Washington Intensifies Strikes on Iran Following Death of US Service Member; Latest Developments Unfold

The United States has carried out a ninth straight night of attacks against Iran after US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that an American soldier was killed in northern Iraq during the controlled demolition of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian drone.

The following outlines events from Sunday night into Monday morning, together with statements issued by officials on both sides:

Where was Iran attacked?

CENTCOM said in a post on X that it concluded the ninth round of strikes on Iran at 02:00 GMT on Monday.

According to the command, the operations “targeted Iranian military command centers, air defense and coastal surveillance sites, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and communications networks to further diminish Iran’s ability to attack commercial vessels and civilian mariners transiting the Strait of Hormuz”.

The US military did not disclose the specific locations struck inside Iran.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said two oil tankers “exploded” and were stopped in the southern Strait of Hormuz late on Sunday, the semiofficial Tasnim News Agency reported on Monday.

The IRGC claimed the ships were attempting to pass through the strategic strait under what it called US coercion.

“This passage is unsafe for the transport of chemical fertiliser or even a single drop of oil and gas,” the corps warned, adding that the route would stay unsafe as long as US military operations in the region persist.

An MQ-9 drone was shot down over Eslamabad-e Gharb in western Iran’s Kermanshah province, Mehr News Agency reported on Monday.

Mehr said the aircraft was intercepted by an advanced air defence system operated by the IRGC aerospace force.

Iran’s semiofficial Tasnim News Agency reported on Monday that US strikes hit an area in the town of Khormoj in southwestern Iran, citing a local official.

Where did Iran strike, and where were warnings issued?

Jordan: The IRGC said on Monday it fired ballistic missiles at US C-17 transport planes and P-8 aircraft at Aqaba airport, asserting that several were heavily damaged. In a statement carried by state-controlled IRIB broadcaster, the IRGC also said 20 hangars housing US forces at the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Azraq were destroyed.

Bahrain: The US embassy in Bahrain said it had information indicating Iran may attempt to target unspecified sites in central Manama. It advised Americans to stay alert, heed local authorities, and shelter immediately if sirens sound or explosions are heard.

US soldier in Iraq: A US service member died in northern Iraq on Saturday during the controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from an Iranian drone, CENTCOM said.

What happened in the Strait of Hormuz?

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency reported late on Sunday that a vessel roughly 8 nautical miles (15km) northwest of Kumzar, Oman, had caught fire.

It remains unclear whether Iran was responsible. UKMTO said the cause of the blaze had not been confirmed and urged ships in the area to proceed cautiously and report suspicious activity while the incident is investigated.

What have Iranian and American leaders said?

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the strikes on Iran were meant to honor American personnel killed in the conflict.

“We hit them very hard again tonight, and we did that in honour of the, probably three, it’s probably three great patriots,” Trump told reporters as he returned to Washington, DC, after the World Cup final in New Jersey. At least two US soldiers were killed in Jordan last week when Iranian missiles hit a US base there, and the third was the soldier killed in Iraq during the drone ordnance disposal.

“We feel very badly,” he said of the fatalities, adding that those who died were fighting so “Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an interview with state media that Tehran would end the war with the US once it holds “the upper hand in the field,” local news reported Monday.

Speaking with the IRNA news agency, Araghchi said a key decision in crisis management is determining the right moment to halt hostilities and open negotiations.

“The end of the war is possible either through absolute military victory or through negotiations. The right time to negotiate is precisely when you have achieved a reliable field and strategic achievement on the military front,” Araghchi said.

“You cannot take risks with the lives of the people and the fate of the entire country. Decisions must be made based on accurate and complete calculations,” he added.

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