US launches multiple strikes on Iran, which retaliates against US targets in region
Written by: Enas Alashray, Tala Ramadan and Yomna Ehab
CAIRO/DUBAI, July 15 (Reuters) – The United States launched two waves of attacks on Iran’s coastal defenses and missile sites on Wednesday after reimposing a naval blockade of its ports, while Iran responded by targeting U.S. military facilities in neighboring countries in what it called an “existential war” with America.
This latest escalation comes just days after the collapse of a fragile ceasefire, with Iran once again threatening to halt further regional energy exports, raising the prospect of a return to full-scale war.
Clashes have intensified since Iran announced late Saturday that it was closing the Strait of Hormuz. Military operations are also blocking ships from passing through the vital artery, which before the war carried about a fifth of global oil and gas shipments. International benchmark Brent crude oil closed at a one-month high of $84.95 per barrel on Wednesday.
U.S. Central Command said the military attacked coastal defenses and cruise missile storage and launch sites on Iran’s Grand Tunb Island around 6 a.m. EDT (1000 GMT), then launched a second wave of attacks on multiple cities nine hours later.
The statement said, “US forces hit Iran’s command centers, air defense sites, missile and unmanned aerial vehicle capabilities, and coastal surveillance facilities,” and also stated that they also hit targets in Bandar Abbas, which hosts Iran’s largest port and key navy and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s facilities in the Strait of Hormuz.
“Early this morning, American forces struck coastal defense and cruise missile sites on Great Tunb Island during a 90-minute wave,” the US military added.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Wednesday it had struck US military targets in the region, including Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan. The Guard said they targeted a meeting attended by US military personnel and its radar system at Ali Al Salem air base in Kuwait with a missile and drone attack.
Three US officials told Reuters that US attacks to open the strait also target Iranian military capabilities that the US would want to destroy before carrying out more complex operations.
The US military also said that an unloaded oil tanker trying to sail towards Iran’s Kharg Island was disabled after it ignored multiple warnings and fired Hellfire missiles into the ship’s funnel. The military said the US had redirected two ships and disabled the other since the naval blockade of Iran was resumed on Tuesday.
Iranian news media reported a series of explosions, especially in coastal areas such as Bandar Abbas. Other explosions or shell attacks were reported around the city of Ahvaz, just inland from the northern tip of the Gulf, and around Konarak, Sirik and Qeshm in southern Iran.
Press TV reported at least two explosions in the central Iranian city of Khondab, about 250 km (155 miles) southwest of Tehran. Mehr news agency reported that Iran activated its air defenses in Tehran to counter “hostile threats”.
Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported that the US strikes occurred near a hospital in Ahvaz that houses a pediatric cancer center, causing the hospital to be temporarily evacuated. The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) said families took to the streets around the hospital to care for their children.
Following the first wave, Tehran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Baqir Qalibaf, issued a statement saying Iran’s security depended on maintaining what he called “Iranian arrangements” in the strait.
“We are in a significant and existential war with America,” Kalibaf said.
The war killed thousands and displaced millions; especially in Iran and Lebanon, where conflict has resumed between Israel and the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah. According to Tasnim’s news, based on a health ministry official, 35 people died in US attacks in July alone.
TRUMP SAID IRAN WANTS A SOLUTION
Trump struck a victory note, saying, “We will defeat Iran soon. They will be defeated very soon,” as he has done repeatedly since the United States and Israel began hostilities on February 28.
Speaking at a roundtable meeting at the Pennsylvania Defense and Innovation Summit, Trump also claimed that Iranians want to get along “very badly.”
“They don’t like what we’re doing and they want to get along. We’ll find out if we can get along with them, or we’ll finish the job,” Trump said.
On Tuesday, Trump said U.S. negotiators contacted their Iranian counterparts and told them “you better make a deal.”
An Iranian military spokesman said the only way to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is for the United States to implement the 14-article memorandum of understanding the two sides signed in June and “Iranian regulations” regarding ship traffic in the strait.
Even in the midst of hostilities there was a possible sign of good will. Trump said Iran allowed an American who was “unfairly detained” to leave the country in 2024 during the Biden administration.
“The United States appreciates this goodwill gesture from Iran,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Human rights lawyer Jared Genser stated that the released American was Dena Karari, who has been prevented from leaving Iran since December 2024.
In his letter to X, Genser said, “Dena is now safe and returning to the United States,” and thanked Trump for his efforts to release her.
(Additional reporting by Jarrett Renshaw in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Kanishka Singh in Washington, and Muhammad Al Gebaly and Hatem Maher in Cairo; Writing by Aidan Lewis, William Maclean, David Brunnstrom and Daniel Trotta; Editing by Ros Russell, Sanjeev Miglani, David Gaffen, Lincoln Feast and Michael Perry)
