US launches 11th consecutive strike on Iran; Trump threatens nuclear site attack

The US military struck Iranian targets for the 11th consecutive night late on July 22, 2026, as tensions between Washington and Tehran escalated toward a direct confrontation over Iran's nuclear program. President Trump announced that the next military operation could target Pickaxe Mountain, an underground nuclear site near Natanz where Iran is suspected of building an undeclared uranium enrichment facility, stating "We'll be hitting that area pretty soon, and very heavily."

According to US Central Command, the strikes were designed to degrade Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Centcom targeted Iranian military operations centres, maritime capabilities, aircraft hangars, drone storage facilities, and military logistics infrastructure. Explosions were reported in Tabriz, Chabahar, Konarak, and Bushehr, which houses Iran's only nuclear power plant, per BBC reporting.

Trump said he would not normally announce targets in advance but "there's not a thing they can do about it." Iran's Khatam Al-Anbiya military command responded by saying it would consider an attack on the nuclear site as "an expansion of war in the region," threatening strikes on "all the interests of America, the allies and supporters."

The strikes continue a pattern of military operations that broke a ceasefire framework signed in June. Iran and the US had agreed in April to a ceasefire, then signed a Memorandum of Understanding in June designed to halt military operations and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, with a goal of reaching a broader war settlement within 60 days. Three weeks after the MoU was signed, Trump declared the ceasefire "over" after what he characterized as Iranian attacks on ships in Hormuz. Centcom has accused Iran of attacking more than 30 commercial vessels passing through the Strait over the past three months, according to BBC reporting, though Centcom also stated the Strait remains "open for commercial vessel transit."

The escalation is driving regional instability beyond US-Iran tensions. Kuwait's army said early Wednesday morning that its air defences were engaging drone attacks from Iran. Bahrain and Jordan said they had intercepted drone and missile strikes. A Houthi media official said they were closing the Bab al-Mandab Strait to Saudi vessels, and Trump threatened to "take care of" the Houthi rebels if the Iran-backed militant group followed through on the blockade. Two Saudi tankers bound for China and India made U-turns on Tuesday, heading toward the Suez Canal instead of continuing through the Red Sea, per BBC reporting.

Oil prices reached $94 on Wednesday in response to the escalation. The war has cost the US $37.5 billion so far, a rise of nearly $8 billion since the last estimate in May, according to US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. Hegseth said military training would have to be curtailed unless lawmakers approved an urgent funding boost. The Pentagon named Sgt Angel S Rampersad, 28, as a fourth soldier believed to have been killed in recent days, thought to have died alongside two others in an Iranian strike in Jordan and another in Iraq. Rampersad had previously been declared missing after an Iranian strike in Jordan.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington is still willing to engage in diplomacy with Tehran but does not believe Iran is serious about talks, according to BBC reporting. Trump said Iran would pay for American fatalities "many times over."