The United States military announced late Monday that it had launched its 10th night of airstrikes in a row against Iran, continuing its campaign to force open the Strait of Hormuz. The latest round of bombings came on the heels of another American service member’s death and followed Iranian attacks on U.S. allies Kuwait, Jordan, and Bahrain — the home of the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet.
U.S. Central Command announced via social media that the latest strikes “are designed to further degrade Iranian military capabilities used to attack commercial shipping” in the strait.
Even as both nations inch closer to full-scale war, a small window of hope appeared on the diplomatic front. Iran’s interior minister traveled to Pakistan — a key mediator in the conflict — to engage in talks aimed at de-escalation.
A ceasefire agreement signed last month that was intended to stop the fighting has fallen apart. Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz — a critical corridor for global energy supplies — has largely ground to a halt. As the conflict intensifies, both sides have been striking civilian infrastructure that millions of people depend on.
A new threat to world energy markets surfaced Monday when Iran-backed rebels in Yemen announced plans to block Saudi Arabia from using the Red Sea as a shipping route — an alternate path for oil exports during the ongoing war.
The escalating conflict has driven oil prices steadily higher in recent weeks. Benchmark Brent crude traded above $88 a barrel on Monday, and the average price of regular gasoline in the U.S. climbed to $4 a gallon — putting additional strain on American household budgets ahead of midterm elections this fall.
The U.S. military identified two soldiers killed in Jordan during Iranian attacks, with a third person still missing. Separately, the military confirmed another death in Iraq on Saturday during what was described as a “controlled detonation” of a downed Iranian drone. President Donald Trump took to social media Monday with a stern warning: “Every time Iran kills an American Soldier they will pay for that killing many times over!”
Trump was also expected to attend a ceremony Tuesday evening at Dover Air Force Base, where the remains of at least one service member were scheduled to arrive.
US Targets Strategic Sites Inside Iran
U.S. Central Command said Sunday’s airstrikes hit “Iranian military command centers, air defense and coastal surveillance sites, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites and communications networks.” Earlier in the week, U.S. forces struck bridges and a tower at an Iranian port.
Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported that the American strikes killed at least one person near Tabriz, a northwestern city located approximately 520 kilometers — or 325 miles — from the capital, Tehran. Tabriz is believed to house underground missile bases operated by Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.
According to IRNA, U.S. strikes likely also hit Bandar Imam Khomeini in Khuzestan province, Sirik and Jask in Hormozgan province, and Konarak and Chahbahar in Sistan and Baluchistan province.
The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center reported Monday evening that a second ship had been attacked the previous day in the Strait of Hormuz, this one near the coast of the United Arab Emirates.
A separate vessel was struck by a projectile in the Strait of Hormuz near Oman’s coastline, catching fire. The crew abandoned ship, and the vessel remained adrift and burning hours later, according to the UKMTO. The route around Oman is the one the U.S. military has been recommending to ships seeking to avoid Iranian-controlled waters. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard later claimed responsibility for targeting tankers in the strait.
Iran also launched attacks against other U.S.-allied nations across the Middle East. Kuwait reported its air defenses engaged an incoming barrage, while Jordan’s armed forces said Monday evening they had intercepted and shot down three Iranian missiles, with no reported casualties or property damage. Iran did not immediately comment.
Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry condemned Iranian drone strikes targeting the country’s air traffic systems, calling them a danger to civilian travelers.
Strait of Hormuz Remains at the Center of the Conflict
Yemen’s Houthi rebels — backed by Iran — announced Monday a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia, saying they would block shipping between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The Houthis said the move was in response to an attack on Sanaa International Airport last week, which they attributed to Saudi Arabia.
With the Strait of Hormuz effectively shut down, Saudi Arabia has been relying on a pipeline that feeds into the Red Sea to move millions of barrels of oil to market. The Houthis have previously shown they can disrupt that route, having attacked more than 100 vessels there during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
Saudi Arabia had not issued an immediate response to the Houthi announcement.
President Trump has previously threatened to strike Iran’s power stations and bridges in an effort to pressure Tehran into reopening the Strait of Hormuz — the passage through which one-fifth of the world’s oil supply moved before the war began. Recent military actions suggest those threats are being carried out. The U.S. also reimposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports within the past week to cut off its crude oil exports, with the military saying it has redirected seven ships and disabled one since the blockade began.
Diplomatic Talks Offer a Glimmer of Hope
Pakistan has been stepping up efforts to revive the interim ceasefire that was reached last month, which called for both sides to resolve outstanding issues within 60 days. That truce collapsed after both the U.S. and Iran resumed strikes on each other’s military and civilian infrastructure.
Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni arrived in Islamabad on Monday for two days of talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other officials. Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi expressed cautious optimism, saying: “God willing, we will have good news.”
On Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that Washington remains open to diplomacy with Iran, but stressed that “it has to be real.” Rubio added: “If the door opens to diplomacy — if the guys that want to do something productive for Iran win and take control of that system, or take control of the negotiations — that’ll be a very positive development. That’s not where we are tonight, unfortunately.”
Iranian authorities reported Sunday that at least 50 people have been killed and 517 wounded in the most recent rounds of U.S. strikes. Since the war began on February 28, a total of 17 U.S. service members have lost their lives.
