Strait of Hormuz Conflict Intensifies as US and Iran Exchange Strikes
The United States and Iran exchanged strikes on Saturday, July 18, 2026, targeting infrastructure and military positions as their conflict over the Strait of Hormuz escalated. The region has witnessed repeated attacks over the past days, with an interim ceasefire collapsing and no resolution in sight for the war that began more than four months ago.
The US Central Command announced late Friday that it had conducted its seventh consecutive night of attacks aimed at weakening Iran's military. Early Saturday, it reported strikes on "surveillance sites, military logistics infrastructure, underground weapons storage, and maritime capabilities." Kuwait said it was intercepting Iranian missiles and drones, while air sirens sounded in Bahrain, according to local governments.
Iranian officials stated that recent US strikes have killed dozens and wounded hundreds, with new casualties reported on Friday. The US military also acknowledged 13 additional service members injured since Monday, bringing total US casualties to 14 killed and 427 wounded since the conflict began.
Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz to shipping after the war started on February 28, 2026. This has driven oil prices higher, with Brent crude rising above $86 a barrel on Friday, near a one-month high. Crossings through the strait fell to a three-week low, according to an international shipping tracker.
In a televised address on Thursday, former President Donald Trump stated that the war was progressing well, saying, "We are likewise winning big in Iran, and you will see the fruits of that labour very, very shortly." Before the conflict, the US had been in talks with Iran over its nuclear programme. Trump now faces political pressure to end the war and avoid a prolonged West Asian conflict, which he had campaigned against.
US airstrikes hit bridges in Iran's southern Hormozgan province, including a highway and railway bridge near Bandar Khamir on the Strait coast. These strikes appeared aimed at isolating Bandar Abbas, Iran's main port, from roads leading to Tehran. Iran also acknowledged "attacks on power infrastructure" for the first time on Friday, with the Energy Ministry urging reduced power usage in southern provinces experiencing extreme heat.
Iranian authorities reported at least 46 killed and over 400 wounded in recent US strikes, including eight killed in a bridge strike on Friday. Meanwhile, a US strike collapsed a tower at Iran's Chabahar port on the Gulf of Oman, a key trade route for Afghanistan. Iran said the tower managed commercial traffic, but the US military stated it was part of a maritime surveillance network used by Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard to track commercial vessels in the strait.
On Friday evening, Iranian state media reported explosions across central and southern Iran. The conflict continues to disrupt regional stability and global energy markets.
