US hits Iran with military deaths as campaign against Tehran continues – National
The United States launched more airstrikes on Iran on Sunday in response to the killing of American soldiers, and Iran fired missiles at Jordan that threatened to escalate the conflict in neighboring Israel.
Step by step, the US and Iran have moved closer to an all-out war as last month’s interim deal aimed at ending the war has collapsed and shipping in the Strait of Hormuz has come to a standstill. Both sides have targeted the human infrastructure that millions of people rely on.
The US military said the latest strikes were aimed at Iran’s military in retaliation for Friday’s killing of soldiers in Jordan. The campaign, now in its second week, has seen US-targeted bridges, desalination plants and power plants in Iran. Tehran has attacked US-allied countries across the Middle East.
Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain have also opened air defenses against incoming Iranian drones and missiles. Israel has warned that missiles fired from Jordan could cause fire to reach Israeli territory for the first time in weeks.
Iran claims a nuclear site under construction was hit
The US military’s Central Command said it struck “Iranian military coastal patrols and air defense facilities, maritime capabilities and missile and drone storage facilities.” It said the attack was designed to undermine Iran’s ability to control the spacecraft and to “immediately punish the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” which is the center of power in the Iranian regime that controls its ballistic missiles.
Images released by the US military appeared to show strikes by warplanes and Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from the sea. The target area seemed to be in a mountain valley. Rangers often have missile bases and other military equipment placed in the mountains.
Iran’s nuclear power plant said the US strikes targeted a nuclear power plant in the southwest, state television reported.
Satellite images from Planet Labs PBC of the Darkhovin nuclear plant site showed land clearing but little construction as of July 9. Iran has not previously announced it as a target.
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The International Atomic Energy Agency said the site, “in the early stages of construction,” was free of nuclear material when the UN last visited.
Jordan and all the Gulf Arab countries are targeted
The Jordanian military said it shot down several Iranian missiles. The country hosts major US bases and relies on US air defense systems. The missiles did not cause injuries or damage, according to the Jordanian military.
Jordan later called Iranian officials to protest, state television reported.
Israel’s military said Iranian missiles fired at the Jordanian port of Aqaba across the border could be scattered, warning Israelis to expect the first airstrikes in weeks.
Eilat, the Israeli city that neighbors Aqaba, cited security officials as saying that two interceptors had been deployed on its outskirts to stop the fall of debris.
During the latest war, Iran has focused its attacks on Arab countries allied with the US instead of Israel, which started a war with the US on Feb. 28. “We are willing to resume fighting,” said the Israeli army chief, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir.
Kuwait said one of its desalination plants was attacked for the second time in two days, sparking fires. The Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy said the electricity grid remains stable. In Kuwait, about 90 percent of drinking water comes from desalination.
The secretary-general of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, Jasem Mohamed al-Budaiwi, accused Iran of war crimes with strikes on infrastructure and public areas.
International humanitarian law generally protects public infrastructure such as bridges and power plants from attack, but such sites can lose protection if they are used for military purposes. In such cases, the attack should be proportionate and minimize casualties.
The Strait of Hormuz remains key to the conflict
US President Donald Trump has threatened to target Iran’s power stations and bridges to try to force Tehran to loosen the Strait of Hormuz, which saw the passage of a fifth of the world’s oil supplies before the war. The latest attack suggests that the US military is carrying out such a plan.
The US last week also imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports to stop its crude oil shipments. The navy on Saturday said it had diverted five ships and disabled one since then.
A naval agency overseen by the U.S. military said on Sunday that the threat to sailors had worsened after the previous Iranian attack, “in a deliberate act that is considered serious.” He said the traffic is always low, as there are eight on Saturday and three on Friday. The daily average before the war was about 140.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, in a statement on Saturday, warned of “unforgettable lessons” if the US continues to attack the Islamic Republic. Iran’s negotiator said Tehran was suspending its obligations under the interim deal and accused the US of violating it.
Halfway past the 60-day deadline for a deal to negotiate a permanent end to the war and other issues, including Iran’s nuclear program.
Since the war began, 16 US service members have been killed and more than 430 wounded. Iranian authorities on Sunday said at least 50 people had been killed and 517 injured in the latest US strikes. Iran has not provided full details on its material losses.
Far from the region, the war’s effects on fuel and other commodity prices have hit some of the world’s most vulnerable areas hard.
-Metz reported from Ramallah, West Bank. Associated Press writer Toqa Ezzidin in Cairo contributed.
© 2026 The Canadian Press
