JERUSALEM, Israel – The United States is expanding its military campaign against Iran’s leadership as President Trump warns Tehran that the pressure will not let up.
U.S. forces struck Iran for the eleventh consecutive night as U.S. CENTCOM sent aircraft to hit military sites, including command centers, maritime assets, and drone facilities.
Iranian media reported explosions in Bushehr, home to the Iranian nuclear power plant.
CENTCOM explained that the strikes are part of an effort to degrade the regime’s ability to threaten shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Spokespersons say the waterway remains open to commercial traffic, with the military supporting the safe passage of about 900 ships carrying 450 million barrels of crude oil.
In Washington, Trump met with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the White House. The meeting followed rare direct talks between Lebanon and Israel after months of fighting with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorist group.
The president indicated that Washington is committed to helping Lebanon.
“And we’re going to help it. We’re going to help it a lot. As you know, there’s a Hezbollah problem,” he stated.
Trump also addressed Iran, pointing out that Iran wants negotiations because they are “getting decimated.”
He cautioned, “Until they’re ready to meet in a meaningful way, we have no interest in meeting.”
He added that the U.S. will soon target the area near Pickaxe Mountain, a fortified underground site near one of Iran’s primary nuclear enrichment facilities.
“We’ll be hitting that area pretty soon, and very heavily,” he noted. “We follow the material. That’s where the action is.”
The president also warned Iran’s Houthi allies against disrupting shipping in the Red Sea, warning that the U.S. will “take care of business” if the group attempts a blockade.
The conflict has also taken the lives of American service members. The Pentagon identified Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, a 30-year-old father from Fayettevill, North Carolina, who was killed in Iraq on July 19th.
Officials also confirmed that Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, 28, of Ozone Park, New York, was killed in last week’s attack on a U.S. base in Jordan.
The president is scheduled to attend the dignified transfer of the fallen service members at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, on Wednesday.
“I’ll be going to Dover for something that I feel is, it’s a great honor for me to do it,” he said.
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At the same time, the administration has approved a civilian nuclear cooperation deal with Saudi Arabia, worth tens of billions of dollars.
The agreement would give American companies a key role in Saudi Arabia’s nuclear development and could allow uranium enrichment on Saudi soil. The deal does not include Saudi normalization with Israel, raising concerns that it could accelerate a regional nuclear race.
Inside Iran, authorities are escalating pressure on Christians. The regime has seized Tehran’s historic St. Peter Evangelical Church, the country’s last remaining Presbyterian church, declaring the property, residences, and two schools to be state-owned.
Several Christian families have fled after threats from security forces.
