Iran war live: US launches new attacks; Hegseth says war has cost $37.5bn

Live updates,

Fresh strikes were launched as President Trump threatened to bomb a suspected Iranian nuclear facility known as Pickaxe Mountain 'pretty soon, and very heavily'.

The latest attacks follow a pattern of escalating hostilities across the region, involving not only Iran but also Houthi forces in Yemen.

Published On 22 Jul 2026

• US bombs Iran for an 11th consecutive night as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the cost of the war has reached $37.5bn.
• US President Donald Trump threatens to attack a suspected Iranian nuclear site called Pickaxe Mountain “pretty soon, and very heavily”, prompting Tehran to threaten an expansion of the war in the region.

27 Updates

• 1m ago

   (03:00 GMT)

  UAE condemns Houthi threats against Saudi Arabia

  The UAE criticized the Houthis' threat to impose a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia, cautioning that it could undermine freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.

  In a statement, the UAE Foreign Ministry called for the enforcement of relevant UN Security Council resolutions and reaffirmed its “full solidarity” with Saudi Arabia.

  As we’ve been reporting, the latest escalation began when Yemen’s internationally recognised government said its forces struck the runway at Sanaa International Airport to prevent an Iranian aircraft from landing. The Houthis blamed Saudi Arabia for the attack and responded by firing missiles and drones towards the kingdom’s Abha International Airport.

  The Houthis also announced that a blockade on Saudi shipping would take effect immediately, describing the move as a response to what they call a Saudi-imposed land, sea and air siege on Yemen. The group said it was applying a policy of “blockade for blockade”.

  Saudi Arabia has rejected those allegations, saying more than 300 vessels carrying food, fuel and other goods entered Houthi-controlled ports during the first half of 2026. The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen has promised to respond “firmly” and says it has begun measures to protect ships passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

  The waterway connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and is a major route for Saudi oil exports and international trade.

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• 11m ago

   (02:50 GMT)

  Rubio says US open-minded on war on Iran

  US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Washington remains open to dialogue with Iran and is willing to negotiate and resolve differences.

  “If they’re serious, we’re serious. If they’re not, then we will do what’s necessary to protect our interests, and also the interests of our allies,” Rubio said in a meeting with Southeast Asian counterparts in Manila.

  

• 21m ago

   (02:40 GMT)

  Australian aid group welcomes funding for Gaza

  The Australian Council for International Development has welcomed the Australian government’s announcement that it will provide 25 million Australian dollars ($17.5m) in aid to Gaza and the state of Palestine.

  “ACFID welcomes the Australian Government’s announcement of additional support for Palestinian recovery, reform and peace building, including funding to support early recovery efforts in Gaza and strengthen Palestinian institutions,” the umbrella group of aid organisations said in a statement.

  “This commitment comes at a time when humanitarian needs in Gaza remain immense” and “civilians continue to face devastating levels of suffering, displacement and insecurity”, the statement added.

  

• 31m ago

   (02:30 GMT)

  

  Air strikes hit Iran’s western Ilam province

  Air attacks have hit Iran’s western Ilam province, on the border with Iraq, the IRIB state broadcaster says.

  It said the attacks struck the Chavar and Abdanan regions of Ilam province, and that the governor of Abdanan confirmed an air strike on the Dinarkoh region.

• 36m ago

   (02:25 GMT)

  

  Iran’s Kurdistan hit in US attacks

  The IRIB state broadcaster reports that “a point outside the city limits” of Baneh in the western Kurdistan province “has been targeted by enemy attacks”.

• 41m ago

   (02:20 GMT)

  Trump approves Saudi nuclear deal that may allow uranium enrichment: Reports

  Reuters and the Associated Press are reporting that Trump has approved a pact with Saudi Arabia to share nuclear power technology that could potentially give the kingdom uranium enrichment capability.

  AP, citing two sources, said the deal is expected to last 30 years and would involve US firms in developing the programme. It could pave the way for a uranium enrichment facility in Saudi Arabia following a joint US-Saudi study.

  Reuters, citing two sources, said the administration plans to submit the deal to Congress in the coming days as a so-called “123 Agreement”, signed by US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud.

  The report said the agreement does not include the safeguards Washington had previously said were necessary to ensure nuclear material could not be diverted to a weapons programme.

  The White House has not publicly confirmed the agreement.

