Iran decries US 'terrorist' strike on nuclear power plant, warns of devastating response

Iran's Guards say two ships involved in 'incident' after defying Hormuz warnings

Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation on Sunday denounced the United States for bombing the under-construction Darkhovin Nuclear Power Plant.

In a statement cited by Al Jazeera, the organisation stated, “The terrorist and criminal US regime, whose nature is nothing but bullying and lawlessness, carried out an aggressive and barbaric act in violation of international law."

It also called the nuclear facility “one of the symbols of the Iranian nation’s dignity and scientific self-reliance."

Earlier, the US said it had completed an eighth straight night of attacks against Iran after earlier announcing that two US ​military personnel were killed in Jordan and another was missing following an Iranian attack.

The US and Iran have intensified attacks since an interim ceasefire deal signed a month ago fell apart last week, ‌raising the possibility of a return to all-out war.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement that the airstrikes began at 6pm on Saturday, at President Donald Trump's direction.

https://t.co/K11184scG0

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 19, 2026

"The strikes are designed to further degrade Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and swiftly punish IRGC forces who launched attacks against American service members in Jordan last night," it said.

CENTCOM later said it had completed its wave of attacks, hitting Iranian military coastal surveillance and air defence facilities.

In regards to the deaths of the ​military personnel, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth posted on X: "Their sacrifice only stiffens our resolve".

Godspeed, heroes.

Their sacrifice only stiffens our resolve. https://t.co/GIcfNdAol0

— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) July 18, 2026

According to CENTCOM, the two deaths occurred on Friday and that a third US service ​member was missing in action. The announcement brought the number of US service members killed since the war began to 16, while more than 420 have been wounded.

Two ships encounter 'incident' in Strait of Hormuz

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard navy on Sunday said two ships navigating the Strait of Hormuz through what it described as a "hazardous route” encountered an "incident”, while two others "were deterred from proceeding further along the unsafe path," IRNA News Agency reported.

Although it did not specify what the incident was, the IRGC claimed the vessels disabled their navigation systems and ignored warnings, according to Al Jazeera. 

Ships carrying oil, gas, or fertiliser must obtain permission and use its designated passage, the IRGC added, warning that vessels entering other routes risk “accidents."

The IRGC Navy: Two non-compliant vessels encountered an incident while navigating the hazardous route in the Strait of Hormuz, and two additional ships were deterred from proceeding further along that unsafe path. pic.twitter.com/FLCUzyUXsR

— IRNA News Agency ☫ (@IrnaEnglish) July 19, 2026

Iranian commander warns US of 'devastating response' to aggression

The commander of Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters Major-General Ali Abdullahi warned the US, saying that "any aggression or barbarism will be met with a decisive and devastating response" from the Islamic Republic's armed forces.

According to Al Jazeera, in a statement carried by Iranian state media, Abdullahi described the US as "the Great Satan" as well as "the criminal, treacherous, and deceitful army."

Commander of Iran's Khatam Al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, Major General Abdollahi, warns the American enemy that the Iranian Armed Forces will give a crushing response to any atrocity. pic.twitter.com/WK1YVjLDL7

— PressTV Extra (@PresstvExtra) July 19, 2026

The commander also pledged to strengthen unity between the armed forces, the Iranian public, and officials, vowing to "impose heavier costs" on the US than in previous wars, Al Jazeera reported.

“The enemy, following successive defeats in the military conflict, has taken comfort in creating division and discord between the people and their leaders,” Abdullahi said, as per the Qatari news agency.

The commander added, “Our dear country’s defensive power is a solid foundation for the peace and security of the proud and courageous nation from south to north and from east to west of the glorious and vast Iranian land."

US attacks Iranian cities as Tehran retaliates

Iran's Mehr news agency said the US carried out ​an attack near Sirik in southern Iran, adding that no casualties or damage to infrastructure have been reported.

US fighter jets also struck a location near the city of Shadegan in Iran's southwestern Khuzestan province, the Tasnim news agency reported, citing the province's deputy governor for security.

US Missile Strike Hits Area Near Shadegan

The US launched a terror missile attack on a region near Shadegan in Khuzestan province.
The deputy security chief of Khuzestan said operational forces are present in the area and will announce the latest situation and extent of damage. pic.twitter.com/XAYRVktCH8

— Tasnim News Agency (@Tasnimnews_EN) July 19, 2026

Further, fighter jets carried out a round of attacks on Qeshm Island, Tasnim news agency reported. It added that at least two explosions were heard on the island, and that emergency, security, and operational teams had been deployed to identify the locations hit and assess any damage or casualties, according to Al Jazeera.

