US and Iran escalate Strait of Hormuz conflict with seventh night of strikes

The United States and Iran entered their seventh consecutive day of military strikes over control of the Strait of Hormuz on Friday and Saturday, 17–18 July 2026, with each side targeting infrastructure and military installations across the critical waterway and the surrounding Gulf region.

The US military conducted sustained air campaigns against Iranian military facilities, surveillance sites, weapons storage, and power infrastructure, according to US Central Command. Iranian state media reported explosions in southern cities including Sirik, Ahvaz, Yazd, Bandar Abbas, and Chabahar, along with strikes on bridges, electrical grids, and ports. According to Iran's health ministry, the strikes had killed at least 46 people and wounded more than 400 by Saturday morning. Human rights experts warned that strikes on civilian infrastructure not used for military purposes could constitute war crimes. The US military acknowledged 13 additional service members injured since Monday.

In response, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targeted multiple Gulf states hosting US military bases. Kuwait reported damage to a power and desalination facility—the second such facility hit in two days—critical infrastructure given that the country relies on desalinated water for approximately 90 percent of its drinking water supply. Bahrain activated air-raid sirens for the fifth time since Saturday dawn, with authorities reporting interception of multiple Iranian missiles and drones. Jordan and Saudi Arabia also reported air defence activity. The IRGC claimed strikes on the Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain and a US facility in Jordan, threatening a "devastating price" for countries hosting American bases if attacks on civilian infrastructure continued.

The conflict has severely disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which historically handled approximately one-fifth of global oil and gas supply. Vessel crossings fell to an eight-vessel three-week low on Thursday. Oil prices rose above $86 per barrel Friday, close to monthly highs. An interim ceasefire agreement signed in June, intended to keep the strait open and allow negotiations toward a permanent truce, has effectively collapsed. Iran claims the strait must be under its sole control and demands transit fees; the US maintains it is an international waterway and has reimposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports and a blockade of Iranian shipping.

The escalation follows President Trump's stated intent to expand air strikes against Iranian infrastructure to force reopening of the strait. The fighting began 28 February 2026 and has now entered its seventh day of intensive exchange, with no clear diplomatic off-ramp visible to either side.