US and Iran Exchange Strikes in 13th Night of Attacks

The United States Central Command carried out airstrikes across Iran for the 13th consecutive night on July 24, 2026, targeting command centers, drone sites, and naval assets in Ahvaz, Jask, Khorramabad, Bandar Abbas, and Qeshm Island. A missile strike on the outskirts of Ahvaz killed four Iranian citizens and wounded five others. The U.S. military stated these operations aim to diminish the threat Iran poses to commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

In response, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched Operation True Promise 4, utilizing Arash drones and missiles to target U.S. facilities in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, and Iraq. Iranian forces targeted the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet control tower in Bahrain, the Al-Azraq Air Base in Jordan, and Al-Adairi Base in Kuwait. While the IRGC claimed to have killed U.S. troops and destroyed a Patriot air defense system in Erbil, the U.S. military has not confirmed these casualties.

At the UN Security Council, Iran's deputy representative Gholamhossein Darzi defended these strikes as defensive, alleging that U.S. attacks in Minab killed over 160 schoolchildren. President Donald Trump has threatened to seize Iranian assets and promised major military punishment, though he remains open to a diplomatic deal. Simultaneously, Houthi militants implemented a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, prompting coalition strikes at Yemen's Hodeidah port. Since late June, the conflict has caused at least 59 Iranian deaths and 18 U.S. service member fatalities.