US strikes Iranian targets for 10th consecutive night as casualties mount and shipping routes face disruption

The US military conducted its 10th consecutive night of strikes against Iranian military targets on July 20, targeting command centres, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and air defence systems, according to US Central Command reporting by BBC News. The campaign follows an Iranian strike on the Muwaffaq Salti base in Jordan that killed three US service members: Pte Isabella Gonzales, 19, from Texas; Lt Tyler James Feehan, 25, from Hawaii; and a third service member whose remains remain unidentified, per the US Department of Defense.

President Trump said Iran had been hit "very hard" the previous night "in honour" of three US soldiers killed recently, two in Jordan and one in Iraq, according to BBC reporting. Trump vowed to punish Iran for the deaths, framing the strikes as retaliation for direct attacks on American personnel.

Iran's response has escalated the conflict beyond military targets to include commercial shipping and civilian infrastructure. Iran said its forces struck two oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz as they attempted to transit the strait's southern route, per BBC reporting citing Iran's state news agency IRNA. The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) reported separately that a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz was struck by an unknown projectile, forcing its crew to abandon the vessel and board a lifeboat, per BBC citing UKMTO. Iran also claimed strikes on US military assets in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan, and said its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attacked and destroyed an Amazon data centre in Bahrain with cruise missiles, according to IRNA reporting carried by BBC News.

Explosions were reported at multiple locations inside Iran, including near the north-western city of Tabriz, where state media said one person was killed and several wounded, per BBC reporting. Additional explosions were reported at Gulf ports of Bandar Mahshahr and Bandar Imam Khomeini and south-eastern ports of Chabahar and Konarak, BBC reported.

Regional allies reported intercepting Iranian strikes. Jordan said on Tuesday it had intercepted five drones after saying it had shot down three missiles late on Monday, per BBC reporting. Bahrain said drones launched by Iran had targeted its air navigation systems, though traffic remained unaffected. Kuwait's armed forces said they intercepted Iranian drones and reported Iran had hit several power and water desalination plants.

The conflict is already reshaping maritime traffic through one of the world's most critical shipping chokepoints. According to maritime intelligence firm Kpler, cited by BBC News, six fuel tankers and cargo ships crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, down from eight vessels on July 19, with all but one of the Monday crossings using the northern route near Iran. Two of the six vessels that crossed on Monday had previously been sanctioned by the US for links with Iran, per Kpler data reported by BBC News. US Central Command insisted that commercial vessels were continuing to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, per BBC reporting.

Tehran said diplomatic messages were still being exchanged by both sides through intermediaries, despite a collapse of a ceasefire, according to BBC reporting. No official US response to Iran's claim of striking the Amazon data centre in Bahrain is included in available accounts.