{"id":701188,"date":"2026-07-20T07:45:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T07:45:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/701188\/"},"modified":"2026-07-20T07:45:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T07:45:14","slug":"iran-us-war-latest-trump-planning-for-wider-war-with-tehran-after-ninth-night-of-strikes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/701188\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran-US war latest: Trump \u2018planning for wider war\u2019 with Tehran after ninth night of strikes"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>Latest: US and Iran trade strikes for a ninth day<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the latest on Monday morning:<\/p>\n

– The United States said it had struck Iran for a ninth consecutive day.<\/p>\n

– Explosions were heard in Tabriz, Chabahar, Konarak, Bandar Mahshahr and Bandar Imam Khomeini, according to Iran\u2019s Tasnim news agency.<\/p>\n

– The IRGC said meanwhile that they had targeted US aircraft in Jordan, as well as US military assets and equipment in Kuwait and in Syria. Sirens also sounded in Bahrain.<\/p>\n

– The UKMTO reported on an attack on a ship off Oman. It was not immediately reported what hit it, but the crew made it off safely.<\/p>\n

– Oil rose by more than 2 per cent on Monday as both sides inched closer to all out war.<\/p>\n

\"AA heavily-damaged bridge which was hit by a US strike on the road connecting Roudan and Bandar Abbas in southern Iran on July 18 (AFP\/Getty)<\/p>\n

James Reynolds20 July 2026 08:30<\/p>\n

<\/a>Trump ‘planning return to wider war’: US official<\/p>\n

An American official familiar with internal talks tells the Washington Post<\/a> that the US is preparing for a return to a \u201cwider war\u201d following days of escalatory strikes.<\/p>\n

The official cautions that any operations will be limited by stockpile shortages of air defences and long-range munitions, however.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do not have enough to safely sustain operations, and I don\u2019t think the White House is aware of that,\u201d the official says.<\/p>\n

James Reynolds20 July 2026 08:00<\/p>\n

<\/a>New: Vessel struck with unknown projectile off Oman, says UKMTO<\/p>\n

The UKMTO agency is reporting that a vessel has been struck off Oman\u2019s Kumzar.<\/p>\n

They say it was hit by an as yet unknown projectile, and that the crew has safely abandoned the ship.<\/p>\n

The vessel is currently adrift and the fire on board is yet to be extinguished, they say.<\/p>\n

James Reynolds20 July 2026 07:53<\/p>\n

<\/a>Gulf states intercept drones and missiles as attacks intensify<\/p>\n

Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan reported intercepting Iranian drones and missiles as attacks across the region intensified. <\/p>\n

Bahrain\u2019s ministry of interior activated warning sirens and urged residents to \u201cremain calm and head to the nearest safe place\u201d, while the US embassy in Manama warned American citizens that Iran may be planning attacks on the capital and advised them to take precautionary measures. <\/p>\n

Kuwait\u2019s military said it was responding to a series of drone attacks, while Jordan reported intercepting at least three missiles, with another landing in an open area. <\/p>\n

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed it had targeted a weapons depot and air defence radar system in Kuwait, though Kuwaiti authorities have not confirmed those claims and instead said they were dealing with the aftermath of an attack on a power and water desalination facility. <\/p>\n

The strike on civilian infrastructure has drawn condemnation from countries across the region.<\/p>\n

Maroosha Muzaffar20 July 2026 07:30<\/p>\n

<\/a>Oil prices climb above $90 a barrel as US-Iran tensions escalate<\/p>\n

Oil prices climbed above $90 a barrel as escalating US-Iran tensions disrupted concerns over crude supplies through the Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy route. <\/p>\n

Brent crude rose more than 2 per cent to $90.19 a barrel, reaching its highest level since 11 June, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) also gained to $84.20 a barrel. <\/p>\n

The latest surge followed the US carrying out a ninth consecutive night of strikes on Iran, along with reports of fresh Iranian attacks on Gulf states.<\/p>\n

Maroosha Muzaffar20 July 2026 07:11<\/p>\n

<\/a>Shipping data shows traffic through Strait of Hormuz remains limited<\/p>\n

Shipping data showed that traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained limited over the weekend as the US and Iran intensified their attacks, according to Sky News. <\/p>\n

According to LSEG data, only four vessels crossed the strategic waterway on Sunday, down from eight the previous day. <\/p>\n

Since Friday, at least three oil tankers and one Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) have entered the strait to load oil.<\/p>\n

The LSEG data tracks the movement of various types of vessels, including container ships, bulk carriers, vehicle carriers, and tankers transporting oil, gas and chemicals.<\/p>\n

Maroosha Muzaffar20 July 2026 07:10<\/p>\n

<\/a>Iran reports explosions in multiple cities as US strikes continue for ninth night<\/p>\n

During the ninth night of US strikes on Iran, Iranian state media reported explosions in several locations, including Tabriz, Chabahar, Konarak, Bandar Mahshahr and Bandar Imam Khomeini.<\/p>\n

Iranian authorities have not yet provided details on any casualties or the extent of damage caused by the attacks.<\/p>\n

A reported strike on Tabriz, located in north-western Iran, would represent a broader expansion of US targets, which in recent days have mainly focused on areas in southern Iran and locations near the Strait of Hormuz, the Guardian reported.<\/p>\n

Maroosha Muzaffar20 July 2026 06:50<\/p>\n

<\/a>Iran to end conflict with US only when it has \u2018the upper hand\u2019, foreign minister says<\/p>\n

Iran will only seek to end its war with the US once it has secured \u201cthe upper hand in the field\u201d, foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said. <\/p>\n

He argued that negotiations should begin only after achieving \u201ca reliable field and strategic achievement on the military front\u201d. <\/p>\n

In an interview with state news agency IRNA, Araghchi said wars end either through \u201cabsolute military victory or through negotiations\u201d. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe end of the war is possible either through absolute military victory or through negotiations. The right time to negotiate is precisely when you have achieved a reliable field and strategic achievement on the military front.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou cannot take risks with the lives of the people and the fate of the entire country. Decisions must be made based on accurate and complete calculations,\u201d Araghchi said.<\/p>\n

He added that leaders must weigh whether continuing the conflict would bring greater gains or higher human and national costs, while claiming that \u201cdespite some losses, we emerged as a decisive international player in this war and demonstrated the strength of the system\u201d. <\/p>\n

Maroosha Muzaffar20 July 2026 06:30<\/p>\n

<\/a>Strikes hit Iraq’s Kurdish region as US-Iran tensions escalateStrikes hit Iraq’s Kurdish region as US-Iran tensions escalate<\/p>\n

Maroosha Muzaffar20 July 2026 06:10<\/p>\n

<\/a>IRGC says two oil tankers attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz disabled<\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said two oil tankers were disabled after attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz via a route that Tehran had warned ships against using, claiming \u201cboth vessels exploded and were forced to cease movement\u201d. <\/p>\n

The Guards did not identify the vessels, provide casualty details or explicitly claim responsibility. <\/p>\n

Earlier, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported that a vessel was on fire off the coast of Oman, though the cause of the incident remains unknown.<\/p>\n

Maroosha Muzaffar20 July 2026 05:50<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Latest: US and Iran trade strikes for a ninth day Here\u2019s the latest on Monday morning: – The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":701189,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[84,59,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-701188","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-business","tag-gb","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/701188","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=701188"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/701188\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/701189"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=701188"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=701188"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=701188"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}