The Iranian army then carried out a drone attack that targeted US military assets and equipment at Kuwait's Al-Adiri camp and Ali Al Salem Air Base, Iran's state TV reported ⁠early Sunday, citing a statement from the army.

Both bases were targeted as part of Iran's attacks against US assets and allies in the Gulf since last week.

Iranian strikes reported in Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia

Iran appeared to ​target Saudi Arabia as well as other US Gulf allies and Jordan on Saturday after US attacks on Iranian bridges, power facilities and other infrastructure.

In a written statement carried by the official social media accounts of Iran's supreme leader and Iranian state media, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said US actions have shown that Trump's signature was "utterly worthless and devoid of credibility".

The repeated breaches of the agreement by the Great Satan [the US] regarding the MOU signed by the Presidents of Iran and the US have once again laid bare a fundamental truth: the signature of the US President is utterly worthless and devoid of credibility.

— Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei (@MKhamenei_ir) July 18, 2026

The statement warned of "even heavier costs and further humiliation" for the US. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Now that the American enemy is seeking to escalate the conflict thereby incurring even heavier costs and further humiliation, it should know that the noble nation of Iran and the Resistance Front have unforgettable lessons in store for it.

— Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei (@MKhamenei_ir) July 18, 2026

Khamenei's whereabouts remain a mystery.

On Saturday, Kuwait also came under sustained attack, with the armed forces saying they had intercepted Iranian ballistic missiles and drones, and that some firefighters and oil sector workers had been injured while ‌responding to the ⁠attacks.

Iran's IRGC said it had struck a US military support centre at Kuwait's Camp Arifjan and destroyed a radar facility at Ali Al Salem Air Base. Kuwait Petroleum Corporation later said one of its oil facilities had been hit in "repeated Iranian attacks", causing significant damage and some injuries, according to the state news agency.

Read: Two US service members killed, one missing after Iranian strikes in Jordan

The IRGC also targeted a site in Bahrain where US combat aircraft were gathered at Sheikh Isa Air Base and an intelligence data centre, Iranian media said.

The Guards also destroyed at least two US fighter aircraft and three other aircraft during a missile and drone attack early on Saturday on the US base in Al Azraq, Jordan, according to Iranian state TV.

Reuters could not independently verify the reports.

Saudi Arabia's early warning system issued ​alerts early on Saturday urging residents of Al-Kharj and Yanbu ​to seek shelter. Al-Kharj, east of Riyadh, is home ⁠to a military base that hosts US troops, while Yanbu, on the Red Sea, has a key oil export terminal.

Two people briefed on the matter said an Iranian missile attack, the first on Saudi Arabia in more than three months, had triggered the alerts. The government media office did not respond to a request for comment.

The IRGC made no mention of any ​attack on Saudi Arabia.

The US State Department issued a worldwide travel alert for Americans abroad on Saturday, citing heightened tensions in the Middle East "with the potential for unforeseen escalation." ​The advisory said flight cancellations and ⁠periodic airspace closures could disrupt travel.

IDF warns of missile spillover

The Israeli military said it had identified missiles launched from Iran towards the Jordanian city of Aqaba, adjacent to Israeli territory.

לפני זמן קצר, זוהו שיגורים מאיראן לעבר העיר עקבה שבירדן, בסמוך לשטח מדינת ישראל. ייתכנו זליגות לשטח הארץ כתוצאה מהירי.

בעקבות כך, ייתכן ויופעלו התרעות בדרום הארץ, במידה ותתקבל התרעה, יש להיכנס למרחבים המוגנים ולשהות בהם עד להודעה חדשה.

נכון לרגע זה, אין שינוי בהנחיות פיקוד…

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) July 19, 2026

In a post on X, the IDF stated, "There may be spills into the country's territory as a result of the firing."

The military added that alerts may be activated in the south of the country as a result of the missiles, advising citizens to enter protected spaces in case of an alert, remaining in them until a new announcement.

Trump says 'couldn't care less' about Iran's MoU withdrawal

Trump, in a phone interview to American cable network NewsNation, said he "couldn't care less" about Tehran's announcement that it is no longer abiding by the US-Iran memorandum of understanding (MoU).

