Explosions are heard near a US base in northern Iraq as US-Iran fighting
escalates
[July 24, 2026]
By JULIA FRANKEL and STELLA MARTANY
IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — A series of explosions sounded near a military base
hosting U.S. forces in northern Iraq and sirens rang out in Bahrain on
Friday, hours after the American military said it finished its 13th
night of strikes against Iran.
The conflict has flared again over the past week, as the U.S. has
pounded Iran while Tehran has attacked ships in the Strait of Hormuz and
targeted U.S. assets and allies in the region. The strait, which is a
crucial passage for the world’s energy supplies, is at the center of the
latest fighting since Iranian attacks can effectively shut the waterway,
sending fuel prices soaring worldwide and causing widespread economic
turmoil. 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.
Despite the unpopularity of the war in the U.S. and the widespread
damage it has caused in Iran and to the global economy, the latest round
of fighting has no clear off-ramp. Iran’s Health Ministry said 55 people
have been killed and over 600 wounded in strikes in recent weeks, as
fighting escalated.
US strikes sites across Iran and countries in the region are targeted
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.
As the U.S. has bombed Iran, Tehran has targeted several countries in
the region that host American troops. Bahrain sounded sirens twice on
Friday; there were no immediate reports of damage.
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.
U.S. Central Command said the latest barrage was designed to “further
degrade Iran’s ability to threaten civilian mariners and commercial
vessels transiting regional waters” as the Americans push to regain
control over the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s
oil and gas transited in peacetime.
Houthis open a new front in the war
Iran’s ability to effectively close the Strait of Hormuz — and thus
cause economic chaos far beyond the Middle East — gives it tremendous
leverage in any negotiations. Its Houthi allies only increased that
leverage when they targeted two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea on
Thursday — increasing the risks of shipping through another vital route
for Middle Eastern oil.
[to top of second column]
|
Black smoke rises following explosions near a military base hosting
U.S. forces in the northern Iraqi city of Irbil, Friday, July 24,
2026. (AP Photo/Stella Martany)
Brent crude, the international standard, topped $100 a barrel in the
wake of the attacks, though it has since come down.
The attacks made good on the Houthis' threat to close the Bab el-Mandeb
Strait to Saudi-linked shipping. 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.
That passage has become ever more crucial for Saudi Arabia, which has
diverted millions of barrels of oil a day to its Red Sea port of Yanbu
as a way of bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.
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.
“Please let this statement serve to represent, until further notice,
that from this point forth, any and all damages done to Ships, Cargo, or
anything related thereto, will be paid for by Iranian Money that the
United States has in its possession, and controls,” Trump said.
It was unclear what legal mechanisms Trump would use to access and spend
the funds.
Iran's 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.”
Iran says it has the right to manage traffic and potentially charge fees
in the Strait of Hormuz, which was open to all toll-free before the war.
It has attacked ships using a route through the strait that is overseen
by U.S. forces and intended to be outside Tehran’s control.
___
Frankel reported from Jerusalem.
All contents © copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved
 |
