Escalation in the Middle EastNew explosions in Iran: tanker attacked in the Strait of Hormuz
July 20, 2026, 4:27 am
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“We control the strait, they control nothing,” Trump says, referring to the Strait of Hormuz. (Photo: uncredited/AP/dpa)SplitFollow along:
For the ninth night in a row, the United States and Iran attacked each other in the Middle East. According to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, tankers in the Strait of Hormuz were also attacked. Tehran and Washington have different ideas about who controls the strait.
After the US military launched a new wave of attacks on targets in Iran, local media reported explosions in several areas of the country overnight. According to the Iranian news agency Tasnim, explosions were recorded in the city of Tabris in the north of the country, the port city of Chabahar on the shores of the Gulf of Oman, Konarak in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan, the port city of Mahshahr in Khuzestan province and the port city of Bandar Imam Khomeini on the shores of the Persian Gulf.
To prevent Iranian attacks on merchant ships in the Strait of Hormuz, which is critical to global trade in oil, gas and fertilizers, the US military says it is attacking for the ninth night in a row. The last wave of attacks was recorded at 19:00. ET (2:30 a.m. local time in Iran), the US Centcom Regional Command on Platform X reported.
The goal is to further weaken the military capabilities Iran uses to attack commercial ships and civilian sailors in the Strait of Hormuz. The war with Iran has escalated again since the beginning of the month over a dispute over the strait, which is important for global energy trade.
Trump argues with dead soldiers
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump justified recent attacks by the US military on targets in Iran with the deaths of several US soldiers in the region. “These great people, these great patriots, worked to stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons,” Trump told reporters after returning from the World Cup finals. The attacks on Iran were carried out “in honor” of the soldiers. “We hit them (the Iranians) very hard again tonight,” Trump continued. The US reported more deaths within its own ranks last week than it has in months.
Iran suffered very heavy losses in the war, the US President continued. “Militarily, they lost almost everything,” he said. “They have very little left. They still have a few missiles. They also have a few drones.” Trump also said that the United States controls the Strait of Hormuz. “We control the strait, they control nothing. Let’s see what happens,” the president said.
However, the Iranian regime presents the situation differently. Tehran insists the framework agreement agreed in mid-June states that Iran has sole responsibility for managing the crucial strait.
Meanwhile, the Revolutionary Guards said two oil tankers were “bombed” on the southern route through the Strait of Hormuz. Ships can no longer maneuver. The U.S. military asked crews to use the unsafe passage, Guardsmen said. As long as US aggression in the region continues, the strait is unsafe for transporting petrochemical products and “not a drop of oil and gas.” The US military must prepare for a “punitive action.” The incident could not initially be independently confirmed. The Guard is not providing any information about names, flags, crews or possible victims.
Iran attacks Kuwait and Bahrain
In response to ongoing US attacks, Tehran is also launching further retaliatory strikes against countries with US military bases in the region. The Gulf state of Kuwait said shelling had resumed overnight. The country’s army said its air defenses were repelling “enemy drones” from Iran. Initially there were no details.
The sirens sounded again in Bahrain, which, as the local Ministry of Internal Affairs stated, is also an ally of Washington. The US Embassy in Bahrain specifically warned of possible Iranian attacks on the capital Manama. There is information that Iran may attack unspecified targets in the city center, the mission said.
The Revolutionary Guards also attacked “an enemy special operations command center in the Syrian region of Tanf,” according to state media. This was a retaliatory attack after the killing of Iranian soldiers in Iranshahr in the southeast of the Islamic Republic, the Irna agency reported on the Telegram online service. Tasnim News Agency previously reported the burial of three soldiers killed in the US attack on barracks in Iranshahr.
The Revolutionary Guards already announced on Friday that they had attacked the al-Tanf base. Syrian military circles denied the attack. The Syrian army took control of the base in February after the withdrawal of US troops.