US and Iran Trade Strikes as Ceasefire Collapses

The United States and Iran have entered a state of full-scale war following the collapse of a June 18 interim ceasefire. After the US began strikes on July 8, Donald Trump authorized nine consecutive nights of airstrikes targeting Iranian military command centers, air defense facilities, and coastal surveillance sites. The US operations specifically aimed to degrade the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' ability to obstruct commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and were carried out in honor of US service members killed in Jordan and Iraq.

Iran retaliated with widespread drone and missile attacks against US military installations in Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Syria. Notable targets included Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, and Camp Udairi and Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait. Iranian strikes also hit critical civilian infrastructure, including power and water desalination plants in Kuwait. The International Atomic Energy Agency is investigating US strikes on the under-construction Darkhovin nuclear power plant, though it reported no radiological risk.

The conflict has resulted in 17 American military fatalities and over 420 wounded since February 28, while Iranian authorities reported at least 50 deaths and 517 wounded. The escalation has destabilized regional energy markets, pushing Brent crude prices above $90 per barrel as the IRGC targeted tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and the US reimposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian declared the nation is engaged in a "full-scale war," while Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei dismissed the prior peace agreement as "worthless and invalid."