US attacks enter ninth day, Iran shakes with explosions

The United States has carried out attacks on Iran for the ninth day in a row over tensions over the Strait of Hormuz. The overnight attacks targeted several Iranian cities, with multiple explosions reported in these cities.

This information was reported in a report by Qatar-based media outlet Al Jazeera on Monday (July 20).

The report said that the US forces have been carrying out attacks for the ninth day, resulting in explosions in several cities in Iran, including Sirik, Jask, Tabriz and Chabahar.

Three US military personnel have been killed in the past two days, with attacks intensifying on Monday. The ongoing conflict over control of the Strait of Hormuz has also brought to an end a month-long ceasefire agreement between Tehran and Washington.

In a statement, the US military said the latest strikes were aimed at "degrading Iran's military capabilities used to attack commercial shipping and sailors traveling through the Strait of Hormuz."

Iran's state broadcaster IRIB reported that several explosions were heard in the port cities of Mahshahr and Imam Khomeini in the southwestern province of Khuzestan.

It also reported that explosions also occurred near the cities of Sirik and Jask in Hormozgan province on Iran's southern coast, and near the city of Khvormuz in Bushehr province.

The IRIB said three explosions were heard near the northwestern city of Tabriz, while the semi-official Fars News Agency said air defense systems had been activated in the southeastern cities of Konarq and Chabahar in Sistan and Baluchestan province.

Al Jazeera's Tohid Asadi, reporting from the Iranian capital Tehran, said the latest US strikes had again targeted Iran's southern coast. He said the explosion in Tabriz, if confirmed, would be the first time the northwestern city has been hit since the recent escalation in tensions.

He added that the Iranian side is also talking about retaliatory attacks in response. Iranian media reported that new missiles were fired from Lorestan province targeting US military installations across the region.

Kuwait earlier reported facing "hostile drone attacks." Meanwhile, airstrike sirens sounded in Bahrain for the second time on Sunday. Sirens also sounded in Jordan. The country's military said it had shot down three Iranian missiles.

The Kuwaiti government said a second consecutive day of attacks on a saltwater purification plant on Sunday had set the facility on fire, a direct attack on critical civilian infrastructure.

The report said both Iran and the United States have targeted shipping. Washington says it is imposing a naval blockade on Iranian ports, while Tehran says it is targeting ships violating rules of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

Source: Al Jazeera