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Iran strikes back after Trump restarts war (PHOTOS, VIDEOS)

The full-scale conflict continues after the US president formally informed Congress of a new “defensive” bombing campaign

Published 13 Jul, 2026 22:11 | Updated 14 Jul, 2026 05:23

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has launched missile strikes against multiple US military facilities in the Middle East after US President Donald Trump promised to hit Iran “very hard” and claimed that “there’s not a damn thing they can do about it.”

“We’re going to hit them very hard tonight, and we’re going to hit them hard tomorrow,” Trump said on Monday.

US Central Command announced shortly afterward that it had “begun launching the third consecutive night of strikes,” with heavy blasts reported across multiple regions of Iran.

In retaliation, the IRGC carried out strikes against several US military facilities in the region, including “weapons storage depots, a satellite communications center,” and the headquarters of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain.

US and Iran exchange strikes: What is known so far

The US president formally notified Congress of his intention to renew “defensive” strikes against Iran, according to a letter dated Friday and obtained by the New York Times, Politico, and other outlets. The White House argued that the move gives the administration a fresh 60-day timeline before it must seek congressional approval.

Trump also claimed that Washington is “taking over” the Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy supply bottleneck, and would charge vessels “20% on all cargo shipped” in exchange for protection. Washington would also reinstate its blockade of Iranian ports and bar passage to vessels belonging to Iran or its customers, he added.

Follow our live coverage below for continuous updates.

14 July 2026
06:34 GMT
A bill focused on security in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf was formally introduced to the Iranian parliament overnight, the head of the legislature’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, Ibrahim Azizi, has said.
The authorities in Tehran “remain steadfast in defending our red lines, particularly regarding the management of the Strait of Hormuz,” he wrote in a post on X. “This is the first step; subsequent measures are forthcoming,” Azizi stressed.
06:13 GMT
Air raid sirens have been activated in Bahrain for the fourth time this morning, with the Gulf state’s interior ministry urging citizens to remain calm and find shelter.
Iran said earlier that it had struck the facilities of the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain with missiles and drones.
05:37 GMT
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has slammed Donald Trump’s claim that the US will be providing safe passage to vessels going through the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for a 20% fee on their cargo.
“In the old days, this was called piracy,” Lula said. He described Trump’s idea as neither democratic nor civilized, stressing that it’s “abnormal for someone to take advantage of a tragedy to make money.”
05:19 GMT
Iran has published another AI-generated Lego-style clip, promising to take revenge on Donald Trump for ordering attacks on the country.
An Iranian Lego-style video targeting Trump, titled: “We Will Kill You!” pic.twitter.com/N1U0xQDWdi
— The Middle Eastern (@TMiddleEastern) July 13, 2026
05:03 GMT
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has issued an address to the people of Jordan, saying that it has struck an “airbase on your soil occupied by the US' child‑killing army,” which had been used by the American military to carry out attacks against Iran.
“You know that we hold no animosity toward your country; on the contrary, we deeply love you, the noble people. You understand the pain and suffering of the Palestinian people better than any other nation, and you are aware of the crimes of the Zionist regime [Israel],” the IRGC said.
04:41 GMT
Jordan’s armed forces have shot down four Iranian missiles which entered the country’s airspace, Petra news agency has reported, citing a military source. Emergency workers have been deployed to areas where the debris fell, the official outlet added.
Any attempts to infringe upon the sovereignty of the kingdom or violate its airspace will be confronted with all firmness, within the approved rules of engagement, the source stressed.
Air defense activity in Jordanian airspace. https://t.co/C0Bs2a2DPV pic.twitter.com/oy29ZKwHAq
— Tabz (@TabzLIVE) July 14, 2026
04:25 GMT
A missile struck a site belonging to an Iranian Kurdish opposition group east of the city of Erbil in northern Iraq, Reuters has reported, citing security sources. There were no immediate reports of casualties, it added.
04:06 GMT
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has responded to Donald Trump’s claim that the US will be providing safe passage to vessels going through the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for a 20% fee on their cargo.
“Iran has always been the GUARDIAN of the Strait and will remain so FOREVER,” Araghchi said in a post on X.
The payments that Tehran would be taking for using the waterway are going to be much more reasonable than those wanted by Trump, he stressed.
POTUS is absolutely right. Whoever provides secure and safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz should be compensated for this service.

Iran has always been the GUARDIAN of the Strait and will remain so FOREVER.

20% is of course too much. We will be fair
— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) July 13, 2026
03:51 GMT
The US, not Iran, is now in control of the Strait of Hormuz, Donald Trump has claimed.
“We control it. They can make trouble. They can do things that are not nice, but we control it,” the US president told Newsmax.
The American attacks over the past four months “knocked out most of their radar, a lot of their ammunition, a lot of their weapon launchers, you know, the missile launchers… And we control it. And we’re going to keep doing it,” he insisted.
The Iranian military warned earlier that it “will under no circumstances allow the US to interfere in the management of the Strait of Hormuz.”
02:43 GMT
The IRGC says it targeted “several weapons storage depots, a satellite communications center, and a building housing US personnel” at the Naval Support Activity (NSA) facility in Bahrain, the headquarters of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet.
“This strike comes in response to last night’s confrontation in the Strait of Hormuz,” the IRGC said, adding that the “retaliatory operation” against the latest US attacks “remains ongoing.”

