There are no signs of de-escalation in the conflict between the United States and Iran after a week of renewed military exchanges, with both sides effectively abandoning the memorandum of understanding signed in June. The Hormuz Strait blockade has tightened, with Washington reimposing restrictions on Iranian Gulf ports while Tehran insists the strategic waterway will remain closed until US military operations cease.
The US launched two waves of air strikes against targets along Iran’s coastline and said it had “neutralised” an empty oil tanker that attempted to breach the blockade shortly after it was reinstated.
Early on Thursday, Iranian state media reported that air defence systems had been activated in Tehran for the first time since hostilities resumed. Explosions were also reported in northern and western Iran, though no casualties were immediately confirmed.
Iran vows to keep Strait closed
Iran, which announced over the weekend that it was once again closing the Strait of Hormuz, said the strategically important shipping lane would remain shut until US attacks end.
At the same time, Tehran continued targeting US military bases and facilities across Gulf monarchies, further undermining diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the conflict that reignited on 28 February following US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
Despite the ongoing fighting, US President Donald Trump announced that an American citizen detained in Iran since 2024 had been released, describing the move on Truth Social as a “gesture of goodwill” by Tehran.
Human rights lawyer Jared Genser identified the woman as his client, Dena Karari, a dual US-Iranian citizen whom he said had been trapped in Iran on fabricated charges of espionage and collaboration with an enemy state.
Bushehr targeted as strikes expand
The latest round of hostilities began on 7 July following attacks on commercial vessels in the Gulf that Washington attributed to Iran. The current campaign marks the most extensive military escalation since the April ceasefire.
Iranian chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the June memorandum had become meaningless unless its terms were fully implemented, adding that Tehran had no reason to continue complying if it received no benefit.
US strikes targeted Bushehr, home to Iran’s only operational nuclear power plant, as well as areas around Iranshahr. Iranian military officials said seven service members had been killed and reported 13 US missile strikes.
The US military said the attacks had further reduced Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz before announcing another wave of bombardments later in the day.
Explosions were also reported in Bandar Abbas, Rask, Chabahar and on Qeshm Island, according to Iranian state media.
Tanker destroyed during blockade
Iranian officials said patients and medical staff had to be evacuated from a hospital in Ahvaz following nearby US air strikes.
As part of the renewed blockade of Iranian ports, the US military said a fighter aircraft opened fire on the empty tanker M/T Belma, sailing under the Curaçao flag, after it attempted to violate the restrictions. The vessel was described as having been “neutralised”.
Civilian toll rises
More than 30 civilians have been killed since fighting resumed, according to the latest official Iranian figures.
Residents described growing fear as air strikes intensified.
“My children are so frightened by the explosions that they only manage to sleep in the morning,” one resident of Sistan-Baluchestan province told AFP by telephone.
Another resident said: “We are not living, we are surviving. May God end the war and then our economic hardships.”
Regional tensions spread
AFP journalists reported explosions near the Iranian consulate in Erbil in Iraq’s Kurdistan region after drones prompted the activation of air defence systems.
The Kuwaiti military later announced it was intercepting what it described as hostile Iranian drones, while air raid sirens were activated in Bahrain.
On Thursday morning, Iranian media again reported that air defence systems had been activated in several areas of Tehran, with additional explosions heard in Lorestan and Semnan provinces.
Kuwait’s armed forces said any explosions heard would likely result from air defence interceptions, while Bahrain’s Interior Ministry confirmed that warning sirens had been sounded.
Shipping and oil markets affected
The Hormuz Strait, which lies between Iran and Oman, normally carries around one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas exports.
Maritime traffic has fallen sharply following attacks on oil tankers. According to shipping analytics company Kpler, only 13 commercial vessels transited the waterway on Tuesday.
Oil prices stabilised after surging earlier in the week, with Brent crude trading at around $85 per barrel.
The renewed blockade forms part of Washington’s effort to increase pressure on Tehran, while Iran continues to assert control over shipping through the Strait by restricting commercial vessels to a single route along its coastline.
Also read: Trump threatens to bomb power plants unless Iran talks resume
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