Tehran, Jul 20 (V7N)- The United States has carried out a ninth consecutive night of military strikes on Iran as tensions continue to escalate over control of the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Explosions were reported in several Iranian cities following the latest attacks, according to Iranian state media.

The strikes on Monday (July 20) targeted locations in northern and southern Iran, with explosions reported in areas including Tabriz, Chabahar, Sirik and Jask.

The U.S. military said the latest operations were aimed at weakening Iran’s military capabilities, particularly assets allegedly being used to target commercial vessels and crews operating near the Strait of Hormuz.

Meanwhile, another U.S. soldier has reportedly been killed during the ongoing conflict, bringing the number of American service members killed in recent incidents to three. The development comes as a month-old ceasefire agreement between Tehran and Washington has effectively collapsed.

Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB reported multiple explosions in the southwestern Khuzestan province, including the port cities of Mahshahr and Imam Khomeini.

Additional blasts were reported near Sirik and Jask in Hormozgan province and around the city of Hormuz in Bushehr province. IRIB also reported three explosions near the northwestern city of Tabriz, while semi-official Fars news agency said air defense systems were activated in the southeastern cities of Konarak and Chabahar.

US Military Death Toll Rises

The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said a U.S. soldier was killed during an operation involving the controlled destruction of an unexploded part of an Iranian drone that had been shot down in northern Iraq on Saturday.

CENTCOM also said unidentified human remains were recovered from the site of an Iranian attack in Jordan on Friday. Identification efforts are currently underway.

Earlier, two U.S. soldiers were killed and one service member was reported missing following the attack in Jordan.

With the latest casualties, the total number of U.S. military personnel killed since the beginning of the conflict has risen to 17, while more than 420 others have been injured.

The conflict began after the United States and Israel launched military operations against Iran on February 28. Since then, thousands of people, mostly in Iran and Lebanon, have reportedly been killed, while disruptions to energy supplies have increased concerns over global economic stability and rising inflation.

END/SMA/AJ