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Strikes deepen inside Iran
The United States expanded its military campaign against Iran over the past two weeks after renewed fighting over the Strait of Hormuz, broadening strikes from naval and coastal defenses to military installations and critical infrastructure deeper inside Iran, including targets on the outskirts of Tehran.
“The United States has significantly expanded its military campaign against Iran”
Saudi Gazette said the campaign widened to include bridges, transportation networks, communications facilities and military sites in southern and central Iran, while also striking the strategic port city of Bandar Abbas and islands in the Gulf such as Qeshm, Abu Musa and Kish.
Iran’s Health Ministry put the death toll at 3,434 killed since the conflict began, including 55 during the latest escalation, while Iranian authorities said recent strikes disrupted transportation and communications and damaged water infrastructure serving thousands of residents.
The Dailynewsegypt report said Egypt called for an immediate halt to military operations and all forms of escalation, with Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty warning that any threat to strategic waterways would undermine regional security, international trade, and global supply chains.
In the same escalation context, Dailynewsegypt said US Central Command announced a new wave of strikes aimed at degrading military capabilities used to target commercial shipping and civilian mariners transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
Talks, threats, and blame
As the US-Iran confrontation continued, Al Jazeera reported that Iran blamed the United States for the Hormuz dispute, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi saying the US was trying to force open a new route through the Strait of Hormuz.
Al Jazeera quoted Araghchi saying the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding signed in June gives Tehran the right to set transit routes and mechanisms for the strategic waterway, and added that Washington should have consulted with Tehran regarding any new routes.
Al Jazeera also reported a break from nearly two straight weeks of nightly strikes, saying “Iran had a peaceful night”, as Iran’s health ministry spokesperson Hossein Kermanpour posted on X.
In parallel, Saudi Gazette said President Donald Trump warned that every Iranian attack on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz would be met with strikes on strategic infrastructure inside Iran.
Dailynewsegypt added that Araghchi said Tehran would not accept a temporary ceasefire unless its demands regarding the Strait of Hormuz were addressed, including a memorandum of understanding requirement for Iran to arrange reopening within one month and provide free navigation services for 60 days.
Navigation coalition and stakes
With the conflict’s pressure campaign continuing, multiple outlets described efforts to shift toward mechanisms for securing navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, including a planned high-level meeting in London next week to discuss forming a possible international coalition.
“hold a high-level meeting in the British capital next week”
Al Jazeera’s report said the meeting’s date and agenda were still under discussion and that it may include defense ministers and senior military leaders from the United States, Britain, and a number of Western and regional states, with expected participation by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Higsieth and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Kaine.
Al Jazeera also framed the coalition’s purpose as escorting commercial ships and oil tankers, clearing naval mines, and securing sea lanes to prevent assaults or seizures that could disrupt cargo movement.
In parallel, CCTV English described the confrontation as transforming from retaliatory exchanges into a broader campaign of pressure, raising the prospect of a prolonged conflict marked by military escalation, diplomatic maneuvering and economic strain.
CCTV English said the standoff threatens to draw in other regional flashpoints and disrupt global energy flows, noting that shipping insurers have raised premiums and that Brent crude climbed above $100 a barrel after fears instability could affect both the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb.
