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2. Iran's response to the US strike on Chabahar Port

US strikes hit Iran's Shahid Kalantari Port in Chabahar — a strategically important, India-backed port — on the second night of the renewed US campaign (July 9) . Iranian responses included:

• Iranian Embassy in India: On July 18, the embassy issued a strong condemnation, labeling the US strike on the Chabahar Port a "war crime." It specifically cited the destruction of a surveillance tower at the port .
• Supreme Leader Khamenei: Note: a February 2026 US-Israeli strike had already killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and his successor Mojtaba Khamenei had assumed the role . By the time of the Chabahar strike in July, a military adviser to the new Supreme Leader issued a warning of a "full-scale offensive" if US attacks continued . The Iranian ambassador to India also publicly stated that the Chabahar project remained on track despite the war .

3. Status of the conflict on the seventh consecutive night

As of July 17–18, 2026, the US and Iran were in the seventh consecutive night of intense strikes :

• US actions: US Central Command (CENTCOM) launched strikes beginning at 19:00 GMT (3:00 PM ET) on July 17, targeting "surveillance sites, military logistics infrastructure, underground weapons storage, and maritime capabilities" . The US also enforced a strict naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz . Over 80 Iranian locations had been hit in earlier waves .
• Iranian retaliation: Iran struck multiple US military sites in Kuwait, Jordan, and Iraq, and Iran's Revolutionary Guard claimed to have targeted 85 US sites earlier in the campaign . A military adviser to the Supreme Leader threatened a "full-scale offensive" if US strikes persisted .
• No ceasefire in effect: The interim peace deal was void, no new truce was in place, and both sides described the conflict as open-ended .

Bottom line: The interim peace deal collapsed over clashing interpretations of Strait of Hormuz traffic rights, followed by tanker attacks, US strikes, oil sanction reimposition, and Trump declaring the memorandum dead. Iran — through its embassy in India and the Supreme Leader's office — condemned the Chabahar strike as a war crime and threatened escalation. By the seventh night, the US was striking Iranian infrastructure nightly while Iran retaliated against US bases across the region, with no diplomatic resolution in sight.