Tuesday, July 21, 2026

Iran live updates: Hegseth estimates war with Iran cost the US $37.5 billion

 

Iran live updates: Hegseth estimates war with Iran cost the US $37.5 billion

President Donald Trump announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with massive joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting military, government and infrastructure sites.

Delegations from the U.S. and Iran entered negotiations in June aimed at a war-ending deal based on a memorandum of understanding signed by both countries.

The U.S. and Iran have nonetheless continued to exchange strikes, with the strategic Strait of Hormuz the primary flashpoint.

Key Headlines

11th night of US strikes against Iran concludes

U.S. forces concluded an 11th straight night of strikes targeting Iran, U.S. Central Command said in a statement.

"CENTCOM assets targeted Iranian military operations centers, maritime capabilities, aircraft hangars, drone storage facilities, and military logistics infrastructure to further degrade Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz," the statement said.

5:42 PM CST

US striking Iran for 11th straight night

U.S. forces have started striking military targets in Iran for the 11th consecutive night, U.S. Central Command announced.

"The strikes are designed to continue degrading Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz," CENTCOM said.

5:27 PM CST

3rd soldier believed to have been killed in Jordan attack identified

The Pentagon has identified the third service member who is believed to have been killed in the attack on a Jordan air base last week.

"Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, 28, of Ozone Park, New York, is believed to have been killed in action on July 17, 2026, during an enemy attack at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, Jordan," the Defense Department said in a statement. "The incident is under investigation. U.S. Central Command previously announced this Soldier as missing. The Soldier status was updated to a Duty Status–Whereabouts Unknown and is believed to be deceased."

Pfc. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas, and 1st Lt. Tyler Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, were also killed in the attack on the base, the Defense Department previously announced.

4:12 PM CST

Kuwait says it's defending against drone attacks

Kuwait's army said its air defenses are intercepting Iranian drone attacks.

Iranian state media Fars said that the Ali Al Salem Base, which hosts U.S. troops, was targeted.

3:03 PM CST

In defense of war in Iran, Trump compares deaths in previous conflicts

President Donald Trump is comparing the number of American deaths in the Iran war so far with the number of causalities in prior American conflicts.

One day before he is expected to attend the dignified transfer for at least two Americans killed over the weekend, Trump took to social media to compare the number of Americans killed in his war so far:

"Afghanistan War: 20 years, 2,000 DEAD.

Iraq War: 9 years, 4,600 DEAD.

Vietnam War: 19 years and 5 months, 58,220 DEAD.

Korean War: 3 years and 1 month, 36,574 DEAD.

Venezuela War: 1 day, 0 DEAD.

Iran Military Conflict: 4 months, 18 DEAD," Trump wrote in a post on social media.

2:32 PM CST

Senate Democrats accuse administration of misrepresenting casualties in Iran

Some Senate Democrats on Tuesday called out the Trump administration’s handling of the war in Iran, accusing them of misrepresenting the number of casualties and widening the war as the lawmakers demanded more transparency.

“The ceasefire collapsed. The war is escalating. American troops are paying the price. Iran knew it attacked our bases. The Pentagon knew our troops were wounded. The only people kept in the dark were the American people. That's not operational security. It's political protection for Donald Trump,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., sounded exasperated as he talked about Trump’s threats to escalate the war amid numerous troop casualties despite Congress voting to limit Trump’s war powers in the Middle East. Kaine said the administration needs to have an explanation as to why servicemembers were killed.

Senator Tim Kaine speaks following a policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol, July 21, 2026 in Washington.
Finn Gomez/Getty Images

"You better have a really good answer for that question. And as of right now, this war of choice that Donald Trump started, he cannot answer that question. Congress has definitively declared both houses that this war is illegal. Only we in the Constitution have that power. The president is ignoring us, even though that declaration was made by two Republican majority houses,” Kaine said.

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., said he is not seeing enough transparency from the Trump administration regarding casualties and killing in action in the Middle East as a result of hostilities with Iran.

"Truth is first casualty of war, so we honestly have no idea what's going over there," Massie told ABC News. "I would trust some foreign news source or some satellite images from a commercial third party, more than I would our government.”

1:54 PM CST

Hegseth estimates the war with Iran cost the US $37.5 billion

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told congressmembers on Capitol Hill that the war in Iran has cost the U.S. $37.5 billion so far.

