US President Donald Trump said the latest American strikes hit Iran "very hard" and were carried out "in honour" of three US soldiers killed in recent attacks, as the conflict between the two countries escalates further. US Central Command launched a ninth consecutive night of strikes early on Monday, targeting Iranian military sites and communications networks in an effort to curb Tehran's attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran responded with strikes in Syria and against US aircraft at Jordan's Aqaba airport.

Iranian state media reported strikes on cities including Tabriz, Chabahar, Konarak, Bandar Mahshahr and Bandar Imam Khomeini, along with claims that two oil tankers had exploded in the strait, which the US disputed. The Revolutionary Guard Corps warned the waterway would remain unsafe for oil and petrochemical transit while strikes continue. The escalation follows the deaths of three US service members — Private Isabella Gonzales, 19, and Lieutenant Tyler James Feehan, 25, killed in Jordan, and another in Iraq — with a third person still missing. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US remained open to diplomacy, but a mid-June ceasefire deal has collapsed since Trump declared it "over" on 8 July.