The United States launched more air strikes on Iran on Sunday in response to the killing of American soldiers, and Iran fired missiles toward Jordan, threatening to expand the conflict into neighboring Israel.
Step by step, the United States and Iran have moved back closer to all-out war, as an interim agreement reached last month that was intended to permanently end the fighting collapsed, and shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz largely stopped. Both sides have targeted the civilian infrastructure on which millions of people depend.
The US military said the latest strikes targeted Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in response to the killing of soldiers on Friday in Jordan. The campaign, now in its second week, has seen the US target bridges, desalination plants and electrical facilities in Iran. Tehran has struck at US-allied countries across the Middle East.
US Central Command confirmed on Sunday that two service members were killed in the attack and another was still missing. She said she found unidentified remains after searching the site earlier in the day, and is working to verify the remains.
US Central Command also said that a service member was killed in northern Iraq on Saturday during a controlled bombing of an Iranian drone that did not explode. A second member was injured and is receiving treatment for a minor injury.
Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain activated air defenses again to counter incoming Iranian drones and missiles. Israel warned that the missiles fired towards Jordan may cause fires to spread into Israeli territory for the first time in weeks.
Iran says a nuclear site under construction was bombed
The US military’s Central Command said it struck “Iran’s military coastal surveillance facilities, air defense facilities, maritime capabilities, and missile and drone storage sites.” It said the attack was intended to weaken Iran’s ability to control the strait and “quickly punish the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” a power base in the Iranian theocracy that controls its arsenal of ballistic missiles.
Footage published by the US military showed strikes carried out by fighter jets and Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from the sea. It appears that one of the targeted sites is located in a valley in a mountainous area. The Revolutionary Guard often has missile bases and other military equipment within mountain ranges.
Iran’s Atomic Energy Agency said the US strikes targeted the construction site of a planned nuclear power plant in the country’s southwest, state television reported.
Planet Labs PBC satellite images of the Darkhoven nuclear plant site showed clearing of the land but little construction work as of July 9. Iran has not previously announced its targeting.
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The site, which was in the “early stages of construction,” did not contain nuclear material when the IAEA last visited it, the International Atomic Energy Agency said.
Jordan and almost every Gulf Arab country were targeted
The Jordanian army said it shot down several Iranian missiles. The country hosts major American bases and relies on American air defense systems. The missiles did not cause injuries or damage, according to the Jordanian army.
State television reported that Jordan later summoned the Iranian Chargé d’Affaires to protest.
Iranian missiles fired toward the Jordanian port city of Aqaba across the border could be extended, the Israeli military said, warning Israelis to expect the first air raid sirens in weeks.
The Israeli city of Eilat, adjacent to Aqaba, quoted security officials as saying that two interceptor missiles were launched from its suburbs to prevent the falling of debris.
During the recent fighting, Iran has focused its attacks on Arab countries allied with the United States rather than Israel, which went to war with the United States on February 28. IDF Chief of Staff, Lieutenant-General Eyal Zamir, said: “We are ready to resume fighting immediately.”
Kuwait said one of its electricity and water desalination plants was attacked for the second time in two days, causing fires. The Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy said that the electricity network remains stable. In Kuwait, about 90% of drinking water comes from desalination.
The Secretary-General of the six Gulf Cooperation Council, Jassim Mohammed Al-Budaiwi, accused Iran of committing war crimes due to its strikes on civilian infrastructure and facilities.
International humanitarian law generally protects civilian infrastructure such as bridges and power plants from attacks, but such sites can lose protection if used for military purposes. In such cases, attacks must be proportionate and minimize harm to civilians.
The Strait of Hormuz remains key to the conflict
US President Donald Trump threatened to target Iranian power stations and bridges in an attempt to force Tehran to loosen its grip on the Strait of Hormuz, which witnessed the transit of a fifth of the world’s oil supplies before the war. The recent attacks indicate that the US military is implementing this plan.
Last week, the United States re-imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports to stop their shipments of crude oil. The military said on Saturday that it had rerouted five ships and disabled one since then.
A maritime organization supervised by the US Navy said on Sunday that the threat to sailors has become severe after previous Iranian attacks, “with deliberate hostile action considered very likely.” Traffic remained low, with eight crossings on Saturday and three on Friday, she said. The daily average before the war was about 140.
In a statement on Saturday, Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei warned of “unforgettable lessons” if the United States continues to attack the Islamic Republic. An Iranian negotiator said that Tehran would suspend its commitments to the interim agreement and accused the United States of violating it.
The midpoint of the 60-day period set by the agreement to negotiate a permanent end to the war and other issues, including Iran’s nuclear program, has passed.
Since the war began, 16 American soldiers have been killed and more than 430 others wounded. Iranian authorities said on Sunday that at least 50 people were killed and 517 wounded in the latest US strikes. Iran did not provide any comprehensive information about its losses in equipment.
Beyond the region, the effects of war on the prices of fuel and other goods have severely affected some of the world’s most vulnerable regions.
Metz reported from Ramallah in the West Bank. Associated Press writer Taqa Ezz El-Din in Cairo contributed.
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