US forces launch new strikes on Iran, US military says

US military forces carried out a sixth consecutive night of air strikes against targets inside Iran overnight from Thursday to Friday (July 16-17, 2026), according to the US Central Command (CENTCOM). In a statement posted on X, CENTCOM said the strikes began at 1800 GMT on Thursday and were intended to “further degrade Iranian military capabilities.” The renewed strikes mark a significant escalation in a conflict that first erupted in late February with large-scale US-Israeli strikes on Iran, and which a preliminary agreement signed roughly a month ago had been intended to end.

According to Iranian state media, the latest strikes hit an airport, a railway station in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, and two bridges in southern Iran near the Strait of Hormuz. Russian outlet RT, citing Iranian sources, reported that the strikes also hit civilian infrastructure, including several bridges across the country. Iran’s official news agency IRNA reported two explosions in the city of Bushehr — home to Iran’s only civilian nuclear power plant — describing them as a “continuation of the American enemy aggression,” as well as a series of unattributed explosions in the coastal city of Bandar Abbas. IRNA also reported strikes in areas around Ahvaz, where residents said they had heard intense bombardment for a second consecutive night. Russian news agency TASS separately reported explosions in Bandar Abbas, Bushehr and Ahvaz, without providing further details.

Alongside the strikes on Iranian territory, reports emerged of a series of explosions in Kuwait. Iran’s Fars news agency, citing Iraqi media, said the blasts could be heard as far away as Basra in southern Iraq. This report has not been independently confirmed. The BBC additionally reported that US forces boarded a ship in the Strait of Hormuz amid the escalation — a waterway of major strategic importance through which a substantial share of global oil shipments passes.

Washington has justified the strikes by pointing to what it describes as a threat posed by Iran to commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM stated that the goal of the strikes was to continue degrading Iran’s military capabilities, but the US military did not release a detailed list of targets or any casualty figures. Most of the specific claims about damaged infrastructure come from Iranian state media and could not be independently verified at this time. Reports also differ somewhat on which exact locations were hit on which night, as multiple news agencies described explosions in different cities at slightly different times.

The current strikes are part of a broader pattern of military confrontation that has unfolded over recent months. According to TASS, US President Donald Trump said on July 15 that the United States had achieved the main objectives of its military operation against Iran, adding that if US forces stopped operations immediately, Iran would need roughly 20 years to recover from the damage inflicted. At the same time, TASS reported, citing Iranian officials, that Tehran currently has no plans to negotiate with Washington and is instead focused on its own defense.

The conflict had reignited despite a preliminary agreement signed about a month earlier that was intended to bring the fighting to an end. According to the South China Morning Post, the United States and Iran exchanged renewed blows on Thursday, with Iran reportedly striking targets linked to US allies in the Gulf region. Control over the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz remains at the center of the confrontation, given that a large share of global oil and gas trade passes through the waterway.

The precise consequences of the latest strikes for Iranian infrastructure, civilians and the wider regional security situation remain unclear. Neither the exact number of targets hit nor any potential casualty figures have been independently confirmed so far. It also remains uncertain whether, or when, a renewed diplomatic effort might follow, given that the earlier agreement apparently failed to durably halt the fighting. Observers are likely to watch closely in the coming days to see whether the strikes continue and how Iran responds to the ongoing US offensive.