.
While the US military did not disclose specific operational details, Tasnim, citing its correspondents, reported that US strikes also hit multiple other locations early Monday, with explosions reported in Tabriz, Chabahar, Konarak, Bandar Mahshahr, and Bandar Imam Khomeini.
The latest aerial campaign comes amid a rise in confirmed US military casualties during the conflict, prompting a response from Washington.
Speaking to reporters upon his return from the FIFA World Cup final, President Donald Trump said, “We hit them very hard again tonight, and we did it in honour of” the American service members who have lost their lives since Friday.
According to the US military, one service member was killed Saturday in northern Iraq while neutralizing what Central Command described as unexploded ordnance found on a downed Iranian attack drone.
The announcement followed reports earlier in the weekend confirming the deaths of two US service members in Jordan, while another remains missing in action.
Central Command said that “unidentified remains” had been recovered from the site of Friday’s attack and that “an examination process to verify the remains is ongoing.”
The latest developments bring the total number of US military fatalities since the outbreak of hostilities to 17, with more than 420 other personnel injured.
In response to the escalating US offensive, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had carried out a preemptive strike targeting what it described as “the enemy’s special operations headquarters in Syria’s Al-Tanf area.”
The announcement followed an earlier drone strike by Iran targeting US military personnel and equipment at Al-Adiri Camp and Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, both of which had previously been targeted as part of Tehran’s broader campaign against US military infrastructure and regional allies in the Gulf.
The conflict has also affected regional allies. The Kuwaiti government announced that a water desalination plant had been struck for a second consecutive day, sparking a fire in what officials described as a deliberate attack on critical civilian infrastructure.
The continued escalation has intensified concerns over maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, sending ripples through global energy markets.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) of the Royal Navy reported late Sunday that it had received a report of a vessel on fire off the coast of Oman, though the cause of the fire has not been officially determined.
Meanwhile, oil prices rose 3 percent Monday, pushing Brent crude futures above USD 90 per barrel, their highest level since June 11.
As the conflict deepens, security alerts have expanded across the region. The US Embassy in Bahrain issued a precautionary advisory stating it had intelligence indicating that Iran could potentially target undisclosed locations in the capital, Manama.
The embassy advised American citizens in Bahrain to remain vigilant and maintain a high level of situational awareness.
The latest escalation follows the collapse of a short-term ceasefire reached a month ago, intensifying the struggle for control of strategic shipping lanes.
The broader conflict began on Feb. 28 following joint US and Israeli military operations targeting Iran’s nuclear and missile infrastructure and seeking to weaken Tehran’s regional proxy groups. The conflict has since resulted in thousands of deaths, primarily in Iran and Lebanon, while disrupting global energy markets and fueling inflation concerns. (ANI)
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