13 July 2026
21:13 GMT
The US Central Command has announced that it has begun "launching the third consecutive night of strikes against Iran, at the commander-in-chief’s direction.”
“These strikes will continue imposing a heavy cost on Iranian forces and degrade their ability to attack innocent civilians and commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” it added in a post on X.
At 4:45 p.m. ET today, U.S. Central Command began launching the third consecutive night of strikes against Iran, at the Commander in Chief's direction. These strikes will continue imposing a heavy cost on Iranian forces and degrade their ability to attack innocent civilians and…
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 13, 2026
21:35 GMT
US President Donald Trump called Iran’s leadership “stone-cold crazy people” and stopped just short of announcing an intention to assassinate its members when asked, “Do you know where they are? Can you kill them?”
“Yeah, I do. But we don’t want to talk about that,” Trump told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt. “But we will. We will be hitting them. Like, as an example, we’re going to hit them very hard tonight. And we’re going to hit them hard tomorrow. And there’s not a damn thing they can do about it. They have nothing. They have nothing going other than they have big mouths.”
.@POTUS: "We're going to hit them very hard tonight and we're going to hit them hard tomorrow — and there's not a damn thing they can do about it. They have nothing. They have nothing going other than they have big mouths... I got to know them, and they're stone cold crazy." https://t.co/vKSOZN3EaI pic.twitter.com/UH8lBL5An3
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 13, 2026
21:45 GMT
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has claimed that its air defenses shot down a US MQ-1 Predator drone over the Strait of Hormuz. According to the IRGC, the aircraft was “targeted by advanced systems operated by its Aerospace Force under Iran’s integrated air-defense network.” The US military has not yet confirmed the loss.
21:55 GMT
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has released new footage of its earlier strikes on US military facilities in the region.
“In response to repeated US attacks, the Iranian Army targeted US military communications systems, fuel depots, a Patriot air-defense system, a control tower, and an ammunition depot in Kuwait with suicide drones,” it said in a statement. It added that Iranian forces had also “struck a hostile US vessel with cruise missiles in response to missile attacks on several military sites.”
22:13 GMT
At least three explosions were heard in the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas, while six were reported on Kish Island, according to Press TV.
Images Released from Kish Island Show Probable Strike on IRGC Speedboat. pic.twitter.com/D2XdBXD35I
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) July 13, 2026
22:21 GMT
Several explosions have been heard in Jam, a city in Iran’s southern Bushehr Province, and on Qeshm Island, according to Iran’s Fars news agency.
22:43 GMT
The UAE Defense Ministry has accused Iran of targeting two Emirati tankers with cruise missiles in Omani territorial waters in the southern Strait of Hormuz.
The Mombasa and the Bahia sustained damage after fires broke out on board, but the blazes have since been brought under control, according to the statement. One Indian crew member aboard the Mombasa was killed and eight others were injured, including four seriously, the ministry said.
Abu Dhabi condemned the alleged attack as a “serious violation” of international law and said it reserved the right to respond and take measures to protect the country’s security and interests.
22:53 GMT
Several explosions were also reportedly heard in the coastal city of Konarak in Iran’s southern Hormozgan Province, with unverified videos purportedly showing the strike circulating on local Telegram channels.
🔴 Explosions reported in Sirik, southern Iran. pic.twitter.com/fzaoqgB0lx
— נועה מגיד | Noa magid (@NoaMagid) July 13, 2026
23:19 GMT
President Trump has also threatened to strike Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain, a vast underground tunnel complex that Western analysts believe was built to protect sensitive parts of Tehran’s nuclear program even from the most powerful conventional US bunker-buster bombs.
“We’re going to take out Pickaxe Mountain. Tell the Iranians to be ready. Let them know we’re coming, okay? There’s not a damn thing they can do about it,” Trump told Hugh Hewitt.
Known as Kolang Gaz La, the site has been under construction since around 2020 and consists of multiple deeply buried tunnel complexes carved into a mountain south of Natanz.
“We’re watching it closely. We see no activity there. They’re not doing well with their nuclear situation. Every time we hear about it, we blow it up. So they don’t like talking about it. But we’ll probably give Pickaxe a shot relatively soon,” Trump said.
"You've obliterated 3 of their nuclear sites, but they got a 4th site, maybe, at Pickaxe Mountain. Before you enter into another deal, will you insist that IAEA inspectors get down into that deep, deep, deep tunnel...?"@POTUS: "Absolutely. They don't have it because we have… pic.twitter.com/ywaTZEB2Tm
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 13, 2026
23:43 GMT
Air raid alerts have been activated in Bahrain, with the Interior Ministry warning citizens and residents “to remain calm, head to the nearest safe location, and follow updates through official channels.”