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West Asia Conflict
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Shipping through Hormuz grinds to near standstill after fresh US strikes
Ship-tracking data showed minimal movement through the world's most important oil chokepoint after Washington launched a second day of strikes on Iran and President Donald Trump declared the ceasefire
Trump warns of more attacks on Iran but says it does not mean return to war
The US President renewed threats of military action after saying recent Iranian attacks had ended the ceasefire, while insisting the latest fighting would not become a prolonged conflict
Updated On: Jul 09 2026 | 8:31 AM ISTAs Iran ceasefire frays, Trump faces a muddled war and limited options
US President Donald Trump appears to be confronting the consequences of a cease-fire deal cobbled together in haste, with little movement toward resolving the key issues driving the conflict
Updated On: Jul 09 2026 | 7:37 AM ISTUS strikes Iran after revoking oil sanctions relief over Hormuz attacks
Iranian media reported explosions early Wednesday local time in the southern port city of Sirik, on Qeshm Island, and in Bandar Abbas. No civilian deaths were reported, but several people were injured
Updated On: Jul 08 2026 | 6:52 AM ISTLatest Updates on West Asia Conflict
The US military announced Wednesday that it was conducting a 12th night of strikes against Iran as both sides increasingly targeted civilian infrastructure. US Central Command said the attacks were designed to "further degrade Iran's ability to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting regional waters," as the Americans push to regain control over the Strait of Hormuz and restore the flow of international shipping. President Donald Trump warned earlier Wednesday that the US would destroy one bridge or power plant each time Iran shoots at a ship in the strait. "From this point forward, any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, whether it be by Missile, Rocket, Drone, or any other device or weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT," Trump wrote on social media. The continued American airstrikes are occurring even as diplomatic efforts show little public sign of progress and officials on both sid
Iran's supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, in a new statement warned of "unforgettable lessons" if US continues attacks. The statement attributed to Khamenei, still unseen since the war began, was read out on state television. He also called US President Donald Trump's signature "worthless and invalid," after an Iranian negotiator earlier Saturday said Tehran was suspending its commitments to the interim deal signed by both countries about a month ago. The deal was aimed at permanently ending the war.
The United States and Iran exchanged strikes aimed at infrastructure and military targets on Saturday as their battle over the Strait of Hormuz intensified. The region has endured days of back-and-forth attacks in a conflict increasingly focused on control of the strait, an essential waterway that used to carry a fifth of the world's crude oil. The collapse of an interim ceasefire leaves no clear end in sight for the war that the US and Israel began more than four months ago. The US Central Command said early Saturday that its seventh straight night of strikes had hit "surveillance sites, military logistics infrastructure, underground weapons storage, and maritime capabilities." The most significant damage on Saturday occurred in Kuwait after Iran struck a water desalination plant and an oil facility, according to the Kuwait authorities and the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation. Both declined to provide locations. The strikes injured several people at the oil facility and caused a fire
Kuwait's Ministry of Water and Electricity said on Saturday a water desalination and power generation plant was struck by Iran, sparking a blaze. It was the second time in two days that Iran targeted a water desalination infrastructure in the Gulf Arab country. Kuwait said Iran had targeted a different power and desalination plant on Friday, sparking a fire and causing damage. Kuwaiti authorities said several generating units were shut down as a precaution. About 90 per cent of Kuwait's drinking water comes from desalination, and the plants are a critical part of the desert nation's infrastructure.
US companies signed roughly USD 60 billion in agreements and partnerships with the Iraqi government Friday, including deals intended to create alternative routes for shipping oil out of the Persian Gulf. The deals, signed at the US Chamber of Commerce, also involved other industries, including healthcare, communications and infrastructure. It's not clear when the oil deals will be able to create viable alternatives to the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world's oil flows. Goldman Sachs estimates that pipelines in just one country take at least two and a half years to build, and these pipelines would travel through two or more nations. Iran has sought to close the Strait repeatedly since the U.S.-Iran war began Feb. 28, causing sharp gyrations in oil and gas prices. On Friday afternoon, the price of West Texas crude rose nearly 5 per cent to USD 88 a barrel, up from about USD 67 before the war began. It had topped USD 110 in early April before falling back after
The United States and Iran escalated their attacks across the Middle East on Friday, trading strikes aimed at infrastructure and military targets as their battle over the Strait of Hormuz intensified. The US expanded its attacks against Iran by hitting more bridges and energy sites and collapsing a tower at a key Iranian port, following through on President Donald Trump's threats to pressure Tehran to ease its chokehold on the waterway vital to world energy supplies. In response, Iran launched missiles into US-allied nations in the Mideast, including Qatar, a mediator in the war, and Kuwait, where one of the desert nation's water desalination plants was damaged. The region has endured days of back-and-forth attacks in a conflict increasingly focused on control of the strait, and the collapse of an interim ceasefire leaves no clear end in sight for the war that began more than four months ago. The US Central Command said late Friday it had launched its seventh straight night of attac
Kuwait said Friday that Iran attacked a power and water desalination plant, causing widespread damage to the station. In Kuwait, about 90% of drinking water comes from desalination -- and any disruption can threaten life in the small, desert nation. Kuwait's Electricity Water and Renewable Energy Ministry announced the attack, saying it sparked a fire and "damage to a large number of electricity generation units." Kuwait said it extinguished the blaze and was working to assess the damage and get the station working again.
Iran acknowledged "attacks on power infrastructure" during the US airstrike campaign for the first time Friday, showing the escalation in the American campaign. Iran's Energy Ministry issued a call for people to use less power in southern provinces. It said those areas "are currently experiencing extreme heat and attacks on power infrastructure". The ministry did not elaborate on whether it was power plants, transmission lines or other equipment that had been attacked. US President Donald Trump had threatened to go after bridges and power plants as America vies with Iran over control of the Strait of Hormuz.
A tanker came under attack travelling through the Strait of Hormuz taking the route closest to Oman, the British military said Friday. The report from the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre described the strike as happening early Friday and involving a projectile hitting the vessel. The UKMTO said the ship sustained minor damage to its port side. "All crew are safe and accounted for, no environmental impact has been reported and the vessel is continuing to its next port of call," the UKMTO said. Iran has been attacking tankers travelling on the route near Oman but did not immediately acknowledge any attack.
US airstrikes on Friday appeared to have collapsed a tower at Iran's Chabahar port on the Gulf of Oman, a key trade route for Afghanistan. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth shared the image of the surveillance tower appearing to collapse. That image had circulated social media via activists prior to Hegseth sharing it. Chabahar port has been a repeated target of American airstrikes. Iranian state media acknowledged a third round of strikes on the facility without immediately acknowledging the tower's collapse. Iran described the tower as overseeing commercial traffic into the port. However, Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard also operates at ports across the country.
The United States expanded its airstrike campaign against Iran early Friday by increasingly hitting bridges, part of President Donald Trump's threats to start striking infrastructure to pressure Tehran to ease its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz. Iran launched new missile attacks against US-allied nations in the Middle East and warned that its attacks would escalate. In Qatar, authorities warned the public to take shelter as a barrage of Iranian missiles targeted the nation. People heard explosions overhead as air defenses fired to intercept the missiles. Qatar is a key mediator with Pakistan in trying to reach an end to the Iran war. But talks have broken down over Iran's chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz. Iran earlier targeted Bahrain and Kuwait over US airstrikes hitting bridges in the Islamic Republic overnight. The interim ceasefire agreed to last month has collapsed, and the region has endured days of back-and-forth attacks by the US and Iran as they battle for control of t