The United States and Iran have engaged in an intensifying exchange of fire for seven consecutive nights over the strategic Strait of Hormuz, leading to the collapse of a preliminary peace deal signed last month. At the direction of President Donald Trump, the US military has launched airstrikes to degrade Iranian military capabilities, hitting targets in Bandar Abbas, Bushehr, and near Tehran. The strikes have targeted bridges, railways, airports, and energy sites, including the collapse of a tower at a key Iranian port.
As part of a blockade on Iranian ports, US aircraft disabled a Curaçao-flagged unladen oil tanker sailing toward Kharg Island by firing Hellfire missiles into the ship's smokestack after it ignored multiple warnings. President Trump has claimed the US is winning the conflict and has threatened to target Iranian power plants and further infrastructure unless Tehran returns to negotiations.
Iran has retaliated by launching missile and drone strikes against US allies and military bases across the region, including Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and Syria. These attacks included a strike on a US special operations command center in southeastern Syria and damage to a power and desalination plant in Kuwait. Tehran has declared the Strait of Hormuz a red line and warned it would strike all infrastructure across the Gulf region if attacked, while also signaling that the Houthis should be ready to disrupt Red Sea shipping.
The Iranian health ministry reports that the recent US attacks have killed at least 38 people and injured more than 400, including women and children. While the White House maintains that the door to diplomacy remains open and mediator Pakistan has called for a resumption of talks, the escalation has caused shipping traffic in the critical strait to slump and raised fears of an all-out war.