US and Iran Continue Attacks Over Strait of Hormuz
2026-07-09
US Central Command Announces Additional Airstrikes
US Central Command on the 9th disclosed details of additional airstrikes against Iran, stressing its determination to hold Tehran accountable by saying the strikes were retaliation for Iran's attack on merchant ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
In response, Iran claimed it had attacked US military bases in the Middle East and suggested it could block the strait.
Targets Include 170 Air Defense and Surveillance Sites
According to US Central Command, it struck a total of 170 targets on the 7th and 8th, including air defense systems and surveillance facilities along Iran's coast. It said the strikes had 'imposed a heavy burden on Iran, which violated the ceasefire.'
Railway Bridges Also Hit as Conflict Continues
The US news site Axios reported that the US military also struck two railway bridges in northeastern Iran. It said this was the first attack on infrastructure facilities since the ceasefire agreement in April.
US President Donald Trump said on the 9th that he had spoken by phone with the Iranian side aboard Air Force One on his return from Turkey to the United States. 'They are desperately trying to make a deal,' he said, hinting at hopes for progress in the talks.
However, it remains unclear whether the exchange of attacks will come to an end. Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed on the 9th that it had retaliated by attacking major facilities at US military bases in Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait. State news agencies in Bahrain and Jordan reported that they responded to the Iranian attacks with air defense systems and other measures.
According to Iran's Health Ministry, 14 people were killed in two days of US military attacks. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of Iran's parliament, said on the 9th that the Strait of Hormuz would open only under 'Iran's arrangement,' indicating that it was under Iran's control.
The United States and Iran signed a memorandum in June aimed at ending the fighting and are seeking a final agreement within 60 days. They had only recently exchanged a temporary series of attacks again in late June.
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