• 51m ago

   (02:10 GMT)

  

  US says soldier missing in Jordan believed killed in Iranian attack

  A third US soldier is believed to have been killed in action during an Iranian strike on Muwaffaq Salti airbase in Jordan on July 17, the US Defense Department says in a statement.

  The department said the 28-year-old had previously been reported missing, but that the soldier’s status has now been updated to “Duty Status–Whereabouts Unknown, believed deceased”.

  Two other soldiers were killed in the attack on the Jordan base. The latest death brings the total number of US soldiers killed since the war on Iran began on February 28 to 18.

• 1h ago

   (02:00 GMT)

  Two blasts heard in Bushehr, city housing Iran’s only nuclear plant

  Reporting from Tehran, Iran

  Outside the capital, Tehran, it was another night of escalation – I would say an exchange of fire between Iran and the United States, as we’ve got different cities, specifically in the southern areas of the country, being targeted.

  In the city of Bushehr, at least two explosions are reported, and that is critically important, because the city hosts the nuclear power plant, but so far, no damages are reported to the plant itself. But we know that the other day, another nuclear facility of the country in Darkhovin, which was under construction, was targeted.

  Tonight, we’ve got the joint military headquarters of Khatam al-Anbiya saying that attacking the nuclear facilities of the country is going to extend the scope of the war.

  In Tabriz, local authorities are saying that a military site has been targeted, but no casualties were reported.

  Air strikes are also reported in Kabudarahang in Hamadan province, and last but not least – and similar to other nights in southeastern parts of Iran– in Sistan province, we had reports of air strikes in Konarak and Chabahar, two important port cities being targeted for yet another night.

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• 1h ago

   (01:50 GMT)

  WATCH: Iran holds funerals for 32 children killed in Minab school strike

  Iran has held funerals for 32 children killed in a US strike on a school in Minab, Iran, on February 28.

  Ongoing search and excavation operations have recovered the remains of more victims of the attack, which killed at least 170 people.

  Watch below:

• 1h ago

   (01:40 GMT)

  

  Air defences activated in Tehran due to ‘hostile threats’

  Reporting from Tehran, Iran

  It’s not the first time we are witnessing the activation of the air defence system over the skies of the Iranian capital, Tehran.

  Here in northwestern Tehran, I have been able to see and hear the sounds and the lights related to the activation of the air defence system.

  We’ve got reports about the activation of the air defence system in eastern and northeastern parts of the capital as well.

  So far, there’s no official, detailed account of what took place. But no attacks are reported, and no casualties are reported. The only official line that we have from the state news agency and other state-affiliated outlets is that air defence has been activated due to the interceptions of micro drones or hostile threats over the skies of the Iranian capital.

  But we also know that the domain of the attacks, the domain of this recent development, is not limited to the Iranian capital.

• 1h ago

   (01:30 GMT)

  Mamdani says NYC lacks legal power to arrest Netanyahu under ICC warrant

  New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has said he supports the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu but that his administration does “not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant” against the Israeli prime minister.

  He made the announcement in a video statement on X, calling Netanyahu the “architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinians”.

  Mamdani said his “administration has reviewed every avenue available under applicable law to determine whether New York City could execute the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant if Benjamin Netanyahu came here”, but found that this ability rests only with the federal government.

  “I want to be equally clear: Benjamin Netanyahu is not welcome in New York City, nor is any other war criminal at large,” he said.

  The statement came after Trump said the Israeli leader would not be arrested during any US visit, responding to Mamdani’s earlier remarks that he was considering the move.

  The Hague-based ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in 2024 over war crimes committed during Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.

• 1h ago

   (01:25 GMT)

  

  US attacks hit central Iran’s Kabudarahang County

  US forces launched air strikes on Kabudarahang County in west-central Hamadan province in the latest round of attacks, the IRIB state broadcaster says, citing the deputy governor of Hamadan province.

• 1h ago

   (01:20 GMT)

  UK condemns Houthi threats against Saudi Arabia

  The UK has issued a statement strongly condemning “recent Houthi threats against Saudi Arabia, including plans to impose a maritime blockade“.

  “These provocations risk further regional instability, endanger freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, and undermine efforts to secure peace in Yemen,” the statement cited a Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson as saying.

  “We stand firmly with Saudi Arabia, and other partners within the region, in the face of these threats and call on the Houthis to immediately cease their escalatory actions.”

