US Intensifies Strikes On Iran, Targets North As Tensions Escalate Over Hormuz Blockade
Dubai, Jul 16: The United States intensified its military campaign against Iran early Thursday, launching fresh airstrikes on targets in northern Iran while also disabling an oil tanker it accused of attempting to breach its naval blockade. Iran responded with missile and drone attacks targeting Bahrain and Kuwait, further escalating tensions across the Middle East.
The latest exchange of attacks has raised fears of a renewed regional conflict, undermining an interim agreement that had briefly eased hostilities. Iranian officials said recent US strikes have killed more than 35 people and injured over 300, with attacks reaching areas around Tehran for the first time in the current phase of the conflict.
The Strait of Hormuz remains at the centre of the confrontation. Iran effectively shut the strategic waterway after the conflict began on February 28, disrupting global shipping and driving up the prices of oil, fertilisers and other commodities. In response, US President Donald Trump reimposed a naval blockade on Wednesday in an effort to restore maritime access.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf warned that Tehran was prepared for a broader military confrontation if Washington failed to honour the interim agreement. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) also threatened to halt all energy exports from the region if the blockade continued.
“The export of oil and gas from the region will be either for everyone or for no one,” the IRGC said in a statement.
Speaking at the US Army War College in Pennsylvania, President Trump maintained that Iran remained interested in a peace agreement despite the ongoing fighting.
“They don’t like what we’re doing, and they do want to settle. We’ll find out whether or not we settle with them, or we just finish it off,” Trump said.
According to Iranian state media, US strikes early Thursday targeted areas around Tehran as well as Semnan province, a key hub for Iran’s ballistic missile production and space programme.
The US military also said it disabled the Curacao-flagged oil tanker Belma after it allegedly ignored repeated warnings while heading towards Kharg Island, Iran’s principal oil export terminal in the Persian Gulf. A missile fired at the vessel’s smokestack rendered the ship inoperable, according to US officials.
On Wednesday, American forces also struck Iranian military positions on Greater Tunb Island in the Strait of Hormuz, targeting defence and missile infrastructure, US Central Command said.
Another strike reportedly hit a barracks belonging to Iran’s 388th Mechanized Infantry Brigade in Sistan and Baluchestan province. Iranian state television said at least 13 missiles were fired, killing seven soldiers, including conscripts and career personnel, while several others were injured.
The confrontation continues to focus on the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s busiest energy corridors. During the interim ceasefire, some commercial vessels used an alternative route near Oman under US military protection. However, recent Iranian attacks on ships using that passage have triggered renewed military action.
Analysts say reopening the Strait by force would require a significantly larger military deployment, making the naval blockade Washington’s preferred strategy to pressure Tehran.
Meanwhile, global energy markets remain on edge. Brent crude rose above $85 per barrel on Thursday, more than 15 per cent higher than before the conflict, though still below the peak of nearly $120 per barrel reached earlier in the war.
