By Middle East Correspondent
London, (The Muslim News): The United States has launched a new wave of airstrikes against Iran, with explosions reported in several provinces on Monday as Washington said it was targeting military capabilities linked to attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian media said an industrial facility on the outskirts of Khomein in Markazi province was struck at about 19:00 local time. The province’s deputy governor for political and security affairs said no casualties had been reported and authorities were assessing the extent of the damage.
Residents and local media also reported explosions across Sirik County in the southern province of Hormozgan, while the semi-official Fars News Agency said an explosion was heard in the north-west of Shiraz. Initial reports suggested a site in the city had been targeted in an airstrike. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
The latest strikes come as fighting between Washington and Tehran has intensified once again despite a Pakistani-mediated framework agreement signed in June aimed at ending months of hostilities.
In a statement on X, the US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) said American forces had begun a “new round of strikes” at the direction of President Donald Trump.
“The strikes are designed to further degrade Iranian military capabilities used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” the statement said.
Iran has continued to respond with missile and drone attacks targeting facilities in several countries hosting US military assets, accusing Washington of using regional bases to support its operations.
The renewed exchange of attacks follows a brief period of diplomatic optimism after the two sides agreed in principle last month to work towards a lasting peace settlement. However, tensions escalated again last week over security in the Strait of Hormuz, prompting both sides to resume military operations.
As the conflict has intensified, US officials have confirmed that nearly 100 American service members were injured in Iranian strikes on military bases across the Middle East earlier this month.
Officials told CBS News that most of the injuries were relatively minor and that the majority of those affected had already returned to active duty.
Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said almost 100 personnel “were deemed to have some degree of injury since July 7, 2026”, adding that 96% had since resumed their duties.
“They are determined to get back in the fight. The vast majority of injuries experienced were minor concussions,” he said.
Nine Palestinians injured by Israeli forces in Gaza
The renewed regional tensions come as violence also continues in Gaza despite a ceasefire that has officially been in place since October last year.
A medical source said nine Palestinians were injured on Monday when an Israeli airstrike hit a civilian vehicle near Al-Ghafri Junction in central Gaza City. Two of those wounded were said to be in a critical condition.
Although a ceasefire took effect on 10 October 2025, Palestinians have described it as “an illusion”, citing continued Israeli airstrikes, ground incursions and severe restrictions on humanitarian access.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, Israeli violations of the ceasefire have killed 1,158 Palestinians and injured a further 3,756 people since the agreement came into force.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate accused Israel of carrying out hundreds of violations against journalists during the first half of 2026.
Presenting its latest report in Ramallah, the syndicate said it had documented 467 incidents involving journalists and media workers in Gaza and the occupied West Bank between January and June.
The organisation said eight Palestinian journalists had been killed during the six-month period, bringing the total number killed since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023 to 264.
According to the report, more than 40% of the recorded incidents involved journalists being prevented from reporting or press crews being detained. It also documented 27 arrests, 29 incidents in which journalists came under live fire, dozens of cases involving tear gas or stun grenades, physical assaults, threats with weapons, and the seizure or destruction of media equipment.
The report also said Israeli forces had raided seven homes or media organisations, closed three media institutions, blocked five websites and prevented 19 journalists from entering the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem.
Palestinian Journalists Syndicate chief Nasser Abu Bakr said the organisation was continuing legal efforts to pursue accountability through international bodies.
He said evidence had been submitted to UN representatives and the International Federation of Journalists in Geneva, while France’s national journalists’ union had informed its Palestinian counterpart that it intended to file a case before French courts alleging war crimes against journalists.
Abu Bakr also urged the International Criminal Court to accelerate its investigations.
“The targeting of journalists is not a series of isolated incidents, but part of an aggression targeting the right to knowledge and the transmission of truth,” he said.
Israel has repeatedly said it does not deliberately target journalists and has accused Hamas and other armed groups of operating from civilian areas, an allegation they deny.
According to Palestinian officials, more than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 173,000 injured since the war in Gaza began in October 2023. In the occupied West Bank, Palestinian authorities say at least 1,181 people have been killed during the same period amid ongoing Israeli military operations and settler violence.
[An infographic titled “US strikes on Iran and Iran’s retaliatory attacks” created in Ankara, Turkiye on July 21, 2026. Photojournalist: Mehmet Yaren Bozğun/AA]