Hegseth said this includes estimated costs through Sept. 30.

10:33 AM CST

Many ship owners refusing to transit through alternate route after Houthi threats, shipping executive says

Even the threat of attacks by the Houthis is having an impact on ships transiting through the Bab el Mandeb route -- a strait in the Red Sea's southern gateway and one of the world's most important oil shipping routes for crude and fuel shipments moving between the Middle East, Europe and Asia -- according to a ship fleet company executive who has seven tankers in the region.


"There is no transit through the Strait of Hormuz. Also as of today the Bab el Mandeb transits into the Red Sea are also uncertain as Houthis have sent messages to many companies banning transit to Saudi ports," the executive told ABC News.

PHOTO: Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam
Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, July 21, 2026.
Reuters

"We deal with uncertainty on a daily basis but the level of uncertainty now is unprecedented. Especially for the seafarers this is a nightmare. This is a huge concern for the world because if the Bab el Mandeb closes while the Strait of Hormuz is closed oil will go to 150!" the executive said.

The executive said it is "too risky" to go through the Arabian Gulf, adding that the "Red Sea transit has become an unknown. No incidents as yet but clear threats and instructions from Houthis not to head to/from Saudi ports."

-ABC News' Desiree Adib

9:55 AM CST

Trump says Iran 'desperately' wants to meet for ceasefire talks amid new strikes

President Donald Trump insisted on Tuesday that Iran "desperately" wants to meet for ceasefire talks despite the U.S. and Iran exchanging limited strikes for over a week.

But, Trump maintained that the war is not yet over telling reporters at the White House, "We're not finished."

"We're not leaving," Trump said.

9:43 AM CST

Crew members in Kuwaiti tanker injured in Iranian attack

Multiple crew members were injured in Iranian strikes on a Kuwaiti tanker passing through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday evening, Kuwait’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

The ministry said it had summoned Iran’s ambassador to Kuwait to protest the alleged attack.

"The State of Kuwait renewed its demand for Iran to immediately cease its illegitimate attacks, emphasizing Kuwait's reservation of its right to take necessary measures, and holding Iran fully responsible for this aggression and its ongoing assaults against the State of Kuwait," Kuwait's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Tuesday.

6:28 AM CST

Pentagon names soldier killed in Iraq by downed Iranian drone

The Pentagon on Tuesday identified the soldier killed in Iraq over the weekend during the disposal of a downed Iranian one-way attack drone.

Army Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, died during the controlled detonation of the drone at Erbil Air Base, Iraq, the Pentagon said.

Army Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, died during the controlled detonation of the drone at Erbil Air Base, Iraq, the Pentagon said.
Mia Gonzalez-Swinton

Swinton was assigned to D Battery, 2nd Battalion, 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

At least 17 U.S. troops have been killed since the U.S. and Israel launched attacks against Iran on Feb. 28, while some 500 others have been wounded, according to Defense Department figures and an updated casualty count provided by Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell on Monday.

Army Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, died during the controlled detonation of the drone at Erbil Air Base, Iraq, the Pentagon said.
US Army

One service member also remains missing following last week's attack in Jordan, where officials are still working to identify human remains recovered at the scene.

-ABC News' Steve Beynon

5:40 AM CST

Kuwait says Iranian attacks damaged power, desalination facilities

Several power generation and water desalination plants in Kuwait came under attack from Iran for the fourth consecutive day late on Monday, causing fires at a number of facilities, the Ministry of Electricity said in a statement.

Several generating units were taken offline as a precaution to protect equipment and maintain the stability of Kuwait's electricity and water systems, the statement said.

-ABC News' Ayat Altawy and Othon Leyva

5:14 AM CST

Jordan intercepts 3 Iranian missiles

Air defenses in Jordan intercepted three Iranian missiles on Tuesday afternoon, the Jordanian Armed Forces said in a statement.

No injuries or damage were reported, the military said. The announcement came hours after the military announced it downed five Iranian drones overnight.

-ABC News' Othon Leyva

5:07 AM CST

IDF 'adjusts force posture' as Lebanese military begins pilot program

An Israeli military official told ABC News on Tuesday that the Israel Defense Forces "will adjust its force posture" in one of the south Lebanon villages earmarked for a U.S.-backed pilot scheme, through which the Lebanese military will take control of the villages and clear them of Hezbollah presence and weapons.

