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Iran live updates: Iran will 'pay a price,' Rubio says when asked if US will escalate

CENTCOM launched a 12th consecutive night of strikes on Iran on Wednesday.

Last Updated: July 23, 2026, 10:01 AM EDT

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.

3 hours and 58 minutes ago

Iran will 'pay a price,' Rubio says when asked if US will escalate

While attending the ASEAN summit in Manilla, Philippines, on Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that Iran is "going to pay a price" when asked if the U.S. was planning to escalate its ongoing strike campaign in the coming days.

"The president's policy is a head for an eye," Rubio said. "They will pay a very heavy price for the things they're doing. They're already paying a very heavy price."

"They're probably not ready to do a deal yet, but they will be soon because the price they're paying is very high, despite their tough talk and their flowery language and their stupid Lego videos they put out," Rubio said.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the press on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers Meeting in Pasay, Metro Manila, on July 23, 2026.
Brendan Smialowski/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Rubio denied reports that Russia is helping Iran to target its strikes on U.S. bases and personnel, telling reporters there is "nothing that anyone's doing to help Iran" target Americans.

The secretary of state did not directly respond to Trump's social media posts threatening to bomb Iran's infrastructure each time they target ships in the Strait of Hormuz when asked by reporters. However, Rubio suggested Iran is "begging" the U.S. "every single day" to make a deal both "directly and indirectly."

"The price will continue to get higher every single night until they come to their senses. Right now, apparently they haven't come to their senses, and so the president doesn't see a lot of utility in responding to their overtures at this point," he said.

-ABC News' Joe Simonetti, Alex Ederson and Tierra Cunningham

4:49 AM EDT

IRGC claims new attacks on US bases in Kuwait, Jordan

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Thursday morning that it targeted U.S. military bases in Kuwait and Jordan in a new wave of strikes, in a statement carried by Iranian state media.

The IRGC described the attacks as retaliation against the U.S. and not the Kuwaiti or Jordanian people.

The latest Iranian attacks came after the U.S. military's 12th consecutive night of airstrikes against Iran on Wednesday.

-ABC News' Morgan Winsor

2:57 AM EDT

CENTCOM says it redirected 9 ships, 'disabled' 1 in Iran blockade

U.S. Central Command said in a statement late on Wednesday that it completed its 12th consecutive night of strikes on Iran.

CENTCOM said that the latest wave of attacks targeted "maritime capabilities, missile and drone storage facilities, coastal surveillance sites and air defense assets."

"The strikes further degrade Iran's ability to attack civilian mariners and commercial vessels," CENTCOM said.

CENTCOM said it also redirected nine commercial vessels and "disabled" another, continuing to enforce the naval blockade of Iran's ports.

Scattered debris and smoke are seen at an unknown location following during what U.S. Central Command said were strikes on Iran, in this screengrab taken from a handout video released on July 22, 2026.
U.s. Central Command/via Reuters

-ABC News' Alex Ederson

Jul 22, 2026, 6:58 PM EDT

Another night of US strikes targeting Iran

U.S. forces launched more strikes targeting Iran, U.S. Central Command announced in a social media post.

It's the 12th consecutive night of U.S. strikes against Iran.

"The mission will continue to further degrade Iran's ability to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting regional waters," the statement said.

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