US launches new strikes against Iran for 8th consecutive night after killing of American troops

The United States on Saturday launched its eighth consecutive night of strikes on Iran to "swiftly punish" the country for killing two American service members in an attack in Jordan the day earlier, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said.

In a post on X, CENTCOM said "the strikes are designed to further degrade Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and swiftly punish Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces who launched attacks against American service members in Jordan last night".

Early on Saturday, the command said that the two U.S. service members were killed and another remains missing after a strike on a base in Jordan on Friday.

The deaths bring the total number of U.S. military personnel killed to 16 since the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran on Feb. 28.

Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported in the early hours of Sunday that explosions were heard in Sirik, a county in the southern Iranian province of Hormozgan that has come under repeated U.S. strikes in recent days.

The provincial authorities in Hormozgan later confirmed that a U.S. missile hit a site near Sirik at 01:30 local time, according to Tasnim's report.

Separately, the Iranian government said in a statement on Saturday that ongoing U.S. strikes against infrastructure in Hormozgan have hit a local desalination facility west of Jask City, cutting off drinking water to an estimated 10,000 people.

The Iranian armed forces announced on Saturday that they had hit U.S. bases in Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan in waves of retaliatory missile and drone attacks launched earlier in the day.

The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps pointed to the recent U.S. "destructive" attacks against Iranian civilian infrastructure, which resulted in civilian casualties, and warned countries in West Asia hosting U.S. military bases that they would face retaliation.

The U.S. military has launched several waves of strikes against Iran's southern provinces over the past few days, claiming that the attacks are in response to the Iranian armed forces' targeting of vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, and aimed at "degrading Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping".

Iran has responded with waves of missile and drone attacks targeting U.S. military bases and facilities in the region.

US launches new strikes against Iran for 8th consecutive night after killing of American troops

China's 2026 box office revenue, including pre-sales, has surpassed 20 billion yuan (around 2.95 billion U.S. dollars) as of Sunday, with the summer movie season gaining momentum, according to industry data.

Domestic racing-comedy "Pegasus 3," family drama "Dear You" and action film "Blades of the Guardians: Wind Rises in the Desert" currently occupy the top three spots at the box office.

The box office for the summer movie season, which runs from June 1 to August 31, has exceeded 4.2 billion yuan (around 619.3 million U.S. dollars).

Among the top performers, Hong Kong director Stephen Chow's "Kung Fu Soccer" has crossed the 1.3-billion-yuan (around 191.7 million U.S. dollars) mark, while the folktale-inspired Chinese animated feature "All Wishes Come True" has broken through the 200-million-yuan (around 29.5 million U.S. dollars) threshold.

Nearly 90 Chinese and foreign films are expected to hit theaters during the summer season, which runs from June 1 to August 31. The movies span a wide range of genres from comedy and history to science fiction and animation.

So far, more than 110 films from China and abroad have been released, spanning historical epics, heartwarming dramas, crime thrillers, action films, comedies and animated features.

China's 2026 box office surpasses 20 bln yuan amid summer boom