Full story
11th Night of Strikes
The United States carried out its 11th consecutive night of strikes on Iran, with CENTCOM saying it targeted Iranian military operations centers, maritime capabilities, aircraft hangars, drone storage facilities, and military logistics infrastructure to further degrade Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
“United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio says his country is willing to negotiate an end to the war on Iran but accuses Tehran of not being “serious” about talks”
President Donald Trump warned that "the United States will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT" each time Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, as the strait remained largely closed because of Iranian attacks.
Iran launched a missile attack on a Jordanian city on Israel's doorstep, while air defenses opened fire over Tehran as the unpopular war spiraled with no clear off-ramp, according to the PBS report.
Iran's Health Ministry said U.S. strikes over the past 11 days have killed 53 people, including six women and three children, and wounded nearly 600 people, while Iran's state-run IRNA news agency reported explosions across several provinces.
The Times Kuwait report said the U.S. tightened its naval blockade on Iran, redirected eight commercial vessels, and launched an 11th consecutive night of airstrikes on multiple Iranian military targets, including locations in Bushehr, Tehran, Bandar Abbas, Chabahar, Mahshahr, Behbahan, Parchin, Urmia, Tabriz, Baneh and Sirik.
Rubio Rejects Tehran
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington remained open to negotiations but accused Tehran of not being "serious" about talks, adding, "If they're serious, we're serious. If they're not, then we will do what’s necessary to protect our interests and also the interests of our allies."
Rubio warned that allowing Iran to control the Strait of Hormuz would set a "very dangerous precedent" by letting a nation-state decide to control an international waterway, charge a toll, and blow up ships if they do not pay.
The BBC reported Rubio said the United States is ready to negotiate but Tehran is not serious, and it quoted him: "The problem we face now is that they are not serious about talks."
The PBS report said Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf brushed off Trump's threats, writing that "If our security is not ensured, no infrastructure will be safe" and that the security of the strait is "in the absence of American forces."
An Anadolu Ajansı report said Iran denied the veracity of Trump's claim that Tehran is 'desperately' seeking to negotiate, quoting Iranian Parliament's National Security Committee spokesperson Hassan Qashqaoui saying Trump's statements "do not reflect the truth."
Diplomacy, Costs, and Risk
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed "deep concern" over the escalating conflict, urging "all sides to exercise restraint and refrain from actions that could further destabilize the region," as he held close-door talks with Iran's Interior Minister Eskander Momeni, according to Euronews.
“Rubio: The United States is inclined toward a diplomatic solution, but Tehran is not serious about negotiations”
Euronews reported that Trump said Washington had "no interest" in talks with Iran for now, while signalling further escalation by suggesting U.S. forces could soon strike an area near Iran's main sites for uranium enrichment.
The PBS report said the closure of the strait, through which a fifth of the world's traded oil and gas passed during peacetime, jolted the world economy, and it noted a new threat by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen to target Saudi shipping in the Red Sea.
Gulf News said Brent crude climbed above $95 a barrel and that the Pentagon requested approximately $67 billion in supplemental funding to sustain military operations through the end of September, while also reporting that the U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth estimated the war had cost $37.5 billion so far.
The BBC reported that an Iranian senior official told Reuters his country has received a proposal from mediators for a 10-day ceasefire, even as Rubio warned that if Iran does not cooperate, the United States has many options to confront Iran.
