US strikes Iran after Jordan base deaths as missiles raise Israel spillover fears

The United States struck Revolutionary Guard sites in Iran after American troop deaths in Jordan. Iranian missile fire towards Jordan has sharpened fears that the Hormuz war could pull Israel back in.Stock photo used for illustrationThe United States launched airstrikes in Iran on Sunday, while Iranian missiles fired towards Jordan raised the risk of the conflict spreading to neighbouring Israel. The US military said the strikes targeted Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in retaliation for the killing of American troops in Jordan.The exchange has further intensified the US-Iran conflict after the collapse of last month's interim deal that had sought to end the war. The campaign, now in its second week, began with a struggle over control of the Strait of Hormuz, with the US striking bridges, electrical facilities and other targets in Iran, and Tehran retaliating by hitting US-allied countries across the Middle East.Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain again activated air defences on Sunday morning and warned of incoming Iranian drones and missiles. Israel also warned that Iranian missiles launched towards neighbouring Jordan could cause the fighting to spill into its territory for the first time since hostilities resumed.In a statement, the US military's Central Command said it had hit "Iranian military coastal surveillance and air defence facilities, maritime capabilities and missile and drone storage sites". It said the attack was meant to reduce Iran's ability to control the Strait of Hormuz and "swiftly punish Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces", a key power base in Iran's theocracy that controls its ballistic missile arsenal. Footage released by the US military appeared to show strikes carried out by fighter jets and Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from the sea. One target site appeared to be in a valley in a mountainous region, where the Revolutionary Guard often keeps missile bases and other military equipment.The US military said on Saturday that an Iranian attack on a base in Jordan had killed two American service members, left one missing and sent four to hospital. Since the war began, 16 US service members have been killed and more than 430 wounded. Iranian authorities said on Sunday that at least 50 people were killed and 517 wounded in the latest US strikes. Iran has not provided overall information on its material losses in the American campaign, which is now in its eighth day as the two countries battle over control of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all oil and natural gas traded passes in peacetime. Iran's atomic energy agency said US strikes early on Sunday targeted a construction site of the planned Darkhovin Nuclear Power Plant in southwest Iran, according to Iranian state television. Satellite images from Planet Labs PBC of the site showed earth clearing but very little construction as of July 9, and there is no known radiological material there.Jordan's military later said it had shot down several Iranian missiles. The country hosts major US bases and relies on US air defence systems. It said the missiles caused no casualties or damage, but they raised the risk of the war widening to Israel, which has refrained from re-entering the fighting. Israel's military said Iranian missiles launched towards the Jordanian port city of Aqaba, just across the border, could spill over, and warned people to expect the first air raid sirens in weeks.During the latest round of fighting, Iran has focused its attacks on US-allied Arab states rather than Israel, which launched the war with the US on February 28. Kuwait said on Sunday that one of its power and water desalination plants had been attacked for the second time in two days, causing fires. Its Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy said the power grid remained stable. In Kuwait, about 90 per cent of drinking water comes from desalination.Jasem Mohamed al-Budaiwi, secretary-general of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, accused Iran of war crimes over strikes on infrastructure and civilian facilities. International humanitarian law generally protects civilian infrastructure such as bridges and power plants from attack, though such sites can lose that protection if used for military purposes. In such cases, attacks must be proportionate and minimise harm to civilians.US President Donald Trump has threatened to target Iran's power stations and bridges to try to force Tehran to loosen its hold on the Strait of Hormuz. Recent attacks suggest the US military is carrying out that plan, beginning with Iran's coastal areas on the strait. The US also reimposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports in the past week to halt crude oil shipments, and the military said on Saturday it had redirected five ships and disabled one since then.Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Saturday that the US would face "unforgettable lessons" if it kept attacking the Islamic Republic. An Iranian negotiator said Tehran was suspending its commitments under the interim deal signed about a month ago and meant to permanently end the fighting. Iran's joint military command said US "covetousness, bullying, totalitarianism or brutality" would meet with a "devastating response".As the fighting continues into its second week, the conflict remains centred on the Strait of Hormuz but has also spread across the wider region, with fresh US strikes in Iran, Iranian missile and drone attacks on US allies, and warnings that the war could draw in Israel again.With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Jul 19, 2026 19:20 IST