• 1h ago

   (01:15 GMT)

  

  US forces attacked Chabahar and Konarak, official says

  The IRIB state broadcaster says the deputy governor of Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan province has confirmed attacks on the southeastern cities.

  “The attacks occurred this morning in the Chabahar and Konarak areas, and the situation is under control,” it cited the official as saying.

• 1h ago

   (01:10 GMT)

  

  Oil prices climb as US strikes Iran for 11th night

  Oil prices have inched up in early trading as concerns over potential supply shocks grow amid the continued US attacks on Iran.

  Brent crude futures rose by 0.55 percent, or 50 cents, to $91.51 per barrel after trading opened today, according to Reuters, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude gained 0.36 percent, or 30 cents, to $84.64 amid light trading volumes.

• 2h ago

   (01:00 GMT)

  Explosions heard in Iran’s Tabriz and cities along southern coast

  Reporting from Tehran, Iran

  This is yet another night of exchange of fire as the Iranian side also launches retaliatory strikes targeting US military assets across the region, including in Kuwait.

  Speaking of the US attacks, southern coastal cities of Iran have been witnessing a sustained campaign of air strikes. The Tasnim news agency reports explosion sounds near the city of Bushehr, and this is critically important, given that Bushehr is home to the country’s nuclear power plant. That raising the risk of potential environmental damage, though there is no confirmed information yet of an attack targeting the plant itself.

  Air strikes are also reported in other cities, including Behbahan and Omidiyeh in the Khuzestan province. The latter is significant as it is home to some of the country’s energy infrastructure.

  There are reports of attacks as well in the city of Mahshahr. In Hormozgan province, there were initial reports of strikes, but local authorities have since denied that any attacks have taken place so far.

  Similar incidents are also reported in Tabriz, in the northwestern part of Iranian territory, far from the southern coast.

• 2h ago

   (00:55 GMT)

  

  IRGC says operation to punish the aggressor continues

  Iran’s Revolutionary Guard says “the operation to punish the aggressor continues” in a statement carried by the IRIB state broadcaster.

  This comes after the US launched an 11th consecutive night of attacks against Iran

• 2h ago

   (00:50 GMT)

  

  US completes 11th consecutive evening of air strikes on Iran

  US Central Command (CENTCOM) says it has completed its 11th consecutive evening of air strikes against Iran to further degrade the country’s “ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz”.

  In a statement, CENTCOM said that US forces targeted “Iranian military operations centres, maritime capabilities, aircraft hangars, drone storage facilities, and military logistics infrastructure”.

  It added that over the past three months, Iran “has attacked more than 30 commercial vessels transiting the international waterway vital for regional and global trade”.

  “The unwarranted attacks have endangered hundreds of innocent mariners and undermined freedom of navigation,” it said.

  Despite the hostilities, the Strait of Hormuz “remains open for commercial vessel transit”, CENTCOM claimed, adding that since early May, US forces “have helped facilitate the transit of approximately 900 commercial vessels and 450 million barrels of crude oil”.

• 2h ago

   (00:40 GMT)

  

  Air defences activated across Tehran

  We have more on the air defence activity in Tehran.

  The IRIB state broadcaster is reporting that “air defence activity was heard in the west, east, and northeast of Tehran”.

• 2h ago

   (00:30 GMT)

  Qatar urges all parties to commit to diplomacy and execute MoU

  Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani has held a telephone conversation with Saudi Arabia’s top diplomat, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud.

  During the call, the ministers discussed “enhanced diplomatic efforts and closer coordination for de-escalation and strengthening security and stability in the region,” according to a statement from Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

  Sheikh Mohammed “underlined the importance of all parties committing to diplomacy and executing what had been concurred on in the Memorandum of Understanding between the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran”.

  He pointed out that this includes “ensuring freedom of traffic in the Strait of Hormuz to protect the region’s security, preserve the recent diplomatic gains and promote regional stability”.

  Qatar “fully backs all endeavours to de-escalate tensions and reach a comprehensive agreement that achieves enduring peace in the region”, Sheikh Mohammed said, according to the statement.

  

The war has already cost $37.5bn, according to Hegseth. The Bab el-Mandeb strait is a critical chokepoint for global trade, and any disruption could have far-reaching economic consequences. Meanwhile, diplomatic channels remain open, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressing willingness to negotiate.