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Strikes, blockade, Hormuz
Egypt called for an immediate halt to military operations and all forms of escalation as attacks on shipping and military sites intensified across the Gulf, with Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty discussing containment efforts in telephone calls with Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al-Busaidi and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
“Egypt on Saturday called for an immediate halt to military operations and all forms of escalation”
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced a new wave of strikes against Iran aimed at degrading military capabilities used to target commercial shipping and civilian mariners transiting the Strait of Hormuz, while US President Donald Trump said Iran remained in contact with Washington and was seeking an agreement.
At sea, CENTCOM said it disabled a merchant tanker in the Gulf of Oman after the vessel repeatedly attempted to breach a blockade imposed on Iranian ports, and it also said a US destroyer disabled another vessel and redirected six commercial ships during enforcement operations.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Navy said it had stopped four vessels within 24 hours after they attempted to use what Tehran described as an unsafe southern route through the Strait of Hormuz.
Araghchi said Tehran would not accept a temporary ceasefire unless its demands regarding the Strait of Hormuz were addressed, and he said a memorandum of understanding with Washington required Iran to arrange the reopening of the strait within one month and provide free navigation services for 60 days before discussing a longer-term management mechanism with Oman.
Quotes, talks, threats
As the US-Iran confrontation shifted toward a broader campaign of pressure, CCTV English described nearly two weeks of US strikes and escalating threats against Iranian infrastructure that “transformed the US-Iran confrontation from a series of retaliatory exchanges into a broader campaign of pressure.”
Trump warned after Houthi fighters attacked Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea that there would be “major military punishment” against both Iran and the Houthis, while he also indicated he was weighing broader military action because Iran had not “received enough pain yet.”
In parallel, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi insisted the problem with advancing peace talks was “the American approach,” adding that “Preserving Iran’s interests in the strait of Hormuz is among our principles and we are committed to them.”
Al Jazeera reported that Iran accused the United States of trying to force open a new route through the Strait of Hormuz bypassing Iranian authorities, saying Araghchi told Iranian media that the June US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding gives Tehran the right to set transit routes and mechanisms.
Al Jazeera also quoted Iran’s health ministry spokesperson Hossein Kermanpour saying “Iran had a peaceful night,” while it reported the IRGC said its attacks had destroyed US military aircraft at bases across the region.
Coalition, navigation stakes
With diplomatic efforts continuing to restore stability, Al Jazeera reported that the United States and Britain began moving to explore an international mechanism to secure navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, citing a plan for a high-level meeting in the British capital next week to discuss forming a possible international coalition.
“The move comes as attacks in the strait have subsided”
The same report said the expected participation could include US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Dan Cain, while it described a US priority of restoring normal movement of commercial shipping as a prerequisite for ending the fallout of the war with Iran and containing disruptions in global oil and energy markets.
Al Jazeera also said some countries conditioned joining any naval mission on halting military operations in the Strait in order to ensure a safe operating environment, and it reported that Paris and London said the mission would practically not begin until a permanent ceasefire is secured.
In the background of those stakes, Dailynewsegypt said Egypt warned that any threat to strategic waterways would undermine regional security, international trade, and global supply chains, and it said Abdelatty urged political and diplomatic solutions.
As the confrontation continued to affect maritime chokepoints, The Guardian reported that the Houthis’ blockade claims and attacks in the Bab el-Mandeb pushed oil prices up 7% to more than $100 per barrel for the first time since May, while it said shipping insurance costs through the southern Red Sea doubled for some companies on Thursday.
