The U.S. military struck Iranian targets for the 13th night in a row on July 23, 2026. The war between the United States and Iran started on February 28 with a joint U.S.-Israeli attack and is now in its sixth month with no sign of stopping. The war has cost $37.5 billion as of July 22, according to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. That is more than three times the $11.3 billion the Pentagon said the first six days of fighting cost (The New York Times).

The attacks have not slowed down, even as the damage to Iran's economy and people has grown. Iran's Health Ministry said at least 53 civilians were killed in U.S. strikes between June 27 and July 22 (Al Jazeera). In July, President Trump threatened to bomb bridges and other civilian structures in Iran. That threat came after his April announcement that the U.S. would block Iranian ports from receiving ships (Associated Press). Iran has struck back, hitting a U.S. air base in eastern Jordan in July (NPR) and attacking a facility in late March that injured U.S. troops (U.S. State Department).

A cease-fire (a temporary stop in fighting) took hold by early April, offering a brief chance for diplomacy to work. It did not last. By April, the State Department said all sides, including Iran, were still planning for more fighting if talks failed (U.S. State Department). The operation, called "Operation Epic Fury," has grown since then.

Iran's economy was already in trouble before the war. In January 2026, Iranians were protesting in Tehran's Grand Bazaar over high food prices and poor economic management. Security forces fired tear gas to break up the protests (Associated Press). The war made everything worse. Prices jumped after the first strikes. Mass layoffs followed. Iran ran low on foreign currency, which it needs to buy food and medicine from other countries. By June, Iranians were dealing with soaring prices, civilian deaths, and broken infrastructure every day (The New York Times). A Reuters report in April said Iran's broken economy meant any military victory would not last long (Reuters).

Other countries have gotten involved. In May, the State Department punished China-based companies for giving Iran satellite images that helped Iran target U.S. forces (U.S. State Department). Gulf Arab states, instead of pushing for peace, urged Washington to go further and neutralize Iran during a March crisis near the Strait of Hormuz (Reuters). The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow waterway through which much of the world's oil passes, and it has been a flashpoint throughout the war. Iran's main military strengths, according to a U.S. defense assessment, are its missiles and naval forces.

The pattern from the February strikes through the April cease-fire to today's nightly bombings shows a cycle where each escalation makes it harder to step back. The April cease-fire fell apart because there was no real plan to keep it going. The port blockade and Trump's threats to hit civilian infrastructure show a shift from targeting military sites to squeezing Iran's economy and pressuring its people. Iran's strikes on Jordan and U.S. facilities, plus its use of Chinese satellite data for targeting, show it is willing to widen the conflict.

With $37.5 billion spent, 13 straight nights of strikes, a port blockade in place, rising civilian deaths, and no peace talks anywhere, the war has settled into a slow grind. The question is no longer whether either side can win on the battlefield. It is whether the rising economic and political costs will eventually push both sides toward negotiations that neither has been willing to start.