US strikes hit Iran-Iraq border crossing; deaths and injuries reported

BAGHDAD, Iraq — US Central Command carried out a 12th wave of airstrikes on targets inside Iran in the early hours of Thursday, July 23, hitting the area around the passenger terminal of the Shalamcheh border crossing that links Iran's Khuzestan province to Iraq. Iranian media confirmed that the missile strike on the crossing's surroundings killed two people and wounded 11. Separate powerful explosions were reported around the city of Islamabad-e Gharb in Iran's Kermanshah province, a development Iranian outlets said expanded the list of US targets in western Iran. Caspian Sea and maritime authorities are also investigating reports of damage to Iranian rescue vessels. Iran's Hormozgan Port and Maritime Directorate said the search-and-rescue ships "Naji 15" and "Naji 16" were directly targeted in Gulf waters, causing serious injuries and damage to the country's maritime rescue capabilities. The extent of the damage was not immediately detailed. US Central Command said later the same day that it had completed another wave of strikes against Iran, hitting military facilities, naval capabilities, as well as missile and drone storage sites. The operations followed President Donald Trump's sharp warnings that Iran would be struck for attacks on commercial shipping traffic in and around the Strait of Hormuz.