US strikes Iran across its full length on July 24; Iran hits US bases in Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan as Trump threatens 'massive attack'

Summary

The United States launched air strikes across Iran on July 24, 2026, hitting targets from the country's south to its north, the widest geographic spread of US strikes since the war began. Iran retaliated by attacking US military bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Erbil, the first direct Iranian strikes on US bases in three Gulf states simultaneously. Iran's Health Ministry reported 55 dead and 629 injured from US strikes; a US missile near Ahvaz killed four. President Donald Trump threatened a "massive attack" if Tehran refuses to negotiate and proposed using frozen Iranian assets held by the United States to compensate owners of damaged ships and cargo. Oman sent a delegation to Tehran specifically to discuss managing Hormuz traffic rather than a full ceasefire. The Houthis confirmed they are allowing Chinese ships to pass the strait while blocking US-linked vessels.

The split

NBC News carries the sharpest diplomatic signal: anonymous senior Arab officials telling US contacts the daily escalation is unsustainable, with one saying "it's only getting crazier," the closest thing to a Gulf ally off-ramp push yet. Al Jazeera's dual focus, Oman's Hormuz mission and the Houthis' selective Chinese passage, frames the story as a battle over shipping access rather than military attrition. Euronews leads with Iran's declaration that all US bases in the region are legitimate targets, widening the conflict's legal geography. Arab News, writing from Riyadh, highlights the US civilian travel warning as the signal that Gulf stability is now officially at risk. The Jerusalem Post collates Iranian casualty figures and the Kuwait airbase attack, facts Iranian state media publish but Western outlets often understate.

By the numbers

• 55, killed in Iran according to the Iranian Health Ministry's July 24 figures; 629 injured
• 4, killed in a US missile strike near Ahvaz
• 3, Gulf state US bases Iran struck on July 24: Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan (plus Erbil in Iraq)
• Lowest in two months, Strait of Hormuz tanker crossings on July 24 per Al Jazeera

Why it matters

Iran simultaneously striking US bases in three Gulf states is a qualitative escalation: the conflict is no longer US-Iran bilateral but a pan-Gulf confrontation. Iran's declaration that any US base in the region is a legitimate target extends its stated targeting authority far beyond its borders and puts every US facility from Jordan to Kuwait on notice. The selective Houthi passage for Chinese ships, if it holds, confirms a China-aligned axis in the strait, fragmenting what was a universal shipping disruption into a geopolitically sorted one. Oman's Hormuz-specific mission, separate from ceasefire talks, signals that even a narrow traffic deal is being treated as a separate track, suggesting a ceasefire remains distant.

What to watch

• Whether Iran strikes US bases in additional Gulf states or extends to European allies' facilities
• Whether Trump's "massive attack" threat produces a de-escalation gesture or further Iranian counterstrike
• Whether the Oman-Tehran Hormuz traffic talks produce any agreed passage framework
• Whether Arab Gulf states begin formal mediation efforts outside the US-Iran bilateral channel