SerpApi.Org
The US military said it carried out its 11th straight night of strikes on Iran early Wednesday, as fighting across the Middle East continued to overshadow efforts to revive an interim ceasefire that has collapsed. The latest escalation has unfolded alongside attacks on shipping routes and rising energy prices, with the conflict increasingly centred on control of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global oil and gas supplies.
Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni travelled to Pakistan, which has been trying to restore diplomacy between Tehran and Washington, but there was no clarity on what new arrangement could end the war. US President Donald Trump, speaking from the Oval Office, said Iranian officials "want to desperately meet" but that the US had "no interest in meeting" until they were ready for meaningful talks, and signalled that US forces could soon target the area near Pickaxe Mountain, close to one of Iran's main uranium enrichment sites.
US Central Command said the latest targets included aircraft hangars and drone storage sites. The strikes followed Trump's indication that military action would intensify. With negotiations and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz largely stalled, both sides have sought leverage by targeting civilian infrastructure used by millions of people in the region. The US barrage has not loosened Iran's hold over the strait, through which about one-fifth of the world's crude oil and natural gas moved before the war.
The US continued airstrikes into Wednesday, with Iranian air defences activated near Tehran. That came after Iran attacked a tanker in the strait, forcing its crew to abandon the ship, while attacks on US allies also continued. Sirens sounded in Bahrain and Kuwait warning residents of incoming projectiles. The escalation pushed up energy prices, with the international benchmark for crude trading above USD 92 a barrel on Wednesday and regular petrol in the US averaging USD 4 a gallon.
With US midterm elections approaching in the fall, polls have pointed to the war's unpopularity among Americans, who have faced higher fuel prices and seen new casualties in a conflict that had appeared to be easing only weeks ago. A US official told The Associated Press that the number of wounded US personnel in the Iran war had risen to well over 500, higher than the Pentagon's official tally of 482 on the Defence Casualty Analysis System. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media, said the system has a significant reporting lag because of its design and not by intention.
In the Red Sea, Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen opened another front by declaring a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia, threatening the flow of global oil supplies and trade. With the Strait of Hormuz blocked, Saudi Arabia has been relying on a pipeline to the Red Sea to move millions of barrels of oil to market. Houthi-run news agency SABA said six ships in the Red Sea rerouted after receiving warnings from the group, though the claim could not be immediately confirmed. Three Houthi officials also said the rebels warned international shipping companies on Monday to avoid the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the gateway to the Red Sea on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula from the Strait of Hormuz.
In Pakistan, Momeni met army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and later Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, according to two officials who spoke on condition of anonymity about the closed-door discussions. In a statement, Sharif expressed deep concern over the recent US-Iran escalation and urged all sides to exercise restraint and avoid actions that could further destabilise the region. Pakistan's political leadership and Munir, who serves as both chief of army staff and defence forces, played a key role in brokering last month's interim agreement between the US and Iran, and Islamabad has been trying to bring both sides back to the negotiating table.
Iran's military leaders said any attack on nuclear or "other sensitive facilities" would be treated as a major escalation, according to a statement carried by Iranian state media. Mistrust remains deep on both sides: Iran was hit in a surprise attack in June 2025 and again in February while it was engaged in nuclear negotiations with the US, and the interim deal later unravelled when Tehran resumed attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, which was supposed to reopen under the agreement. The British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said a tanker was attacked early Tuesday in the strait off Oman, forcing its crew to abandon the vessel. Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard claimed responsibility for that attack and two other attacks on ships on Monday in the waterway, where the route near Oman's shores had been the one encouraged by the US military to avoid Iran's control. CENTCOM said on X that, as of Tuesday, US forces had redirected eight commercial vessels and disabled one in the strait. Overall, the conflict remained focused on US strikes, attacks on shipping and stalled diplomacy, with Pakistan still trying to revive talks.
With PTI Inputs
