US launches 11th straight night of strikes on Iran, air defences activate over Tehran for first time in escalation

The overnight strikes

US forces completed their latest wave of attacks at 20:15 Eastern Time (02:15 in Poland), hitting what CENTCOM described as Iranian command centres, naval capabilities, aircraft hangars, drone storage sites and military logistics infrastructure. The operation began at 19:00 Eastern Time and covered targets in at least six locations: Bushehr in the south, Bandar Mahshahr and Behbehan in Khuzestan province, plus Tabriz, Sirik and Chabahar. Iranian state television and the Tasnim and Fars agencies confirmed the strikes, with Fars reporting that a military facility near Tabriz was hit, citing authorities in East Azerbaijan province.

The strikes are aimed at further degrading Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

Tehran's defences respond

For the first time since this phase of escalation began 11 days ago, air defence and anti-missile systems were activated over western, eastern and north-eastern parts of Tehran. State television broadcast the development, and the Nour News agency said the systems were engaged against "hostile" targets. A reporter for the German news agency dpa confirmed explosions were audible in the capital, marking a significant shift in the conflict's proximity to Iran's political centre.

The Strait of Hormuz context

CENTCOM said that over the past three months Iran has attacked more than 30 commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint the US command called critical for regional and global trade. Despite those attacks, CENTCOM insisted the waterway remains open, noting that since early May its forces have assisted the safe transit of approximately 900 merchant ships carrying roughly 450 million barrels of crude oil. Iran also struck a US base in Kuwait in recent hours, according to Iranian state television.

Despite Iran's actions, the Strait of Hormuz remains open to commercial vessel traffic.

A fragile truce and a widening conflict

The current exchange began 11 days ago, even though the two sides agreed a ceasefire in mid-June. The truce collapsed partly over ambiguous clauses, which Tehran and Washington interpret differently, particularly regarding control of the Strait of Hormuz (a route that before the war carried 20% of global oil and gas exports). According to the Wall Street Journal, Israel has not joined this phase of fighting because the US and Arab countries fear its involvement would trigger further escalation. Washington has asked Israel to stay out for now, though Arab politicians believe its re-entry is only a matter of time. Iran, for its part, has refrained from striking Israel and has concentrated its attacks on Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan.

Casualties and the next steps

In a missile strike on an airbase in Jordan, three American soldiers were killed. Previously, two were confirmed dead and one was listed as missing; on Tuesday the Pentagon confirmed the third soldier had died. Since the war began on 28 February, when Israel and the US launched operations against Iran, a total of 18 American service members have been killed and approximately 430 wounded. On Wednesday, a ceremony for the return of fallen soldiers' bodies will be held at Dover Air Force Base, with President Donald Trump in attendance. The event was rescheduled from Tuesday.

On 21 July, Trump warned that US forces would strike a site where Iran may be holding uranium stockpiles "quite soon" and that after American strikes Tehran would need 25 years to rebuild. He also signalled that the US would respond if Houthi rebels from Yemen blocked the Red Sea route into the Indian Ocean.