US Launches 11th Consecutive Night of Strikes on Iran as War Costs Mount

Areas near Iran’s Behbahan and Omidiyeh targeted in US attacks

Areas near the cities of Behbahan and Omidiyeh in Iran’s southwestern Khuzestan province have been targeted in US missile attacks, the province’s deputy governor has told Fars news agency.

US, Iran trade tit-for-tat strikes

US attacks Iran as Tehran strikes regional bases

Since July 8, the US has launched daily strikes on Iran. Tehran has responded by attempting to close the Strait of Hormuz and attacking US military bases across the Middle East.

As of July 20, 2026

Source: Armed Conflict Location and Event Data

US launches attacks on Iran for 11th consecutive night

The US military’s Central Command says forces “began striking military targets in Iran” at 7pm Eastern Time (23:00 GMT) “for the 11th consecutive night”.

“The strikes are designed to continue degrading Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” it said in a post on X.

A recap of recent developments

• US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says the cost of the war on Iran has reached $37.5bn and tells Congress the Pentagon needs $90bn in additional funding.
• US President Donald Trump says he plans to attack a suspected Iranian nuclear site called Pickaxe Mountain “pretty soon, and very heavily”.
• Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters says if the US attacks the country’s nuclear sites, there will be an expansion of war in the region.
• Mediators step up efforts to end the hostilities as Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni holds talks with senior Pakistani officials, including Army Chief Asim Munir, in Islamabad.
• Trump meets Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and promises to broker peace, but will not say when Israeli troops might withdraw from southern Lebanon.
• The Lebanese army has deployed to its first “pilot zone” in southern Lebanon, entering the town of Zawtar al-Gharbiya, following an Israeli pullout under a US-brokered agreement.
• Israeli forces have killed at least 13 people in Gaza on Tuesday, including a couple and their four children, in yet another violation of the ceasefire.

Welcome to our coverage

Hello, and welcome to our continuing coverage of the United States and Israel’s war on Iran.

Stay with us for the latest news and analysis from across the Middle East and beyond.

You can find our updates from Tuesday, July 21, here.

Smoke rises from Subiya Power and Water Desalination Plant in Kuwait, July 18, 2026 [Distribution Airbus DS/Handout via Reuters]