An Iranian official sat down with mediators in Pakistan on Tuesday as diplomats scrambled to breathe new life into a collapsed interim agreement between Iran and the United States — even as both nations pressed forward with a tenth straight day of attacks against each other.
Iran’s Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni made the visit as Pakistan has ramped up its diplomatic push in recent days to revive the deal. Still, it remains uncertain what kind of new arrangement could actually bring the fighting to a halt.
Early Tuesday, Iran attacked a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, forcing the crew to abandon the vessel. The United States, meanwhile, carried out yet another round of airstrikes against Iran.
Ten consecutive nights of U.S. airstrikes have failed to loosen Iran’s hold on the strait, a critical waterway through which roughly one-fifth of all crude oil and natural gas traded globally once flowed during peacetime.
The interim agreement signed last month — which was intended to stop the fighting — has now fallen apart. Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has largely ground to a halt, and as the conflict intensifies, both sides have been striking civilian infrastructure that millions of people depend on.
The U.S. State Department issued a fresh warning to Americans, stating: “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 escalating conflict has driven oil prices higher in recent weeks. Benchmark Brent crude was trading at close to $90 a barrel on Tuesday, and the national average price for regular gasoline climbed to $4 a gallon — adding financial pressure on Americans as midterm elections approach this fall.
President Donald Trump took to social media Monday with a warning: “Every time Iran kills an American Soldier they will pay for that killing many times over!”
Pentagon Disputes Report on Hidden Injury Figures
The Department of War is pushing back hard against a New York Times report claiming the U.S. military covered up the number of service members wounded during the conflict with Iran. Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell, in a statement Monday, called the report’s allegations “baseless and malicious” and dismissed them as “outright lies.” Officials said the accusations of concealing casualty numbers are fabricated and unfairly exploit the deaths of three service members killed in action. The Pentagon insists no effort was made to hide injury data. As of Tuesday, the New York Times had not publicly responded to the Pentagon’s criticism.
U.S. Strikes Continue Amid Ship Attacks
The U.S. military’s Central Command announced Tuesday that it had struck “Iranian military command centers, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites and air defense systems,” releasing additional footage of the bombings. “American forces remain postured and prepared to hold Iran accountable for unwarranted aggression toward civilian mariners seeking to freely and openly transit the strait,” the command stated.
Iranian state media reported that explosions were heard across Fars, Hormozgan, Ilam, Kerman, and Sistan and Baluchistan provinces.
Meanwhile, ship traffic through the strait has slowed dramatically. Lloyd’s List Intelligence reported that only three vessels transited the strait on Sunday.
The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center confirmed that a tanker was attacked early Tuesday in the strait off Oman, forcing the crew to abandon ship. Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard claimed responsibility for that attack, along with two additional ship attacks in the waterway on Monday. The UKMTO also separately reported Tuesday that another previously unreported attack on a ship had occurred earlier that day.
Iran Strikes U.S.-Allied Nations Across the Region
Iran also launched attacks against U.S.-allied countries throughout the Middle East. Jordan’s military said Tuesday that Iran sent five drones and three missiles toward the country, all of which were intercepted and shot down. Bahrain sounded missile alert sirens Tuesday afternoon as Iran launched another barrage targeting the island nation, which hosts the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet.
In Kuwait, the country’s Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy Ministry said Iran struck desalination and power plants for the fourth consecutive day on Monday night, sparking fires and causing damage. With roughly 90% of Kuwait’s drinking water sourced from desalination, the attacks represent a life-threatening situation for the small nation.
U.S. strikes have also been hitting electrical infrastructure inside Iran, and Iranian officials have said American forces targeted water facilities as well.
