Explosions are heard near a US base in northern Iraq as US-Iran fighting escalates
Violence escalated across the Middle East as the U.S. and Iran traded military strikes, leading to explosions near a U.S. base in Irbil, Iraq.
Violence flared across the Middle East on Friday, 24 July 2026, as the conflict between the United States and Iran intensified. Explosions were reported in the city of Irbil, located in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region, near a military facility hosting U.S. Forces. Simultaneously, sirens sounded in Bahrain, as Tehran responded to the conclusion of the 13th consecutive night of U.S. Airstrikes against Iranian territory.
The latest exchange highlights a dangerous expansion of a conflict that has increasingly centered on control of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime corridor for global energy supplies. The United States has focused its military campaign on degrading Iran's capacity to threaten commercial vessels and mariners, while Iran has targeted assets in neighboring countries that host U.S. Troops. An Associated Press journalist heard at least seven blasts Friday morning in the city of Irbil, the capital of Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region, and saw at least four plumes of black smoke rising from areas near or inside a base at the city’s airport.
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Regional Escalation and Military Activity
U.S. Strikes hit a naval base for the Revolutionary Guard in the north of Iran, the Iranian semiofficial news outlets Fars and ISNA reported Friday morning. Blasts from U.S. Bombardment overnight were also reported on Iran’s Qeshm Island, a base for naval assets including drone boats that Iran can use to attack vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as in Isfahan province, home to a major Iranian air base and one of Iran’s nuclear sites. More strikes reportedly hit Iran’s southwest Khuzestan province and southern Fars province. Bahrain sounded sirens twice on Friday; there were no immediate reports of damage.
Iran’s Health Ministry said 55 people have been killed and over 600 wounded in strikes in recent weeks, as fighting escalated.
Economic Implications and Strategic Levers
The struggle for the Strait of Hormuz has created significant economic pressure. The Iranian-allied Houthi rebels added further pressure this week by targeting two Saudi tankers in the Red Sea, making good on a threat to cut off an alternative route for the region’s oil. The strait at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, and around 12% of the world’s trade, including a fourth of global container traffic, passes through there.
Diplomatic and Political Standoff
Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni met Pakistan's military leadership, including Field Marshal Asim Munir, in Islamabad to discuss ways of preventing a broader regional conflict. U.S. President Donald Trump threatened “major military punishment” against the Houthis if their attacks on ships continue. Trump also warned Iran over its attacks on ships, saying on social media Thursday that sanctioned Iranian funds in U.S. Possession will be used to cover the expense of fixing boats damaged in the war. In response, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the suggestion, writing on X that “once governments normalize confiscation, no one’s assets are safe. Ensuing chaos will not be pretty or peaceful.”
"Once governments normalize confiscation, no one’s assets are safe. Ensuing chaos will not be pretty or peaceful."
Abbas Araghchi, Iranian Foreign Minister, via X
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