Iran-US conflict: Trump warns of retaliation for deaths of soldiers
By BBC, July 21, 2026The US military says it has begun a new round of strikes against Iran to “further degrade” its capabilities to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
The strikes – the 10th consecutive night of attacks – come after US President Donald Trump vowed to punish Iran for the deaths of US soldiers, saying it would pay “many times over”.
He earlier said Iran had been hit “very hard” the previous night “in honour” of three US soldiers killed recently – two in Jordan and one in Iraq. Iran’s military and communications sites were struck.
Iran expands regional response
Iran said it had targeted sites in Bahrain, Jordan and Syria, with President Masoud Pezeshkian saying Iran was now fighting a “full-scale war” with the US.
At the same time, Tehran said diplomatic messages were still being exchanged by both sides through intermediaries, despite a collapse of a ceasefire.
Elsewhere in the region, Jordan’s military said late on Monday it had shot down three Iranian missiles as sirens sounded across the country warning of incoming fire.
Earlier in the day, Kuwait’s armed forces said they had intercepted Iranian drones.
Bahrain said drones launched by Iran had targeted its air navigation systems – but traffic remained unaffected.
Iranian cities and shipping hit
On the US strikes the previous night, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that several cities had been hit, including Tabriz, Chabahar, Konarak, Bandar Mahshahr and Bandar Imam Khomeini.
Iranian state media reported that two oil tankers had exploded as the vessels tried to cross the strait.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the tankers were going through what it called an “unsafe and hazardous southern route” of the strait and “exploded and were brought to a halt”. Centcom disputed the claims.
This comes after Trump vowed to punish Iran for the deaths of US soldiers, saying Tehran would pay “many times over”.
His warning came on Monday, several hours after he had said the latest US strikes that hit Iran “very hard” were in honour of three American soldiers killed recently – two in Jordan and one in Iraq.
The US military said the strikes – conducted for the ninth consecutive night – had hit military and communications sites to “further diminish” Iran’s attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran said it had hit sites in Bahrain and Syria, and also targeted US aircraft in Jordan. President Masoud Pezeshkian later said Iran was fighting a “full-scale war” with the US.