US Bombs Iran for Fifth Consecutive Night

The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces had launched a new wave of attacks against Iran, marking the fifth consecutive night of US strikes.

“At 2:00 pm Eastern Time today, US forces began carrying out a new wave of attacks against Iran for the fifth consecutive night, to further weaken Iran’s military capabilities,” CENTCOM said, as reported by Anadolu Agency on Friday (17 July 2026).

Meanwhile, according to Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB, three explosions were heard to the west of the city of Bandar Abbas in southern Iran that night.

The broadcaster said the cause of the explosions was not yet known with certainty.

However, the Mehr news agency said US missiles had struck the city, without providing details on casualties or damage.

Tensions between the US and Iran have escalated in recent days over the Strait of Hormuz, with both sides attacking one another despite a memorandum of understanding mediated by Pakistan, which was intended to end the conflict and achieve a lasting peace agreement.

White House Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt previously said the reason for the recent US attacks was “because Iran violated the memorandum of understanding we agreed with them”.

“Specifically, in the memorandum of understanding they signed, they were prohibited from firing on commercial vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz, and unfortunately, they have made the tragic decision to do just that,” she said.

The US announced on Tuesday (14 July) that it was continuing its naval blockade of vessels travelling to or from Iranian ports and coastal areas.

On Thursday (16 July), Iran accused the US of committing “war crimes” by targeting civilian infrastructure in its attacks, saying the strikes violated international law and the UN Charter.