The Lebanese Armed Forces will take control of three villages in the south of the country under the program, which was agreed during U.S.-brokered talks between Israeli and Lebanese officials last month.

The IDF, the Israeli military official said, will continue "safeguarding the security of IDF soldiers and preserving its right to self-defense and to remove threats."

A Lebanese army armored vehicle enters the southern Lebanese village of Zawtar on July 21, 2026.
Fadel Itani/AFP via Getty Images

The IDF, they added, will remain in southern Lebanon "for as long as necessary to defend the communities of northern Israel" and will "retain the freedom of operation to remove threats posed to the soldiers deployed in the Security Zone," a reference to a 6-mile-deep area along the shared border which Israeli forces have occupied.

"In the event of any violations of the agreement by the Hezbollah terrorist organization, the IDF will work through the coordination mechanism, mediated by the United States," the official said. "The objective of the pilot and the agreement is the disarmament of the Hezbollah terrorist organization and the removal of its illegal weapons," they added.

The LAF said in a post to X on Tuesday that its forces had begun deploying to the village of Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh, in the southern Nabatieh Governorate.

-ABC News' Jordana Miller and Othon Leyva

4:16 AM CST

Jordan says it intercepted drones launched from Iran

Jordan's Ministry of Government communication said in a post to social media that the country's air defenses intercepted five Iranian drones on Monday night and Tuesday morning.

-ABC News' Charlotte Gardiner and Joe Simonetti

4:11 AM CST

IRGC says 'not a drop of oil or gas' will transit Strait of Hormuz

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed on Tuesday morning that the Strait of Hormuz remains closed to commercial traffic.

"Not a single drop of oil or gas, nor any shipment of chemical fertilizers, will be exported from the region as long as the United States continues its hostile actions," the force said in a statement.

Vessels are pictured in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, on July 21, 2026.
Stringer/Reuters

-ABC News' Nasser Atta and Joe Simonetti

3:51 AM CST

Bahrain sounds air raid sirens

Bahrain's Interior Ministry said on Tuesday morning that air raid sirens were sounded, urging residents "to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place."

2:49 AM CST

State Department issues 'worldwide caution' for Americans due to Middle East war

The State Department issued a "worldwide caution" for American citizens early on Tuesday "due to heightened tensions in the Middle East."

"The security environment remains complex with the potential for unforeseen escalation," read the statement, which was shared by regional embassies. "Americans currently in the Middle East should exercise caution and heightened vigilance and should be prepared for possible flight cancellations, periodic airspace closures and potential travel disruptions."

"Please monitor embassy and consular security alerts, local authorities, and the news for breaking developments. Americans outside the Middle East should reconsider travel to and through the region," it added.

"U.S. diplomatic facilities, including outside the Middle East, have been targeted. Iran and groups supportive of Iran may target other U.S. interests overseas or at locations associated with the United States and Americans throughout the world," the statement said.

1:14 AM CST

CENTCOM launched 10th consecutive night of strikes on Iran

U.S. Central Command said late on Monday that it completed its 10th consecutive night of strikes on Iran.

The attacks targeted "Iranian military command centers, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and air defense systems to degrade Iran's ability to continue attacking commercial vessels flowing through the Strait of Hormuz," CENTCOM said in a post to X.

This photo shows an explosion at an unknown location during what U.S. Central Command said were are strikes on Iran, in this screengrab taken from a handout video released on July 20, 2026.
U.s. Central Command/via Reuters

-ABC News' Alex Ederson

Jul 20, 2026, 2:29 PM CST

US attacks Iran

At 4 p.m. ET, the U.S. began attacking Iran with another volley of strikes for the 10th consecutive day. CENTCOM said the “strikes are designed to further degrade Iranian military capabilities used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz."

U.S. Central Command launching the ninth consecutive evening of precision strikes against Iran, July 19, 2026.
U.S. Central Command

-ABC News' Steven Beynon

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Iran live updates: Hegseth estimates war with Iran cost the US $37.5 billion

  Iran live updates: Hegseth estimates war with Iran cost the US $37.5 billion President Donald Trump announced "major combat operation...