.S. military ends 11th round of strikes to "undermine" Iran

The U.S. military said at  dawn Wednesday (July 22) that it had ended the 11th night of strikes on Iran, which included targeting aircraft hangars and drone storage sites.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said the strikes were "aimed at further weakening Iran's military capabilities used to attack commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz."

Iranian state television reported that air defences were activated around Tehran, noting that strikes had taken place in various parts of the country.

Trump: "Axe Mountain" is the next goal

US President Donald Trump stressed on Tuesday that the United States "has not finished its work at all" in Iran, announcing that the US military is preparing to target the fortified Jabal al-Fas nuclear site near Natanz, and vowing to retaliate if the Houthis carry out their threats to impose a blockade on navigation in the Red Sea.

Trump told reporters at the White House that the United States would not withdraw from the current confrontation, adding, "If we leave now, Iran will need 15 to 20 years to rebuild. But we didn't finish our work at all... We will not leave now."

He said the U.S. military would "very soon" bomb Jabal al-Fas, a heavily fortified nuclear complex located near the Natanz uranium enrichment facility that Western intelligence agencies believe houses an undeclared enrichment facility within a network of deep tunnels. "We will strike that area very soon, very hard," he said, adding that he is not used to announcing his military targets, "but they can't do anything about it."

Kuwait, Bahrain intercept missiles, drones

On Tuesday, Iran expanded the scope of its attacks to include interests and facilities in the Gulf countries that host a US military presence, as Bahrain and Kuwait announced for the third time in a single day the interception of Iranian missiles and drones, in an escalation that comes amid the ongoing military confrontation between Tehran and Washington.

The General Staff of the Kuwaiti Army said that the air defenses repelled attacks with enemy drones and missiles, describing them as the result of "Iran's sinful aggression", explaining that the sounds of explosions heard in some areas were caused by interceptions carried out by air defense systems, and called on citizens and residents to abide by security and safety instructions.

 The  Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) said that the attacks caused fires and extensive damage to vital facilities, civilian facilities and residential buildings, considering them a "flagrant violation of Kuwait's sovereignty, security and territorial integrity."

The Bahraini army said air defence systems had intercepted and destroyed a number of Iranian air attacks, accusing Tehran of continuing its "systematic hostile approach" by targeting civilians in the kingdom.

The use of missiles and drones against civilians and private property is a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, he said, calling on residents not to approach any suspicious objects that may be remnants of the attacks, and to report them to the competent authorities.

Washington is calling on Tehran to stop targeting ships and ensure freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran stresses the need to subject navigation to a mechanism it regulates through the strategic corridor, amid growing concerns about the impact of the escalation on global oil and gas supplies.