US launches fresh strikes on Iran, reinforces air assets in region: What to know

After weathering five months of airstrikes, the IRGC's strategy to deny the US Air Force safe harbor at runways across the region still shows lethal progress.

Jared Szuba

Jul 20, 2026

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WASHINGTON — American warplanes redoubled their airstrikes across Iran over the weekend, escalating beyond recent tit-for-tat strikes following ballistic missile and drone attacks that killed at least two US Army soldiers in Jordan on Friday.

For the tenth consecutive night, US fighter jets launched strikes in Iran on Monday, after an earlier round of strikes hit what US Central Command (CENTCOM) described as Iranian military command centers, air defenses and coastal surveillance facilities, along with drone and missile depots and launch sites. 

The blitzes over the weekend and on Monday were designed to disrupt Iran’s ability to continue attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, CENTCOM said, and to “swiftly punish Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces who launched attacks against American service members in Jordan” on the night of July 17.

At least three ballistic missiles targeted the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base (MSAB) in Jordan within just 24 hours on Friday. The base has grown into a major operations hub for US military aircraft flying sorties to support Washington's strikes in Iran throughout the five-month war.

The barrages........

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