US airstrikes on Iran July 18 after Jordan base attack

American forces launched a new wave of airstrikes against Iran on July 18, targeting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in retaliation for an Iranian attack that killed two U.S. service members at a base in Jordan. The escalation marks a significant intensification in the ongoing conflict centered on control of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

The U.S. military's Central Command stated the strikes, ordered by President Donald Trump, were designed to degrade Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the vital waterway and to swiftly punish the Revolutionary Guard. The operation followed a drone and missile attack on a U.S. facility in Jordan on July 17, which resulted in two American fatalities, one service member missing, and four others hospitalized with injuries. These were the first U.S. troop deaths from direct Iranian fire since early in the conflict, bringing the total number of American service members killed to 16, with over 430 wounded.

Iranian state media reported the latest U.S. strikes targeted areas in southern Hormozgan province, including near Sirik, Hajiabad, and Qeshm Island within the strait, with explosions heard in Bandar Abbas. Previous U.S....