Iran-US war latest: Iran warns ‘not a single drop’ of oil will pass through Hormuz as US ends ninth night of strikes – UK Times

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said two oil tankers were disabled after attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz via a route that Tehran had warned ships against using, claiming “both vessels exploded and were forced to cease movement”.

The Guards did not identify the vessels, provide casualty details or explicitly claim responsibility.

Earlier, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported that a vessel was on fire off the coast of Oman, though the cause of the incident remains unknown.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard warned that “this passage will not be safe for the transit of petrochemical products, nor even a single drop of oil and gas” if what it called US “aggression” continues, after claiming it had targeted US aircraft in Jordan and that two oil tankers had exploded in the Strait of Hormuz, though those claims could not be independently verified.

The warning came as the US military said it had completed its ninth consecutive night of strikes on Iran, targeting military command centres, missile and drone launch sites, coastal surveillance systems and maritime capabilities to “further diminish Iran’s ability to attack commercial vessels and civilian mariners transiting the Strait of Hormuz”, adding that “the US military is holding Iran accountable at the Commander in Chief’s direction”.

Meanwhile, air raid sirens sounded again in Bahrain, Kuwait said its air defences responded to hostile Iranian drones, and oil prices climbed above $90 a barrel amid fears of further disruption to shipping through the vital waterway.

A vessel caught fire off the coast of Oman, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations, though the cause and identity of the ship remain unknown.

In Bahrain, warning sirens sounded after the US embassy warned that Iran could target locations in central Manama, although no attack was confirmed.

Jordan said several missiles were launched, with most intercepted, while Iran claimed it struck US-linked military facilities in Kuwait.

Kuwaiti authorities, however, denied those claims and said the attacks instead hit civilian infrastructure, including a water desalination plant, prompting regional condemnation and renewed fears over the vulnerability of critical water and energy infrastructure across the Gulf.

US secretary of state Marco Rubio has urged other countries to play a bigger role in protecting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, saying Iran is using the strategic waterway as leverage in the ongoing regional conflict.

Speaking to reporters before departing for the Philippines, Rubio said the United States would continue working to keep maritime routes secure.

However, he said other nations should also help by providing equipment or financial support instead of leaving the responsibility largely to Washington.

The US Department of State issued a worldwide advisory on July 18, 2026, urging Americans to exercise increased caution worldwide due to heightened tensions in the Middle East and the potential for unforeseen escalation.

“Due to heightened tensions in the Middle East, the security environment remains complex with the potential for unforeseen escalation,” the advisory states. “We remind Americans in the region of the continued need for caution and encourage them to monitor the news for breaking developments. The Department of State advises Americans worldwide, and especially in the Middle East, to exercise increased caution.”

The state department said US diplomatic facilities, both within and outside the Middle East, have been targeted, and groups supportive of Iran may target other US interests or locations associated with the United States and Americans globally.

UK defence secretary Dan Jarvis has commented on the deaths of two US service personnel killed in action in Jordan, saying: “My thoughts are with the families and friends of the US service personnel killed and injured in Jordan.”

Four service members were evacuated to Jordanian hospitals for treatment and one service member is missing.

Sunday’s round of US strikes on Iran likely won’t be the last, amid renewed hostilities and a string of American military deaths.

“The US is planning for a wider war,” an unnamed US official familiar with the Trump administration’s strategy told The Washington Post.

The official added that these plans come despite dwindling stores of air defense and long-range munitions, as well as degraded capacities to surge troops and aircraft.

“We do not have enough to safely sustain operations, and I don’t think the White House is aware of that,” the official said.

President Donald Trump on Sunday fired back at a journalist who asked about his prior claim the Iran conflict would be finished in a matter of weeks.

“This is a far bigger job that we’re doing,” the Republican said from the tarmac as he returned from the World Cup final.

“It’s really not the same thing,” he added of the evolving mission in the Iran conflict, which began in February. “What we’re doing now is we’re ending any chance where they could have a nuclear missile.”

The US previously claimed its June 2025 strikes on Iran “obliterated” the country’s nuclear program.

On Sunday, the president painted a modestly different picture of Tehran’s military capacities.

“They’ve lost everything, almost, military,” he said. “They’ve got very little left. They’ve got some missiles. They’ve got some drones. They’ve got some manufacturing ability, not much. But we control the Strait. They don’t control anything.”