ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The US military said on Monday it had concluded its ninth consecutive night of strikes against Iran, while Tehran claimed it struck US military targets in Kuwait, including an early-warning radar system, as fighting between the two sides continued to escalate.
In a statement, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said its assets "targeted Iranian military command centers, air defense and coastal surveillance sites, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and communications networks to further diminish Iran's ability to attack commercial vessels and civilian mariners transiting the Strait of Hormuz."
CENTCOM added that "the US military is holding Iran accountable at the Commander in Chief's direction," stressing that its forces "remain highly vigilant, focused, lethal, and ready."
The statement comes as diplomatic efforts to end the fighting have stalled despite renewed mediation attempts, with both Washington and Tehran continuing to exchange military strikes across the region.
The US military announced on Sunday that another US service member was killed during the controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian drone in northern Iraq, bringing the confirmed number of American military fatalities since the war began on February 28 to 17.
Meanwhile, Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said they carried out drone strikes against US military facilities in Kuwait.
According to a statement relayed by state media, IRNA, Iranian forces "completely destroyed a US early-warning radar system in a drone strike." The Guards also claimed they hit "an equipment and aircraft parts warehouse and an MQ-9 drone hangar at Ali al-Salem Air Base, setting several drones on fire."
The competing claims came as Kuwait's military said early Monday its air defenses were intercepting "hostile drone attacks following Iranian aggression."
The US and Iran have been locked in continuous strikes and counterstrikes for nearly two weeks, marking a significant escalation following a breakdown in relations after both sides traded fire, derailing a preliminary mid-June agreement intended to extend a fragile ceasefire and open the door to negotiations on more complex issues.
Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei accused the US on Saturday of violating the mid-June memorandum of understanding, saying the alleged breach proved the “worthlessness and invalidity” of the US president’s signature and warning that Iran has “unforgettable lessons” for its “American enemy.”
The conflict, which began on February 28, has spilled over to neighboring countries. Iran has targeted US allies and military assets while attempting to disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway that previously saw the transit of about one-fifth of global oil through its strait.
