The United States bombed Iranian military sites on the night of Saturday, July 19, 2026. It was the eighth night in a row of US attacks in a campaign called Operation Epic Fury. BBC News

The US military command for the Middle East, known as Centcom, said the strikes targeted units of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC — a powerful branch of Iran's military. These units were behind an attack that killed two American soldiers in Jordan on Friday, July 18. One US service member is still missing. The Iranian attack used ballistic missiles (missiles that travel in a high arc to hit a target far away) and drones. The two soldiers who died were defending against that strike. BBC News

The July 19 strikes also hit Qeshm Island, located in the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian state media. The strait is a narrow channel of water between Iran and Oman that connects the Persian Gulf to the open ocean. About a fifth of all the oil produced in the world normally passes through it. Centcom said the strikes were meant to weaken Iran's ability to threaten cargo ships passing through the strait. BBC News

Iran hit back within hours. Iran's army said it sent drones to attack two US bases in Kuwait. Drones used in these attacks are called kamikaze drones — they are packed with explosives and fly into their targets on purpose, destroying themselves in the process. Iran's state news agency, IRNA, said the army also launched drone strikes against US bases in Jordan and Kuwait. BBC News; IRNA

The total number of American deaths in the conflict reached 16. A Navy pilot who had been missing since earlier in the month was declared dead, the second increase in the US death toll that week. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote on X: "Godspeed, heroes. Their sacrifice only stiffens our resolve." The military said it would wait 24 hours after informing families before releasing more details, including the names of those killed. BBC News

These attacks are part of a back-and-forth pattern that started after a ceasefire agreement fell apart. The US and Iran had reached a deal to end the war in June 2026, but President Donald Trump declared the agreement "over" on July 8. Since then, US forces have carried out near-daily strikes across Iran, hitting about 140 targets using fighter jets and drones, followed by another wave hitting roughly 90 more targets. BBC News; Centcom; Centcom

The US carried out additional waves of strikes on July 12, July 13, and July 16, hitting dozens of targets at multiple locations including Bushehr, Chah Bahar, Jask, Konarak, Abu Musa, and Bandar Abbas. Centcom; Centcom; Centcom

Iran's attacks on US bases in the region have also stepped up. The IRGC said it used missiles and drones to hit US military assets in Kuwait on July 16. IRNA reported that Iran's Army launched drone attacks against American targets in Kuwait and Bahrain the next day, and that the IRGC hit several US aircraft in Jordan and a HIMARS launcher (a truck-mounted rocket system) in Kuwait. IRNA also said the IRGC targeted the area where US MQ-9 drones were parked at Ali Al Salem Air Base, destroying or damaging several aircraft. Tasnim; IRNA; IRNA

Reuters reported three people killed and eight wounded as US and Iranian forces targeted infrastructure and shipping in the Strait of Hormuz came under further attack on July 17–18. Reuters

The conflict is also affecting the economy. The US reimposed a blockade on Iranian ports — meaning American warships are stopping ships from entering or leaving Iran's ports. In response, Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz closed. Together, these moves mean the entire shipping route through the Gulf is now contested, with both sides trying to control who can move through it. BBC News

The broader context here is that this conflict has grown far beyond what it was originally meant to be. When Operation Epic Fury began, US officials said its goals were "laser-focused" on destroying Iran's nuclear program — the facilities where Iran enriches uranium, a material that can be used to make nuclear weapons. The US struck Iran's Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant using 30,000-pound bombs designed to smash through deep underground bunkers. The military described the strike as "historically successful" and said the bombs took 15 years to develop. Defense.gov; Defense.gov

What started as a focused effort to destroy Iran's nuclear and missile capabilities has turned into a wide-ranging war across the Gulf, Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain, with no peace talks underway to replace the agreement that fell apart in June. The two sides are now attacking each other roughly every 24 hours. Every time Iran hits a US base, the US strikes back at Iranian military sites. Every US strike triggers another Iranian missile or drone attack. The death toll on both sides keeps rising, and the shipping route that carries a large share of the world's energy supply remains, by both sides' own declarations, shut down.