Jul 18, 2026 05:56 AM IST What has happened so far?
Seventh night of US strikes: US Central Command confirmed a fresh wave of strikes on Iran overnight, extending its renewed bombing campaign into a seventh consecutive night, as Tehran launched its own expanding attacks on US allies in the region .
Civilian infrastructure hit, casualties mount: Iranian officials say strikes have damaged bridges, airports, power facilities, and a train station in southern Iran.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said three of the eight people killed overnight died in a strike on a bridge in Bandar Khamir.
Retaliation spreads across the Gulf: Iran's army said it hit US assets in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, and Qatar — where a child was injured by falling missile debris — while Iranian forces also struck a Thai-flagged vessel in the Strait of Hormuz and, separately, the US hit an Iranian oil tanker docked at Kharg Island .
Warnings of a wider war and shrinking shipping traffic: A senior Iranian military adviser warned the US could face a "full-scale offensive" if strikes continue through the weekend, and Tehran threatened Gulf state ports after the US destroyed a surveillance tower near the strait.
Only six vessels transited the strait in the past 24 hours, per MarineTraffic data a sharp drop for a passage that once carried roughly 20% of the world's oil.
