US launches fresh strikes on Iran, US bases come under Iranian attacks

The United States on Tuesday carried out an additional round of strikes against Iranian targets, the U.S. Central Command said in a statement, reported Xinhua.

The operation came shortly before the forces began the resumption of the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.

"The strikes are taking place as American forces prepare to resume the naval blockade against Iranian ports and coastal areas," the command said in a post on X.

The U.S. blockade on ships entering or leaving Iranian ports were scheduled to resume at 4 p.m. U. S. Eastern Time (2000 GMT), according to the U.S. Central Command.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the United States would expand its strikes on Iran next week to target power plants and bridges unless Tehran agrees to negotiate.

"Next week it gets really bad for them because next week comes the power plants," Trump said in an interview with Fox News. "We're going to knock out all their power plants. We're going to knock out all their bridges unless they get to the table and negotiate."

The U.S. strikes on Iran "will continue until I say it's enough," he added.

Meanwhile, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) said Tuesday its aerospace and naval forces have struck U.S. bases in Bahrain and Kuwait in retaliation for U.S. attacks earlier in the day.

In a statement published on its official news outlet Sepah News, the IRGC said its forces, in a joint missile and drone operation, hit and destroyed U.S. weapon depots as well as vessel and helicopter parts at the Shaikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain.

The IRGC said its forces also struck the Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, destroying and damaging a number of the U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drones.

The attacks were in retaliation for the U.S. strikes Tuesday afternoon against a number of the Iranian armed forces' coastal stations, the IRGC added.

It said its retaliation will continue as long as the United States keeps "committing crimes," warning that any U.S. attacks will be met with "surprising responses."

This comes as several explosions were heard Tuesday night in the southern Iranian provinces of Hormozgan and Khuzestan, as U.S. Central Command announced a new round of strikes against Iran.

The latest developments came after days of clashes between Iran and the United States over the control of the Strait of Hormuz, despite a U.S.-Iran peace MoU signed in mid-June, under which the two sides were expected to begin negotiations within 60 days toward a final agreement.

2 killed in attacks on 2 UAE tankers

Attacks on two oil tankers of the United Arab Emirates in the Strait of Hormuz have left two seafarers dead and 14 more injured, based on updated information from the International Maritime Organization (IMO), reported Xinhua.

The IMO said two seafarers were killed and three others injured on the tanker Al Bahyah while 11 mariners on the tanker MOMBASA B sustained injuries. The crew of MOMBASA B abandoned the vessel. Both attacks occurred about 13 nautical miles off the coast of Oman.

ADNOC Logistics & Services, the shipping arm of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, said on Tuesday that two crude oil tankers operated by the company were struck by projectiles while transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps has confirmed that two super oil tankers, which it said were "misled by American provocations," were struck and disabled after deliberately ignoring repeated warnings.

"We are gravely concerned by the latest attacks on shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz reported since last night, which have claimed the lives of at least two seafarers and injured several others," an IMO spokesperson told Xinhua.

"The IMO wholly condemns these attacks. The cycle of escalation must end. These actions carry profound human costs and consequences that will be felt across the region and far beyond its borders," the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson called on all parties to exercise restraint, avoid further escalation and return to dialogue, urging them to choose a path that protects the lives of seafarers and upholds the freedom of navigation.

According to IMO statistics, 56 attacks on ships have been confirmed in and around the Strait of Hormuz since the outbreak of the U.S.-Israel-Iran conflict in late February, resulting in the deaths of 17 seafarers.

Fresh U.S. airstrikes and Iranian retaliation have plunged Washington and Tehran back into open conflict less than a month after signing a 14-point memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the war. The Strait of Hormuz has once again become the main flashpoint.

US imposes new sanctions against Iran

The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on Tuesday issued General License Z and imposed new Iran-related sanctions, reported Xinhua.

The license, titled "Authorizing Wind Down Activities, Limited Safety and Environmental Transactions, and the Offloading of Cargo Involving Certain Persons or Vessels Blocked on July 14, 2026," was signed by OFAC Deputy Director Lisa Palluconi.

It does not authorize the entry into any new commercial contracts involving the property or interests in property of any blocked persons, nor does it authorize any transactions or activities prohibited by the executive order titled "Imposing Sanctions With Respect to Additional Sectors of Iran" signed on Jan. 10, 2020, including any transaction or activity involving Iran, the government of Iran, or Iranian-origin goods or services that is prohibited by the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations.

Additionally, OFAC has added 10 individuals, 24 entities and 20 vessels to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List because of their connections with Iran.