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.

Iranian authorities have not yet provided details on any casualties or the extent of damage caused by the attacks.

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.

Iran will only seek to end its war with the US once it has secured “the upper hand in the field”, foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said.

He argued that negotiations should begin only after achieving “a reliable field and strategic achievement on the military front”.

In an interview with state news agency IRNA, Araghchi said wars end either through “absolute military victory or through negotiations”.

“The 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.

“You 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,” Araghchi said.

He added that leaders must weigh whether continuing the conflict would bring greater gains or higher human and national costs, while claiming that “despite some losses, we emerged as a decisive international player in this war and demonstrated the strength of the system”.

Iran’s 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 “both vessels exploded and were forced to cease movement”.

The Guards did not identify the vessels, provide casualty details or explicitly claim responsibility.

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.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard warned that “this passage will not be safe for the transit of petrochemical products, nor even a single drop of oil and gas” if what it called US “aggression” continues, after claiming it had targeted US aircraft in Jordan and that two oil tankers had exploded in the Strait of Hormuz, though those claims could not be independently verified.

The warning came as the US military said it had completed its ninth consecutive night of strikes on Iran, targeting military command centres, missile and drone launch sites, coastal surveillance systems and maritime capabilities to “further diminish Iran’s ability to attack commercial vessels and civilian mariners transiting the Strait of Hormuz”, adding that “the US military is holding Iran accountable at the Commander in Chief’s direction”.

Meanwhile, air raid sirens sounded again in Bahrain, Kuwait said its air defences responded to hostile Iranian drones, and oil prices climbed above $90 a barrel amid fears of further disruption to shipping through the vital waterway.

A vessel caught fire off the coast of Oman, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations, though the cause and identity of the ship remain unknown.

In Bahrain, warning sirens sounded after the US embassy warned that Iran could target locations in central Manama, although no attack was confirmed.

Jordan said several missiles were launched, with most intercepted, while Iran claimed it struck US-linked military facilities in Kuwait.

Kuwaiti authorities, however, denied those claims and said the attacks instead hit civilian infrastructure, including a water desalination plant, prompting regional condemnation and renewed fears over the vulnerability of critical water and energy infrastructure across the Gulf.

US secretary of state Marco Rubio has urged other countries to play a bigger role in protecting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, saying Iran is using the strategic waterway as leverage in the ongoing regional conflict.

Speaking to reporters before departing for the Philippines, Rubio said the United States would continue working to keep maritime routes secure.

However, he said other nations should also help by providing equipment or financial support instead of leaving the responsibility largely to Washington.

The US Department of State issued a worldwide advisory on July 18, 2026, urging Americans to exercise increased caution worldwide due to heightened tensions in the Middle East and the potential for unforeseen escalation.

“Due to heightened tensions in the Middle East, the security environment remains complex with the potential for unforeseen escalation,” the advisory states. “We remind Americans in the region of the continued need for caution and encourage them to monitor the news for breaking developments. The Department of State advises Americans worldwide, and especially in the Middle East, to exercise increased caution.”

The state department said US diplomatic facilities, both within and outside the Middle East, have been targeted, and groups supportive of Iran may target other US interests or locations associated with the United States and Americans globally.

UK defence secretary Dan Jarvis has commented on the deaths of two US service personnel killed in action in Jordan, saying: “My thoughts are with the families and friends of the US service personnel killed and injured in Jordan.”

Four service members were evacuated to Jordanian hospitals for treatment and one service member is missing.