US military completes 11th night of strikes on Iran as attacks
overshadow diplomacy
[July 22, 2026]
By JON GAMBRELL and MUNIR AHMED
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. military said it completed
the 11th night of strikes on Iran early Wednesday as attacks across the
Middle East overshadowed diplomatic efforts in Pakistan to salvage an
interim ceasefire deal that has collapsed.
U.S. Central Command said targets included aircraft hangars and drone
storage sites. The newest barrage came after President Donald Trump
telegraphed that strikes would be intensifying.
Before the latest strikes, Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni
visited Pakistan, a key mediator in the conflict, seeking to revamp
diplomacy. But it was unclear what new arrangement might be reached to
end the war, which lately has become a battle for control over the
Strait of Hormuz, a waterway vital to world energy supplies.
Speaking from the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump gave a dim view on
possible talks, saying the U.S. had “no interest in meeting.” He
signaled that U.S. forces could soon target an area of Iran close to one
of its main sites for enriching uranium.
With negotiations and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz largely
stalled, both sides have sought to gain leverage by targeting civilian
infrastructure in the region relied on by millions of people.
A barrage of U.S. strikes hasn’t loosened Iran's grip on the strait,
through which about one-fifth of the world's crude oil and natural gas
was shipped before the war.
The U.S. continued its airstrikes into Wednesday, with Iranian air
defenses activating near the capital, Tehran. Iran's state-run IRNA news
agency reported that explosions rocked Bushehr, East Azerbaijan,
Hamadan, Hormozgan, Khuzestan and Sistan and Baluchistan provinces.
That came after Iran attacked a tanker in the strait Tuesday, forcing
the crew to abandon the ship. Iran also kept up attacks against U.S.
allies in the region. Iran also launched attacks against Bahrain, Jordan
and Kuwait.
The escalation pushed energy prices higher. The international benchmark
for crude oil traded Wednesday above $92 a barrel and regular gasoline
in the U.S. climbed to an average of $4 a gallon.
With U.S. midterm elections approaching in the fall, polls have pointed
to the unpopularity of the war among Americans, who have felt the pain
of pricier gas and seen new casualties in a conflict that weeks ago
seemed to be winding down.
The number of wounded U.S. personnel in the Iran war has grown to well
over 500 troops, a U.S. official told The Associated Press. The total is
higher than the Pentagon’s official tally on the Defense Casualty
Analysis System, which currently shows 482 wounded.
The U.S. official, who was not authorized to discuss the matter with the
media and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the system has a
significant lag in reporting injuries. The official said that was a
function of its design and not intentional.
Iran-backed rebels in Yemen open a new front in the Red Sea
In the Red Sea, Iran-backed Yemen's Houthi rebels have opened a new
front against Saudi Arabia by declaring a naval blockade of the kingdom,
threatening the flow of global oil supplies and trade. With the Strait
of Hormuz blocked up, Saudi Arabia has been relying on a pipeline to the
Red Sea to get millions of barrels of oil out to market.
A news agency in Yemen that is run by the Houthis, SABA, said Tuesday
that six ships in the Red Sea were forced to reroute after they received
warnings from the rebel group. The Associated Press could not
immediately confirm the claim.
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In this photo released by the Inter Services Public Relations,
Iran's Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, left, shakes hand with
Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir prior to their
meeting in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Tuesday, July 21, 2026. (Inter
Services Public Relations via AP)
Three Houthi officials said the group warned international shipping
companies on Monday to avoid transiting through the Bab el-Mandeb
Strait, the gateway to the Red Sea on the opposite side of the Arabian
Peninsula from the Strait of Hormuz. The officials spoke on condition of
anonymity, saying they weren't authorized to speak to journalists.
Trump says US has ‘no interest’ in Iran talks
Momeni, Iran's interior minister, met Pakistan’s army chief Field
Marshal Asim Munir, according to two officials who spoke on condition of
anonymity to discuss the closed-door negotiations. Momeni later met
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
In a statement, Sharif expressed deep concern over the recent U.S.-Iran
escalation, and urged all sides to exercise restraint and avoid actions
that could further destabilize the region.
Pakistan’s political leadership and Munir, who serves as both the chief
of army staff and defense forces, played a key role in brokering last
month’s interim agreement between the U.S. and Iran. Islamabad has been
working to persuade both sides to return to the negotiating table.
Trump told reporters that Iranian officials "want to desperately meet.
And until they’re ready to meet in a meaningful way, we have no interest
in meeting.” He said the U.S. would soon target the area near Pickaxe
Mountain — a fortified underground site near one of Iran’s primary
nuclear enrichment facilities.
Iran's military leaders said any attack on nuclear or “other sensitive
facilities” would be considered a major escalation, according to a
statement reported by Iranian state media.
A deep level of mistrust persists on both sides. Iran came under a
surprise attack in June 2025 and again in February while it was engaging
in nuclear negotiations with the U.S. The interim deal unraveled when
Iran resumed attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, which was
supposed to be reopened under the agreement.
US strikes come as ships are attacked
The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center
said a tanker came under attack early Tuesday in the strait off Oman,
forcing the crew to abandon the vessel.
Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard claimed responsibility for the
attack, as well as two other attacks on ships Monday in the waterway.
The route close to Oman's shores has been the one the U.S. military has
encouraged ships to travel to avoid Iran’s control.
To enforce the blockade in the strait, as of Tuesday U.S. forces have
redirected eight commercial vessels and disabled one, CENTCOM said on X.
___
Ahmed reported from Islamabad. Contributing were Associated Press
writers Fatma Khaled in Cairo; Sally Abou AlJoud in Beirut; Collin
Binkley and Konstantin Toropin in Washington; and Christopher Weber in
Los Angeles.
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