U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the United States’ military operation against the Iranian regime has entered a broader phase, with the objective now being to eliminate all of the regime’s missile and nuclear capabilities.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, July 20, following the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, Trump claimed that the Iranian regime has lost most of its military capabilities and now retains only a limited number of missiles, drones, and military production capacity.
Referring to the recent U.S. strikes, he said that what is now underway is far larger than the initial phase of the operation. According to Trump, the United States initially sought only to prevent the regime from acquiring a specific capability but is now moving to eliminate it entirely.
The U.S. president added that America’s objective is to eliminate any possibility of the Iranian regime acquiring a nuclear missile.
Trump also claimed that the United States has control of the Strait of Hormuz and that the Iranian regime has no control over the strategic waterway. He announced that new strikes against Iranian military targets were carried out on Sunday evening and said they inflicted very heavy blows on the regime.
CENTCOM: Ninth Wave of Strikes Successfully Completed
At the same time, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), the unified combatant command responsible for U.S. military operations in the Middle East, announced that its forces had successfully completed the ninth consecutive wave of strikes against military targets in Iran.
According to the CENTCOM statement, the strikes targeted military command centers, air defense systems, coastal surveillance facilities, naval capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, as well as the Iranian regime’s communications networks.
According to CENTCOM, the objective of the operation is to reduce the Iranian regime’s ability to threaten commercial vessels and civilian mariners in the Strait of Hormuz and to safeguard international maritime security.
The command also emphasized that U.S. forces remain on full alert under the orders of the commander in chief and that military operations against Iranian regime targets will continue if necessary.
IRGC Claims Retaliatory Strikes
In response, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed that it had targeted U.S. military bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, and the U.S. military headquarters in Syria in retaliation for the American attacks. The IRGC also claimed it had attacked what it described as “violating oil tankers” in the Persian Gulf, a claim that has not been independently verified.
Trump also said that the recent U.S. strikes were carried out in response to the killing of three American service members and stressed that the operation will continue until the Iranian regime’s ability to acquire missile and nuclear capabilities has been completely eliminated.