JUST IN: In a brief phone call I asked President Trump his reaction to Iran saying they are no longer following the Memorandum of Understanding and he told me “I couldn’t care less”@NewsNation

— Hannah Brandt (@HannahBrandt_TV) July 18, 2026

The US president reiterated that the war's primary objective is "never allowing Iran to have a nuclear weapon," Al Jazeera reported.

Kuwait military says intercepting Iranian missiles, drones

The General Staff of the Kuwaiti military said its air defences are “confronting hostile missile and drone attacks” after “sinful Iranian aggression."

In a post on X, it stated that “any explosions heard are a result of air defense systems intercepting hostile attacks."

تتصدى حالياً الدفاعات الجوية الكويتية لهجمات صاروخية وطائرات مسيرة معادية ، إثر العدوان الإيراني الاثم.

تنوه رئاسة الأركان العامة للجيش أن أصوات الانفجارات إن سمعت فهي نتيجة اعتراض منظومات الدفاع الجوي للهجمات المعادية.

يرجى من الجميع التقيد بتعليمات الأمن والسلامة الصادرة عن… pic.twitter.com/Q2vXG7EQNM

— KUWAIT ARMY - الجيش الكويتي (@KuwaitArmyGHQ) July 19, 2026

The alert came hours after Iran’s army claimed a large-scale drone attack on an ammunition depot at Camp Buehring, and air defence radar systems at Ali Al Salem Air Base.

Meanwhile, after Iranian attacks, Bahrain's Interior Ministry said in a post on X, "The siren has been sounded."

The siren has been sounded ,, Citizens and residents are urged to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place.

— Ministry of Interior (@moi_bahrain) July 19, 2026

The ministry advised citizens and residents to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place.

تعلن القيادة العامة لقوة دفاع البحرين أن إيران تواصل نهجها العدائي الممنهج عبر اعتداءاتها الآثمة التي تستهدف المدنيين في مملكة البحرين.https://t.co/w5fVlL0UOM pic.twitter.com/FzNT2MZG6s

— قوة دفاع البحرين (@BDF_Bahrain) July 19, 2026

The General Command of the Bahrain Defence Force also confirmed that Iran "continues its systemic hostile approach through its sinful attacks that target civilians in the Kingdom of Bahrain."

 

Battle for control of the strait

Earlier, US Central Command said it had hit Iranian surveillance sites, military logistics infrastructure, underground weapons storage and maritime capabilities.

US airstrikes early on Saturday killed three people and wounded eight others in the southern Hormozgan province, which borders the Strait of Hormuz, while two bridges and a road tunnel were damaged, Iranian state TV reported.

Iran's Health Ministry said on Saturday that 50 people had been killed and more than 500 wounded in US strikes on the country over the past ⁠three weeks.

Read more: US strikes in Iran hit airport, bridges and railway station

Iranian Foreign ​Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei accused the US of seeking control over the Strait of Hormuz, which usually handles around one-fifth of the world's ​oil supply.

Both sides have taken aim at shipping traffic, with the US saying it is enforcing a naval blockade and Iran saying it targets vessels violating its rules on navigating the strait.

The European Union and Gulf states called on Iran to immediately and unconditionally halt all attacks and interference with maritime ​navigation and to keep the strait open without conditions or fees, according to a joint statement reported by Saudi state TV on Saturday.

US attacking inland 'to try and isolate Iran's coast', says former Pentagon official

David Des Roches, a former Pentagon official, said that the US offensive against Iran had evolved since the first phase of the war, when strikes were “designed to decapitate the leadership and degrade Iran’s ability to launch volleys of ballistic missiles," Al Jazeera reported.

According to Roches, those strikes meant Iran “hasn’t been able to launch volleys of missiles and overwhelm defences." He noted, though, that it has “been able to launch individual or maybe two or three missiles at once, which are generally intercepted."

Also read: Iran renews attacks on Gulf states after another night of US strikes

As per Al Jazeera, the official stated that the the renewed US bombardment – following Iranian attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz – have been “directed against maritime observation, and launching facilities," such as the towers in Chabahar, “which Iran had been using civilian navigation systems to locate targets."

In recent days, however, the campaign has pushed further inland, Roches told the Qatari news agency. “We saw the targets extend inland to try to isolate the coast, so that Iran would be unable to reinforce it with missiles, troops, drones,” he said, adding that he expected the next phase to focus on “national leadership, national military facilities and dual-use infrastructure within the Iranian interior."

Roches warned, though, that air power alone had clear limits as a tool for achieving strategic objectives. “What we find is that it never performs as advertised, or very rarely,” he said, according to Al Jazeera.