US bombings in the Middle East have increased in intensity for the seventh consecutive night. Iranian state news agency IRNA reported on July 18 that US attacks have killed 3 and injured 8 people in Hormozgan province in southern Iran. The Iranian military said it attacked US military targets in Kuwait and Jordan in response to US attacks.
In Kuwait, Iranian forces targeted a ammunition depot at Al-Adiri camp, command buildings and ammunition depots at Ali Al-Salem base and some communication bridges. In Jordan, fuel tanks at Al-Azraq base were also targeted.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard said on July 18 that 2 oil tankers exploded after being hit by a mine in the Strait of Hormuz. The Revolutionary Guard also said on state television that they had "blocked" 4 ships trying to move through this important waterway route.
Meanwhile, US forces reported attacking Iran with strikes aimed at "continuing to weaken Iran's military capabilities", according to a statement by the US Central Command (CENTCOM) published on X. In the largest escalation since the two sides resumed fighting, Iran accused US forces of targeting civilian infrastructure, including an airport, a railway station and two bridges, and said they had attacked US assets throughout the region.
US President Donald Trump previously threatened to attack Iran's infrastructure, but there was no confirmation from the US on July 17 that the country's forces had started doing so. Major General Mohsen Rezaei, senior military advisor to the Iranian Supreme Leader, said Tehran would resume "comprehensive offensive operations" if US attacks on the country continued for another two or three days.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard said it targeted US radar systems and military aircraft in Qatar to "punish aggressors", while Doha said it intercepted a missile attack. The Revolutionary Guard also said it attacked two US radar locations in Oman and Al-Tanf military base in Syria, although a Syrian military source denied it and the US side said it had withdrawn from this base since the beginning of this year.
