Iran: US struck construction site for power plant; Strait of Hormuz sees vessel detentions

Military exchanges between the United States and Iran have intensified over eight consecutive days, escalating after two US soldiers were killed in Jordan. The US has conducted retaliatory strikes against Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps targets, including missile and drone storage sites, coastal surveillance, and air defense facilities. Iran, in turn, has attacked power and desalination plants in Kuwait for two consecutive days.

Iran's state television reported that the US struck a nuclear power plant construction site in southwestern Iran. The Dar Khovein nuclear power plant in Khuzestan province, which had not previously been targeted, was identified as the site. The New York Times noted that the US military did not immediately comment on the report.

Following the deaths of two US soldiers and the reported injury of one in Jordan on July 17, Iranian authorities stated that at least 50 people were killed and over 500 injured in recent US airstrikes. Iran has also launched retaliatory strikes against neighboring countries hosting US forces, including Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan. Kuwaiti authorities reported Iranian attacks on its power and desalination facilities on July 17 and 18. Jordan's southern city of Aqaba was also targeted by Iranian ballistic missiles on July 18.

Adding to the tensions, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced on July 19 that it had intercepted two vessels attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. The Guard claimed these vessels were attempting to disrupt navigation and use dangerous routes, allegedly instigated by "American terrorists." They asserted full control over the Strait of Hormuz, stating that no oil, gas, or chemical fertilizer could pass without prior consultation or permission. The specific circumstances surrounding these vessels remain unclear.