US Strikes Iran; Tehran Retaliates in Jordan, Kuwait
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- U.S. Central Command carried out a "heavy wave of strikes" against Iran on July 29, hitting military command centers, drone storage facilities, communication networks, coastal surveillance sites, and maritime capabilities in response to an Iranian ballistic missile attack.
- Trump said he wanted to hit Iran "very hard" and "smack them a little bit," announcing during an Oval Office event July 29 that more strikes were coming, and threatening to target Iranian bridges and power plants.
- Iran's IRGC claimed it destroyed three U.S. F-35 fighter jets at Jordan's Al Azraq Air Base with ballistic missiles; CENTCOM denied any U.S. planes were damaged, saying "all missiles and drones were intercepted or failed to reach targeted areas."
- The IRGC struck Kuwait's Ali Al Salem Air Base, destroying two drone hangars and a fuel storage facility, while Iranian Foreign Minister Sayed Aragchi called for "the full destruction of the Kuwaiti regime" in response to U.S. HIMARS rocket fire from Kuwaiti territory.
- Saudi Arabia publicly joined U.S. forces for the first time in the war on July 29, striking Iran-aligned Houthi groups in eastern Iraq in retaliation for drone attacks launched from Iraq against Saudi targets.
- Four Americans were killed during the nearly two-week bout of fighting earlier in July, and the war's central flashpoint remains control of the Strait of Hormuz, which carried 20% of the world's oil before the conflict began in February.
Why it matters: The war is shifting from a bilateral fight into a regional conflict: Iran is striking U.S. bases in Jordan and Kuwait, Saudi Arabia has joined the U.S. side, and Tehran's foreign minister is openly calling for "the full destruction of the Kuwaiti regime." With four Americans already dead and the Strait of Hormuz — 20% of global oil — still contested, the escalation ladder keeps shortening.
