Iran in July 2026: the most important developments in security
In July 2026 security in Iran was dominated by direct fighting with the United States around the Strait of Hormuz. After three tankers were hit in the strait on July 7, the United States struck Iran, and on July 8 Iran said it carried out 85 strikes on US targets in Bahrain and Kuwait. On July 9 US strikes hit five Iranian provinces, killing 14 people according to Iran's Health Ministry. On July 12 the United States said it hit 140 military targets after an attack on a civilian container ship. From July 14 the United States struck Iran nightly, reaching a 13th consecutive night on July 24, including bridges, an airport, a railway station and ports. Iran reported that US strikes killed 30 civilians by July 15. An Iranian missile attack on a US base in Jordan killed two American service members, and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth put the cost of the war at $37.5 billion. The United States paused strikes around July 25 and 26. Iran fired missiles at US forces in Jordan on July 28 and 29, and on July 30 the United States carried out retaliatory strikes.
Iran attacked US-linked sites in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Jordan and, on July 18, Saudi Arabia, and in Kuwait it hit power and desalination plants. In the strait, the Revolutionary Guards blocked or stopped ships repeatedly, closed the waterway on July 11 and 12, and said on July 30 that it could not reopen while US threats continued. Tankers were hit by mines on July 26 and 27. On July 20 the Houthis declared a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia, and on July 23 they attacked two Saudi tankers. The United States and Saudi Arabia struck militias in Iraq on July 29.
Other events included the burial of Ali Khamenei in Mashhad on July 10, after he was killed in a US strike. Mojtaba Khamenei vowed revenge. Iran carried out executions of protesters and charged people with spying for Israel, while Israel and Britain reported spying cases linked to Iran. Iran accused Ukraine of striking an Iranian ship in the Caspian Sea. Satellite images suggested Iran was rebuilding nuclear and missile sites.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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