The US and Iran have exchanged blows again

The American military launched a second wave of strikes on Iranian military facilities that Tehran uses to block the Strait of Hormuz on July 15 and on the night of July 16.

This was reported by the US Central Command.

The Iranian Fars news agency writes that Tehran has struck air defense and electronic warfare facilities at American bases in Kuwait and Bahrain.

At the same time, according to CNN sources, President Donald Trump has received options to expand the military operation in Iran, including the capture of Kharg Island.

The previous morning, the US completed a new seven-hour attack on Iran and announced strikes on a dozen military targets near the Strait of Hormuz and in the countryʼs coastal areas.

The attacks came after the United States resumed its naval blockade of Iran. President Donald Trump threatened that if the country did not come to the negotiating table, power plants and bridges would soon be under attack. At the same time, Iran said that the memorandum with the United States was no longer valid.

What preceded

On June 18, the US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding committing to a 60-day ceasefire. But on July 8, the sides exchanged blows again, with Iran striking ships in the Strait of Hormuz and the US striking targets on Iranian territory.

Then US President Donald Trump declared that the memorandum of understanding was no longer in effect. Already on July 10, Trump reported that Iran had asked to continue peace talks. According to him, the US agreed, but emphasized that the truce was over.

A US official told ABC News that despite the exchange of strikes, the US and Iran are continuing technical talks on Iranʼs nuclear program, and the 60-day ceasefire and memorandum of understanding remain in effect.

At the same time, a CNN source says that the US is deliberately alternating strikes with pauses to continue negotiations. Washington has a list of potential targets and is ready to attack them if necessary, but for now it prefers diplomacy.

On July 12, the United States again attacked Iran — for the third time in a week — in response to an attack by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran then declared the Strait of Hormuz closed again.

The United States soon resumed its naval blockade of Iran. Trump initially wanted to also impose a fee for ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, but after pressure from the Gulf states, he abandoned this idea.

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