US-Iran war LIVE: Two tankers explode after hitting mines in Strait of Hormuz, IRGC claims | Today’s news
US-Iran war LIVE: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Saturday (local time) that two oil tankers exploded after hitting mines in the Strait of Hormuz, as the two sides continued to exchange drone and missile attacks. In a statement released to IRNA, the IRGC said: “One hour ago, two oil tankers trying to pass through a minefield south of the Strait of Hormuz by rogue US intelligence agencies exploded and caught fire.” The IRGC added that it had “stopped” four ships attempting to pass through the narrow but critical waterway that was once responsible for transporting around a fifth of the world’s oil and gas shipments.
Trade strikes between the US and Iran
The United States launched strikes against Iran for the seventh night in a row, with attacks designed to “continue to degrade Iran’s military capabilities,” according to a statement from the US Central Command shared on X. Earlier, US President Donald Trump threatened to hit Iran’s infrastructure; however, there was so far no confirmation from Washington on Friday that US forces would begin doing so. The latest round of attacks represents the biggest escalation since the two sides resumed hostilities, with Tehran accusing Washington of attacking civilian infrastructure, including an airport, railway station and two bridges, and saying it has hit US assets across the region.
Iran attacks US Navy vessels with cruise missiles
After the US launched strikes targeting civilian infrastructure across Iran, the Islamic Republic retaliated by launching a series of military operations targeting US naval and military assets in the Gulf region, including Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, Oman and Syria, with the country’s armed forces and the IRGC separately announcing strikes as part of Tehran’s ongoing military campaigns.
According to a statement by Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB, Iran’s military and IRGC said the operations were carried out in response to recent US attacks on Iranian territory and military personnel. Tehran also claimed to have expanded its retaliatory operations in many countries in the Persian Gulf and the wider region and announced strikes against US military installations and assets in Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, Oman and Syria.
US confirms destruction of Chabahar port surveillance tower
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed on Friday (local time) that it had “successfully destroyed” a surveillance tower at Iran’s Shahid Kalantari port in Chabahar, saying the device was part of a maritime surveillance network used by the IRGC to monitor commercial shipping in the Gulf of Oman, particularly through the Strait of Hormuz.
A post on X reads: “On July 16, US forces successfully destroyed the Chah Bahar Shahid Kalantari port surveillance tower, part of a maritime surveillance network along Iran’s Gulf of Oman coast that has been used for decades by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to track and target commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
