US strikes Iran for ninth day... Another soldier killed in northern Iraq

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

US Central Command said in a statement it had begun a "new wave of strikes" aimed at "undermining" Iran's ability to attack commercial ships in the vital sea lanes of the strait.

Reuters news agency quoted Iran's Revolutionary Guard-affiliated Tasnim news agency as saying US missiles struck several Iranian cities early Monday. The agency reported explosions heard in Tabriz, Chabahar, Konarak, Bandar Mahshahr, and Bandar Imam Khomeini.

In the latest report on US losses in this war, the US military said Sunday that a service member died Saturday in northern Iraq, where US bases are located, during a controlled detonation of what Central Command described as "unexploded ordnance" on a downed Iranian attack drone.

CENTCOM Update on Recently Fallen U.S. Service Members

TAMPA, Fla. — Yesterday, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced the passing of two U.S. service members and the missing status of one in Jordan following an Iranian attack on July 17. After a thorough search, U.S....

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 19, 2026

Earlier in the week, the US military announced the deaths of two of its personnel in Jordan and a third missing in action. On Sunday, Central Command said in a statement that "unidentified remains" had been found at the site of Friday's attack, and that "the examination process is ongoing to verify them."

This brings the total number of US soldiers killed since the start of the war to 17, along with more than 420 wounded.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard announced it had launched a surprise attack on the "enemy's special operations headquarters at Al-Tanf in Syria." Iranian state television reported early Sunday that Iran had earlier launched a drone attack on US military facilities and equipment at Camp Arifjan and Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait. Iran had previously targeted both bases as part of its strikes against US facilities and its allies in the Gulf over the past week.

The Kuwaiti government said a water desalination plant was attacked for the second consecutive day, causing a fire, which it described as a direct hit on vital civilian infrastructure.

Revolutionary Guard: Two oil tankers disabled in Hormuz

The Revolutionary Guard announced Monday that two oil tankers exploded and stopped sailing after attempting to cross what it described as an unsafe southern route through the Strait of Hormuz, accusing the US military of encouraging the ships to use this passage. The statement provided no details on the names, flags, crews, or any injuries.

The Revolutionary Guard said the waterway will remain unsafe as long as what it called US "aggression" in the region continues, stressing that "this passage will not be safe for the transit of petrochemical products, not even a single drop of oil and gas."

Concerns over energy supply flows through the Strait of Hormuz have persisted since the US and Iran resumed open hostilities after each repeatedly accused the other of violating the ceasefire agreement. The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) late Sunday said it received a report of a ship on fire off the coast of Oman, though it did not verify the cause. Oil prices jumped three percent today, with Brent crude futures exceeding $90 a barrel, the highest since June 11.

Monday's attacks came after US Central Command announced that its eighth consecutive wave of strikes targeted Iranian military coastal surveillance and air defense facilities.

We hit them very hard

The US and Iran have intensified their attacks as the temporary ceasefire agreement signed last month collapsed, and the conflict over control of the Strait of Hormuz worsened, increasing the risk of a return to full-scale hostilities. Trump told reporters after returning from attending the FIFA World Cup final: "We hit them very hard again tonight, and we did it in honor of US service members killed since Friday."

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The US Embassy in Bahrain warned that it had information indicating Iran may seek to target unspecified sites in central Manama, urging Americans there to exercise caution.

This conflict, which began when the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, seeking to disrupt Tehran's nuclear and missile programs, has killed thousands of people, mostly in Iran and Lebanon, and caused major disruptions to energy supplies and concerns about global inflation.