The US military carried out a 12th straight night of strikes inside Iran, with CENTCOM saying the mission aims to reduce threats to civilian mariners and commercial vessels. Residents and local media reported explosions in Sirik and Bushehr. Iranian outlets gave conflicting accounts of casualties near Ahwaz and the Shalamcheh border crossing, and the reports remain unverified. This is a developing story.
CENTCOM Launches 12th Consecutive Night Of Strikes In Iran; Explosions Reported In Sirik And Bushehr
An explosion at an unknown location, during what U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) says are strikes on Iran, in this screengrab taken from a handout video released on July 20, 2026. (photo credit: CENTCOM/Handout via REUTERS)
The US military launched a 12th consecutive night of strikes inside Iran early Thursday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a post on X/Twitter. CENTCOM said the operation aims to "further degrade Iran's ability to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting regional waters."
Residents and local media reported several explosions in the southern port cities of Sirik and Bushehr on Thursday morning. The strikes and reports from the ground remain only partially verified.
The deputy governor of Khuzestan province told semi-official Mehr News that a site near the southwestern city of Ahwaz was struck in US missile attacks. Iranian state outlet SNN, citing a security official, reported two fatalities near the passenger terminal at the Shalamcheh border crossing with Iraq. By contrast, the deputy governor for security and law enforcement in Khuzestan initially told semi-official Tasnim News Agency that the attack caused no casualties or injuries.
There is currently no independent confirmation of the conflicting casualty reports. CENTCOM framed the strikes as focused on degrading capabilities that threaten commercial shipping and civilian mariners, while Iranian state and semi-official outlets provided differing local accounts of damage and casualties.
Note: This is a developing story. Further confirmation and details are pending from independent observers and official sources.
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