U.S.-Iran Strikes Widen as Trump Weighs a ‘Massive Attack’

A thirteenth night pushes the conflict outward

The U.S. carried out a 13th consecutive night of strikes on Iran on Friday, targeting capabilities Washington says threaten maritime traffic, while Iran said it attacked American military facilities in Bahrain and Jordan with drones. President Donald Trump told Axios he was close to deciding whether to launch “a massive attack” that would be “bigger than ever before.”npr

The exchange followed Trump’s earlier pledge to destroy an Iranian bridge or power plant for every new attack on a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. That warning came as the Pentagon reported 18 U.S. service members killed and at least 482 wounded in the war.cbsnews +1

Two shipping chokepoints drive the stakes

The confrontation is no longer centered only on Iran and Hormuz. Iran-aligned Houthi forces attacked Saudi-linked tankers near the Bab el-Mandeb, threatening the Red Sea route to the Suez Canal as shipowners were already avoiding parts of the Gulf.npr +1 Brent crude rose above $100 a barrel on Thursday, and Iranian officials portrayed the price surge as proof that pressure on shipping had strengthened Tehran’s bargaining position.iranintl

Trump threatened “major military punishment” against the Houthis if their attacks continued. Iran’s Parliament speaker, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, offered the opposing calculation: if Iran cannot export oil or protect its infrastructure, other regional exporters and facilities will not be secure either.npr +1

Gulf states prepare for a wider emergency

The spillover is already changing daily operations around the region. Qatar Airways suspended flights to Bahrain, Kuwait and Erbil through the end of July, while the United Kingdom began temporarily withdrawing diplomatic staff from Iran.npr The United Arab Emirates said airports in Dubai and Abu Dhabi remained operational, but condemned attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan and maintained heightened protection around critical infrastructure.gulfnews

The risk is less a conventional invasion than a chain of raids, drone strikes and infrastructure attacks that forces rapid retaliation. Analysts cited by The Jerusalem Post said Iran would struggle to occupy Kuwait or Bahrain, but could plausibly attempt sabotage, limited incursions or attacks on U.S. installations.jpost

Diplomacy appears to be losing ground as both sides claim escalation can improve their leverage. Iran International reported that Tehran rejected a recent proposal relayed by intermediaries, while hard-line voices argued that higher oil prices increase the cost to Washington of prolonging the conflict.iranintl U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres warned that the region was being pulled into an “ever-widening circle of confrontation,” with each escalation creating the next.npr