Tuesday, July 21, 2026

Capitals - Agencies:

Tehran announced that diplomatic communications with Washington through mediators are still ongoing, despite the US military strikes.

The spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Ismail Baghaei, said in a press conference in Tehran: 'We were informed via mediators and received messages, without going into details, but importantly the diplomatic apparatus has been active in recent days, and ideas have been conveyed to us through some mediators.'

US forces have launched attacks on Iran for the ninth consecutive day, as the confirmed death toll of US military personnel in the renewed fighting rose to 3, and concerns over navigation in the Strait of Hormuz increased.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement that it had begun a 'new wave of strikes' aimed at 'undermining' Iran's ability to attack commercial vessels in the strait's vital shipping lanes.

CENTCOM stated in the statement that the US military targeted Iranian coastal surveillance and military air defense facilities.

The statement added that the strikes targeted Iranian military command centers, air defense sites, coastal surveillance, naval capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and communications networks.

For its part, Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that US missiles struck several Iranian cities.

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