Trump warns Iran over US troop deaths after new fatalities announced

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Washington had announced three new military fatalities and one service member missing in action over the weekend.

Trump posted the warning on Truth Social.

Trump said the directive had been passed to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Daniel Caine and other military leaders.

Source note: AFP news report published on 20 July 2026 at 17:01:08 UTC.

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Donald Trump warned that Iran would pay "many times over" for US troop deaths.

Source note: AFP news report published on 20 July 2026 at 16:54:01 UTC.

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Iranian state media and local authorities reported US strikes on Monday in northern and central Iran.

The Houthis said they would blockade Saudi ports, potentially affecting Saudi exports through Yanbu on the Red Sea.

Oil prices rose to a one-month high as fighting resumed around the Strait of Hormuz.

The Revolutionary Guards said two oil tankers trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz exploded and stopped, while UK maritime authorities said sailors abandoned a vessel set on fire in an attack.

US officials reported three new US military deaths and one missing service member over the weekend, bringing confirmed US military fatalities since the conflict began to 17.

Iran's health ministry reported 50 deaths and more than 500 wounded in recent fighting.

Iran said diplomatic exchanges with the United States through mediators were continuing.

Kuwait said it was responding to fresh missile and drone attacks, while Bahrain reported air raid sirens and said Iran had targeted its air navigation systems.

Source note: AFP news report published on 20 July 2026 at 16:14:52 UTC.

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Yemen's Houthi rebels announced a maritime embargo of Saudi Arabia after the two sides traded fire last week.

Iran's interior minister Eskandar Momeni was set to travel to Islamabad for talks with Pakistani officials.

Bahrain said Iranian drones targeted air navigation systems, while Kuwait reported intercepting Iranian attacks.

Oil prices retreated after Brent briefly rose above $91 a barrel, its highest level in a month.

Iran said diplomatic exchanges with the United States were continuing through mediators.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran was using the Strait of Hormuz as leverage and urged other countries to pressure Iran to protect global shipping.

US President Donald Trump said the latest US strikes were being carried out in honour of US service members killed in recent days.

Source note: AFP news report published on 20 July 2026 at 13:46:53 UTC.

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Iranian state media and local authorities reported new US strikes on Monday in northern and central Iran, including Bushehr and East Azerbaijan province.

Bushehr governor Mohammad Mozaffari said several locations in Bushehr city were hit by US projectiles.

East Azerbaijan crisis management chief Majid Farshi told IRNA that one person was killed and several others were injured in an attack there.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said exchanges with the United States through mediators were continuing.

A Pakistani interior ministry source said Iran's interior minister was due to travel to Islamabad on Monday.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency said sailors abandoned a vessel that had been set on fire in an attack in Hormuz.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards claimed attacks on targets in Syria, Jordan and Kuwait, and Bahrain said Iran had targeted its air navigation systems.

CENTCOM said it had completed a ninth consecutive night of strikes against Iran.

US officials reported three new US military fatalities and one service member missing in action over the weekend.

Iran's health ministry reported 50 people killed and more than 500 wounded in recent fighting.

Source note: AFP news report published on 20 July 2026 at 11:51:11 UTC.

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Pezeshkian said the most important battlefield was the economy and people's livelihoods.

He warned that economic pressure could create and spread social discontent, damaging public support for the state.

The report says inflation in Iran accelerated sharply in June because of the war, reaching peaks of nearly 90 percent year-on-year, while July figures were not yet available.

The report says a protest movement that began in late December over living costs became widespread anti-government demonstrations that peaked on January 8 and 9.

Iranian authorities reported more than 3,000 deaths and attributed the violence to terrorist acts orchestrated by the United States and Israel; foreign-based NGOs gave a much higher toll.

Source note: AFP news report published on 20 July 2026 at 11:45:35 UTC.

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The president was identified as Masoud Pezeshkian.

The remarks were reported in a presidency statement.

Pezeshkian said Iran should be realistic and accept what he called the natural consequences of its resistance.

Source note: AFP news report published on 20 July 2026 at 11:16:18 UTC.

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Iran's president said the country is in a "full-scale war" with the United States.

Source note: AFP news report published on 20 July 2026 at 11:09:51 UTC.

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The United States expanded strikes beyond areas near Hormuz to provinces in central and northern Iran as well as Bushehr.

Iranian local officials reported one death and several injuries in East Azerbaijan province.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said mediator contacts with the United States were continuing.

UK Maritime Trade Operations said a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz was hit by an unknown projectile, caught fire and was abandoned by its crew.

US Central Command said it completed a ninth consecutive night of strikes against Iran.

The United States announced three new military deaths and one service member missing in action.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards claimed overnight attacks on targets in Syria, Jordan and Kuwait.

Kuwait said its air defences were engaging hostile drone attacks, and Bahrain said air raid sirens had sounded.

Source note: AFP news report published on 20 July 2026 at 07:57:24 UTC.

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Iranian state media reported that US strikes hit several locations in Bushehr city.

Bushehr was described as Iran's southern port city and home to the country's only civilian nuclear plant.

Bushehr governor Mohammad Mozaffari was quoted by IRNA as saying several locations in the city had been hit by American projectiles.

Source note: AFP news report published on 20 July 2026 at 06:29:38 UTC.

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State media reported that the strikes happened overnight in northwestern Iran.

State media reported that at least one person was killed and several others were wounded.

Majid Farshi, head of crisis management in East Azerbaijan province, was quoted by IRNA as saying the attack hit an area southwest of Tabriz on Monday morning.

Farshi described the attack as a terrorist and aggressive American attack.

Source note: AFP news report published on 20 July 2026 at 06:13:13 UTC.

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Iranian state media reported that one person was killed in US strikes on northwest Iran.

Source note: AFP news report published on 20 July 2026 at 06:03:34 UTC.

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US military fatalities announced over the weekend rose by three, with one service member missing in action, bringing confirmed American military deaths since the conflict began to 17.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said two oil tankers trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz exploded and stopped.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency said a vessel was on fire in the Strait of Hormuz, while the cause had not been verified.

Brent crude rose above $91 a barrel, described as its highest level since June 11.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for other countries to help protect global shipping and said Washington remained open to diplomacy.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had hit targets in Syria, Jordan and Kuwait overnight.

Kuwait's army said its air defences were engaging hostile drone attacks following Iranian aggression, and Bahrain said air raid sirens had sounded.

Source note: AFP news report published on 20 July 2026 at 05:18:10 UTC.

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CENTCOM said the strikes were intended to reduce Iran's ability to attack commercial vessels and civilian mariners transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

CENTCOM said targeted sites included air defense and coastal surveillance sites, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and communications networks.

Source note: AFP news report published on 20 July 2026 at 02:30:19 UTC.

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The United States said the strikes on Iran targeted military command centers.

The United States said the strikes also targeted communications networks.

Source note: AFP news report published on 20 July 2026 at 02:15:11 UTC.

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Trump said the latest strikes were carried out in honor of US service members killed in recent days.

Trump said the number of dead was probably three.

Trump made the remarks to reporters as he returned to Washington after the World Cup final.

Trump said the dead service members were fighting so that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.

Source note: AFP news report published on 20 July 2026 at 00:44:16 UTC.

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Trump said the United States was hitting Iran “very hard” to honor Americans who had been killed.

Source note: AFP news report published on 20 July 2026 at 00:29:32 UTC.

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US Central Command said the strikes would continue degrading Iranian military capabilities used to attack commercial vessels and civilian mariners transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

Source note: AFP news report published on 19 July 2026 at 23:26:22 UTC.