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11th Night Strikes
The United States launched an 11th consecutive night of airstrikes on Iranian military targets as the conflict entered its 11th consecutive night, with CENTCOM saying the campaign is aimed at degrading Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
Sky News said Tehran reacted after Donald Trump’s latest warning about civilian infrastructure, and it reported that Iranian state media cited attacks near Ahvaz and a storage shed near Ramshir.
The Times Kuwait reported that the United States tightened its naval blockade on Iran, redirected eight commercial vessels, and said another vessel was disabled after allegedly failing to comply with repeated warnings.
Gulf News said the US Central Command reported strikes around Bushehr, Parchin, Behbahan, Mahshahr, Bandar Abbas, Chabahar, Tehran, Urmia, Tabriz, Baneh and Sirik, and it said the Bidboland Gas Refinery in Mahshahr was among the facilities hit.
In the same coverage stream, CNBC said Trump vowed that the United States will blow up an Iranian bridge or power plant every time Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, and it quoted his Truth Social post about bombing and destroying “ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT.”
Threats and Negotiations
As the strikes continued, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters at an ASEAN meeting in Manila that the United States remains open to negotiations while warning that Iran is not serious about talks.
Al Jazeera quoted Rubio saying, “The United States remains open and willing to engage in positive and constructive negotiations and discussions, provided that the commitments made are honoured,” and it paired that with his warning that “they’re not serious about talks.”
Fox News reported Rubio’s warning that “there will be consequences” if Tehran continues to violate its commitments, and it tied the warning to his argument that Iran’s demand to control shipping through the Strait of Hormuz would set a dangerous precedent.
BBC reported that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned on X that Iran’s defensive doctrine is “an eye for an eye,” adding that “Any attack on Iran, including on its infrastructure, will require a strong and decisive response.”
In parallel, BBC said Trump posted that “Whenever the Islamic Republic of Iran fires on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz,” the United States would strike and destroy one bridge or one power plant, and it described Mossad’s chief holding talks in Washington.
Costs, Targets, and Fallout
The conflict’s financial and operational stakes were emphasized in multiple reports, with Gulf News saying US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers the war has cost Washington an estimated $37.5 billion so far and that the Pentagon is seeking approximately $67 billion in supplemental funding through the end of September.
“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”
Sky News also described a broader escalation context, including Iran’s warnings against escalating the war and its focus on Trump’s threat to attack civilian infrastructure, while it noted the US military had not shared details of new strikes.
Times Kuwait reported that the US military identified Sergeant Michael Emmanuel Swinton as the third American service member to die after recent Iranian attacks in Iraq and Jordan, and it said he was killed on July 18 during a controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian one-way attack drone in northern Iraq.
Gulf News added that CENTCOM said its campaign aims to degrade Iranian military capabilities that threaten commercial vessels and civilian crews travelling through the Strait of Hormuz, and it described the blockade as intended to prevent vessels from entering or departing Iranian ports while limiting Tehran’s ability to export oil and obtain supplies.
Looking ahead, Euronews said Pakistan stepped up diplomatic efforts to salvage the interim agreement after its collapse, while it also reported that Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that Washington had “no interest” in talks with Iran for now.
