Skip next section What you need to know
What you need to know
- Written statement from Mojtaba Khamenei warns of reprisals after US attacks
- The new supreme leader has not been seen or heard in public since the start of the fighting
- This follows a similar warning from a senior Iranian military officer
- US Central Command says 2 service members killed in Jordan on Friday due to Iranian attack
- US military says they hit Iran’s ‘surveillance sites, military logistics infrastructure, underground weapons storage, and maritime capabilities’
- Pentagon denies Iran’s account of two oil tankers exploding near the Strait of Hormuz
We will be bringing you the latest updates on the Iran war on the weekend of July 18-19 in this blog.
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Skip next section US military reports casualties in Jordan07/18/2026July 18, 2026
US military reports casualties in Jordan
US Central Command (CENTCOM) has said that two US soldiers were killed and one is missing in action after Iranian attacks on Jordan on Friday.
It said it sustained the casualties as US troops and partners forces “defended against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks.”
It did not specify where the attack or attacks took place more specifically.
“Four American service members were medically evacuated to Jordanian hospitals. They have since been discharged. Other personnel who were evaluated for minor injuries have returned to duty.” CENTCOM also said.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HMnCSkip next section Iran says attacks show Trump’s signature on MoU ‘utterly worthless’07/18/2026July 18, 2026
Iran says attacks show Trump’s signature on MoU ‘utterly worthless’
Iran has issued a statement attributed to new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen or heard in public for months, following the renewed clashes in the region and the elaborate funeral for his predecessor this month.
It also published the message in English, seemingly for global consumption.
“The repeated breaches of the agreement by the Great Satan [the US] regarding the MOU signed by the Presidents of Iran and the US have once again laid bare a fundamental truth: the signature of the US President is utterly worthless and devoid of credibility,” he was quoted as saying.
The series of posts also alleged that “coercion, totalitarianism and brutality are inseparable components of the US creed and doctrine.”
Khamenei criticized fresh American strikes on Iranian territory and claimed “unforgettable lessons” were in store for the US.
The new supreme leader or his mouthpiece also praised Iranian citizens who participated in the funeral ceremonies for his predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, this month.
He said that the “steadfast will of tens of millions” had thrown “Iran’s arrogant enemies into bewilderment, rage and fright.”
The new supreme leader’s father and much of his family were killed in the US and Israeli strikes at the start of the conflict on February 28. He is thought to have been severely wounded in the same attacks and has made no public appearances since.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HMl6Skip next section Spanish World Cup winner Capdevila appeals to Trump as entry denied07/18/2026July 18, 2026
Spanish World Cup winner Capdevila appeals to Trump as entry denied
Spain’s 2010 World Cup winner Joan Capdevila has appealed directly to US President Trump seeking permission to enter the US.
Capdevila said he had been denied entry as he sought to travel to watch Sunday’s World Cup final between Spain and Argentina in New Jersey.
“I need help Donald Trump,” he wrote online. “They just told me that I can’t travel to the final with my kids because my ESTA [Electronic System for Travel Authorization] has been denied. Can anyone help me with this? You have no idea how excited I was to be there with all my 2010 teammates and this team to cheer them on.”
The 48-year-old also sent a separate message to Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Capdevila took part in an exhibition game 10 years ago when a team of former La Liga stars traveled to play in Tehran.
As a Spaniard, Capdevila would typically be eligible to enter the US with an ESTA for a period of 90 days or less, rather than obtaining a visa.
But one of the disqualifying criteria is if a person has traveled to Iran more recently than March 1, 2011.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HMiFSkip next section Lebanon’s President Aoun heads to US on Trump’s invitation07/18/2026July 18, 2026
Lebanon’s President Aoun heads to US on Trump’s invitation
Wesley Dockery Editor
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has left Beirut, bound for Washington D.C. at the invitation of his opposite number Donald Trump.
Although it’s not confirmed by either side, a meeting between Aoun and Trump is deemed a probable component of the visit.
Aoun will hold discussions “with several American officials on the situation in Lebanon and ways to strengthen the ceasefire,” particularly in the south, as well as on “the withdrawal of Israel from the Lebanese regions it occupies,” Lebanon’s presidency said.
The US has been leading mediations between Israel and Lebanon seeking to build on a ceasefire agreement in the latest round of conflict between Hezbollah and Israel that’s drastically reduced the volume of conflict since mid-April. The parties also signed a new “framework agreement” in late June.
However, Israel still occupies a self-declared “buffer zone” in southern Lebanon, which it says is necessary to protect northern areas near the de facto border.
The talks are seeking to arrange Israeli troops withdrawing from some southern areas, with the Lebanese military moving in and disarming and removing Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters as the other side of the deal.
Lebanon’s government and military is not a party to the war with Israel, just as Hezbollah is not party to the negotiatons brokered by the US, complicating the process. Israel and Lebanon also do not have diplomatic relations.
As fighting began in early March, Aoun’s government tried and failed to forbid Hezbollah from striking Israel in response to the attacks on Iran.
Aoun will be the first Lebanese president to visit Washington since Michel Sleiman was received by Barack Obama in 2009.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HMfCSkip next section Kuwait says major damage at oil facility after ‘repeated’ Iranian attacks 07/18/2026July 18, 2026
Kuwait says major damage at oil facility after ‘repeated’ Iranian attacks
The Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) on Saturday reported significant damage to one of its oil facilities after “repeated Iranian attacks,” according to the state news agency.
