Iraq and Syria signed a US-brokered agreement to rehabilitate the Kirkuk-Baniyas pipeline, routing oil to the Mediterranean and bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran urged citizens to conserve electricity after seven consecutive nights of US strikes damaged energy facilities [37][31]. The pipeline deal, overseen by US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and brokered by US Ambassador to Turkey and Syria Envoy Tom Barrack, was described by the US State Department as a priority infrastructure project of bilateral and regional strategic significance [37]. Bassem Abdul Karim Nasr, head of the Basra Oil Company, signed for Iraq, and Youssef Qablawi, CEO of the Syrian Petroleum Company, signed for Syria [37].

Iran's Ministry of Energy called on citizens to reduce electricity use, citing extreme heat and attacks on power infrastructure in southern provinces [31][34]. Mohammad al-Haddad, CEO of Tavanir, reported that 4,200 megawatts of power grid capacity were lost and over 2,000 points damaged in recent hostilities [38]. Iranian officials for the first time cited attacks on power infrastructure while urging conservation [11].

US Central Command stated its seventh consecutive night of strikes employed fighter aircraft, aerial drones, and warships to hit surveillance sites, military logistics infrastructure, underground weapons storage, and maritime capabilities across locations including Lar, Jask, Sirik, Bushehr, Bandar Abbas, Qeshm Island, Ahvaz, and Yazd [1][2]. A White House spokesperson told the BBC the US carried out strikes exclusively on military targets [5][30]. CENTCOM dismissed IRGC claims that two oil tankers exploded after hitting mines in the Strait of Hormuz as false [5][24][35].

Iranian officials and UN figures described the same strikes as attacks on civilians. Iran's UN envoy declared US attacks on civilian infrastructure war crimes [3][24]. Foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei condemned a strike near a children's cancer hospital in Ahvaz that forced the evacuation of 211 patients undergoing chemotherapy [49][12]. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned attacks on civilian infrastructure as unacceptable [23][25], and UN human rights chief Volker Türk stated that deliberately attacking civilians and civilian infrastructure is a war crime [30]. The ICRC's Vincent Cassard said civilians are paying a heavy price, with schools, hospitals, and Red Crescent facilities destroyed [43].

Iranian military leadership vowed to continue and escalate. IRGC Aerospace Force commander Brigadier Majid Mousavi stated strikes would continue from across Iranian territory until calm returns to the southern coast and the Strait of Hormuz [3][23]. Mohsin Rezai, advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader, warned that if US attacks continue for several more days, Iran will enter a phase of full-scale offensive operations [22][27][36]. Army spokesperson Ebrahim Zolfaghari declared the Strait of Hormuz will never return to its pre-war status [20][28].

The IRGC claimed strikes on US bases in Kuwait, Jordan, Bahrain, and Syria, and the destruction of a US drone depot and Bahrain's main artificial intelligence center [22][24][14][6]. The IRGC also announced it stopped four ships attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz in a combined missile and drone operation [23][31][35]. CENTCOM said no US troops in the region had recently been killed or captured [30].

Gulf host states reported damage from Iranian strikes. Kuwait's Defense Ministry said Iranian drones hit military facilities and civilian infrastructure including power plants and water treatment plants, wounding several personnel [13][11]. Kuwait's Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy Ministry announced an Iranian attack caused fire and damage to generation units at a power and desalination plant [11][31]. Qatar's Ministry of the Interior reported a child injured by shrapnel from air defense interceptions over Doha [13][17]. Jordan's armed forces reported intercepting 10 Iranian missiles [5][23]. Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Iran's attacks on Kuwait, Bahrain, and Jordan as unjustified aggression [40].

President Donald Trump insisted diplomacy remains open while threatening Iran's infrastructure. Trump stated Iran wants to settle because it is suffering devastating blows [12], and a White House spokesperson said Iran continues to communicate with the US [7][29]. Trump separately threatened to knock out all Iranian power plants and bridges unless Tehran negotiates [20][13][32], and at one point proposed the US act as guardian of the Strait of Hormuz with transit fees, a plan later retracted after opposition from Gulf allies [15].

International law professor Pierre d'Argent at UCLouvain stated that navigation in international straits is free under the law of the sea, making both the US blockade of Iranian ports and Iran's attempted closure of Hormuz illegal [46]. The dispute centers on jurisdiction: Iran interprets the collapsed memorandum of understanding as retaining control over Hormuz, a view rejected by the US and international community [25].

IEA head Fatih Birol warned that global crude reserves are dwindling and the world should be worried if the situation does not improve in the coming weeks [7][10][30]. Maritime analytics platform Kpler reported only eight ships confirmed crossing the strait on Thursday [31], and Lloyd's List Intelligence reported cargo shipments dropped by almost a quarter [34]. War risk insurance premiums surged to 3-10% of hull value, up from 0.25% pre-war [39].

Analysts warned of a strategic stalemate. Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper said the US cannot win a war against Iran through airstrikes alone [15]. Alex Vatanka of the Middle East Institute said the warring sides were back to square one [16]. Thibault Fouillet of CAPRI analyzed that Iran does not need to defeat the US militarily to impose costs [23]. Robert Pape of the University of Chicago estimated Iran could cross the nuclear threshold within about 12 months [7].

International actors called for ceasefire. Guterres reiterated there is no military solution [25]. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar called for an immediate ceasefire and resumption of dialogue [41]. Pakistan's foreign ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said bringing both sides back to the table was becoming increasingly difficult [12][34].

The conflict's economic impact reached countries beyond the Gulf. India reported 30 sailors killed, a 1.2% GDP drop, and 2.5% inflation rise [47]. Pacific Islands Forum Secretary-General Baron Waqa warned that if tankers stop coming, the Pacific will suffer [48]. African aviation experts reported jet fuel prices doubling, with Ethiopian Airlines losing $137 million per week [51]. Uzbekistan faced a potential 0.6% GDP slowdown [50].

The Trump administration and Israel diverged over how far to escalate the war. Vice President J.D. Vance alleged Israeli officials sought to shift US policy toward continuing the military campaign [28]. A White House official described friction over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's public statements [13]. Netanyahu separately warned Iran against retaliating against Israel [45]. Axios reported the US was sending dozens of refueling planes to Israel as Trump considered a major escalation [45].

An Iranian government employee in Tehran described living with the fear of war as exhausting and said she wants diplomacy to prevail [16]. Amin Goodarzi of Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences said some hospital patients had to return for treatment that could not be interrupted, but the majority had yet to return after evacuation [16].