Washington, DC [US], July 19 (ANI): US fighter jets have launched fresh airstrikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency. The agency reported that “at least two explosions were heard on the island” during the latest round of military action.
Following the strikes, emergency, security and operational teams were deployed to identify the locations hit and assess any casualties or damage, the report said.
The latest bombardment comes amid a fresh wave of American airstrikes launched on Saturday after two US troops were killed in Jordan. Regional hostilities have intensified significantly, with Tehran expanding its offensive across the Gulf and vowing further retaliation. The latest escalation was triggered by the deaths of the two US service members in Jordan.
The US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) said the personnel were killed while defending against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks. CENTCOM also said another service member remains missing in action.
With the latest casualties in Jordan, the confirmed American military death toll has risen to 16 since the conflict began on February 28.
Hours after the incident, CENTCOM confirmed an eighth consecutive night of military operations. It said on X that the strikes were designed to further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and to punish Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces responsible for attacks on American troops in Jordan.
Iranian news agencies Fars and Tasnim also reported that American forces struck Sirik, a southern Iranian port city located along the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
US President Donald Trump defended the ongoing military campaign against Iran during a telephone interview with The New York Post. He said the troops had made the ultimate sacrifice to prevent Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and warned that the conflict could spread across the wider region if Iran is not stopped.
Speaking about an hour after the latest US airstrikes began, Trump described the deaths of the service members as “a shame” but insisted the mission was necessary.
“They did it because they don’t want to see Iran have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said, adding, “… And it just shows you how bad [the Iranians] are.”
Responding to the latest developments, Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who assumed power after his father was assassinated on the opening day of the US-Israeli strikes, said the continued attacks had “once again demonstrated to everyone the worthlessness of the American president’s signature.”
In a statement broadcast on Iranian state television, Khamenei warned that if the United States sought to expand the war, “the dear Iranian nation and the axis of resistance have unforgettable lessons to offer it.”
Major General Mohsen Rezaei, a senior military adviser to Khamenei, warned that Tehran would launch “full-scale offensive operations” if American airstrikes continued in the coming days. According to state media, he said Iran would no longer limit itself to retaliatory, like-for-like responses.
Tehran has already launched retaliatory strikes against infrastructure across the Gulf following a week of intensified US bombardments, which Iran said targeted an airport, a railway station and several bridges.
A month after both sides signed a preliminary agreement aimed at halting the fighting, Iran struck an oil facility, a power plant and a desalination facility in Kuwait, according to Kuwaiti authorities. Kuwait condemned the attacks on civilian infrastructure as concerns grow over the prolonged conflict.
In Bahrain, the military said its air defence systems intercepted a wave of Iranian attacks. However, Iranian state media claimed its forces had successfully struck a military air base used by American troops in Bahrain.
Iranian state television also reported that fuel storage tanks at the Al-Azraq US base in Jordan had been hit. A day earlier, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had used missiles and drones to target American aircraft stationed there. The Jordanian military said it intercepted 10 missiles on Saturday after shooting down at least three missiles the previous day.
The latest escalation follows Iranian operations targeting maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for Gulf energy exports. Iran closed the waterway after the conflict began and has used control of the strait as leverage in diplomatic negotiations with Washington, which recently reinstated its blockade of Iranian ports.
Iran’s Health Ministry said on Friday that 50 people had been killed and more than 500 injured since hostilities resumed. (ANI)
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