“A vital location in the oil industry was struck by repeated brutal Iranian attacks that resulted in a number of injuries and significant material losses,” news agency KUNA cited the KPC as saying.
Earlier, Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy reported an Iranian attack on a power plant and a water desalinization plant.
The attacks come after Iran on Friday threatened to attack infrastructure in Gulf countries allied with the US.
Kuwait’s Foriegn Ministry accused Iran of “endangering the lives and safety of civilians” with the attacks on vital infrastructure.
“The Ministry affirms that the repeated targeting of these vital facilities reveals a systematic pattern of aggression against civilian objects and essential infrastructure,” a statment posted on X in Arabic said.
“This constitutes a flagrant violation of international law … the Ministry holds Iran fully responsible for this brutal aggression and its consequences, demanding an immediate cessation of such attacks.” it added.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HMDwSkip next section Kuwait reports Iranian attacks on civilian infrastructure 07/18/2026July 18, 2026
Kuwait reports Iranian attacks on civilian infrastructure
Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy reported that a power and water desalination plant was targeted by a “hostile attack” on Saturday.
In a statement, the ministry said a fire broke out in one of the plant’s components, and some power generation units were disconnected as part of emergency measures to ensure the stability of the electrical grid to “limit any potential impact on service.”
Kuwait’s fire service said several firemen and a worker were injured responding to fires that erupted in two different locations following the Iranian attacks.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HLfZSkip next section Iran says it attacked US-used air base in Bahrain07/18/2026July 18, 2026
Iran says it attacked US-used air base in Bahrain
Saim Dušan Inayatullah Editor
Iran’s military has said it targeted a US-used air base in Bahrain in retaliation for American strikes.
Attack drones struck “aircraft shelters and parking areas, fuel storage tanks of the US military at Sheikh Isa Air Base, as well as several connecting bridges in Bahrain,” the Iranian army said on Saturday, according to state broadcaster reports.
It added that the base was “one of the most important operational and logistical centres” for the US military in the region.
The reports could not be independently confirmed, and the US military has not yet commented.
Bahrain’s military said in a statement Saturday its air defense systems had “intercepted and destroyed” a number of Iranian aerial assaults.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HLR1Skip next section Jordan says 10 Iranian missiles shot down07/18/2026July 18, 2026
Jordan says 10 Iranian missiles shot down
An Iranian missile barrage was neutralized without causing any casualties or material damage, the Jordanian military said on Saturday morning.
“Air defense systems… intercepted 10 Iranian missiles that had entered Jordanian airspace and were targeting the Kingdom’s territory (which) were intercepted and shot down,” the army said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the Kuwaiti army wrote on X that it was facing a missile and drone attack due to Iran’s aggression. They also warned that explosions may be heard due to “air defense systems intercepting hostile targets.”
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Just hours earlier, the Iranian military claimed to have hit US military targets in the region, including ammunition depots in Kuwait and fuel tanks at the strategic Al-Azraq base in Jordan.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HLOqSkip next section Iran warns ‘no political border will be safe’ if US strikes continue07/18/2026July 18, 2026
Iran warns ‘no political border will be safe’ if US strikes continue
Tehran will switch tactics unless the US stops its strikes soon, Major General Mohsen Rezaei, a senior military adviser to Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, told Iranian media.
“If US strikes continue for several more days, we will move into a phase of full-scale offensive operations,” said Rezaei, who once served as the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
“Iran will no longer limit itself to retaliatory, like-for-like responses…and no political border will be safe,” he was quoted as saying by Iran’s news agency IRIB.
His comments came just hours before Iran reportedly launched strikes on US military targets in Kuwait and Jordan.
https://p.dw.com/p/5HLMmSkip next section US military says it ended seventh night of strikes on Iran07/18/2026July 18, 2026
US military says it ended seventh night of strikes on Iran
The US military launched strikes against Tehran’s “surveillance sites, military logistics infrastructure, underground weapons storage, and maritime capabilities” on the seventh day of renewed hostilities between the two sides.
Pentagon said it was still fully enforcing a naval blockade against Iranian ports.
“More than 50,000 American service members are operating across the Middle East and remain vigilant, lethal, and ready,” CENTCOM wrote in a statement.
CENTCOM also called an Iranian statement that two oil tankers were on fire after hitting mines in the Strait of Hormuz “false.”
Previously, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said two vessels exploded after trying to navigate “by deceptive American intelligence agencies.”
https://p.dw.com/p/5HLMlSkip next section Welcome to our coverage07/18/2026July 18, 2026
Welcome to our coverage
Sean Sinico Editor
You join us as the US wraps up its seventh day of strikes on targets inside Iran, claiming to be holding Iran “accountable” at the direction of President Donald Trump.
The US also saidits naval blockade on Iranian ports remains in effect.
Iran, in turn, has hit US military targets in the region and claimed two tankers exploded near the Strait of Hormuz due to them relying on “deceptive American intelligence agencies.”
Major General Mohsen Rezaei, a senior military advisor to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, warned that Iran “would no longer limit itself to retaliatory, like-for-like responses” and instead go on the offensive if the US campaign against it drags on.
Stay with us for the latest developments from Iran and the Middle East as fighting continues.
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