President Donald Trump stated he is "considering a massive attack" on Iran, "bigger than ever before," and is close to a decision, as US forces carried out a thirteenth consecutive night of strikes on Iranian military targets [13][31]. Explosions were reported across southern Iran, Kuwait, and Jordan, with air raid sirens sounding in Amman and Kuwait City [5][9]. ASEAN foreign ministers expressed "serious concern" over the hostilities and called for "utmost self-restraint and a complete cessation of hostilities," while UN Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council the situation is "getting out of control" and "teetering on the edge of the unimaginable" [47][9][13].

US Central Command described the strikes as targeting "Iranian military targets, including maritime capabilities, missile and drone storage facilities, coastal surveillance sites and air defence assets," stating the mission aims to "further degrade Iran's ability to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels" [6][10]. Trump warned that any attack on ships in the Strait of Hormuz would trigger US strikes on "one bridge or power plant," including those near Tehran [7][36]. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran is "begging for a deal" but will "pay a very heavy price" [31][32].

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated Iran's defense doctrine is "an eye for an eye" and that "any aggression against Iran, including our infrastructure, will compel a powerful and decisive response" [11][18]. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said those who sought to punish Iran had "punished themselves with triple-digit oil prices" and warned that "the equation of this war is clear: either all or none" — if Iran cannot export oil, no country in the region will [3][7]. Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters threatened to block all oil exports from West Asia and target regional infrastructure if US attacks on Iranian infrastructure continue [7][10].

Trump's declaration that all future damages to ships or cargo will be compensated using frozen Iranian funds — which he called "the fairest and most equitable" solution — drew condemnation from Araghchi as an "incendiary precedent" for seizing sovereign assets [24][28][29]. The legal basis for the seizure remains unclear [29].

The Houthi movement announced responsibility for attacking two Saudi oil tankers, the Encelia and Layla, in the Red Sea, framing the strikes as enforcement of a declared naval blockade against "the Saudi enemy" [6][10][18]. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea vowed to "continue their naval operations" [6]. Rubio said the Houthis had gotten themselves "suckered" into the conflict by Iran, stating they had been "smart and stayed out of all this throughout the conflict" until now [6][9]. Trump held Iran responsible, calling the Houthis a "surrogate and/or proxy of Iran" [6][23].

Trump had previously claimed the Iranian army was "completely destroyed," and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth asserted that Iran's missile program was largely rendered inoperative [14]. Iran's subsequent strike on a US base in Jordan that killed three soldiers called those assertions into question [14]. Researcher Oral Toğa at the Center for Iranian Studies said Iran retains thousands of missiles and has adapted tactics to penetrate degraded air defenses [14]. Stimson Center senior fellow Kelly Grieco warned of a "mow the lawn" approach — cyclical strikes without lasting political settlement — noting that even destroying 95% of Iran's missile capacity would leave enough residual capability to disrupt Hormuz shipping [40]. Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Dana Stroul said "there is no military solution as long as the Iranian regime survives" [32].

Brent crude surpassed $100 per barrel following the Houthi attacks on Saudi tankers and the closure of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait [2][12]. ExxonMobil signaled its second-quarter earnings could see a boost of approximately $5 billion due to the geopolitical risk premium from the conflict [45]. Maritime war-risk insurance premiums for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz jumped to 8–10% of vessel value, up from 1–3% before the ceasefire collapsed, with shipping companies offering crew bonuses of up to six months' salary for a single voyage [51]. deVere Group CEO Nigel Green said "two of the world's busiest shipping corridors are under threat in the same month, and markets are only just beginning to work out what that means" [31].

Import-dependent economies reported fuel shortages. Thailand's government cited a 106-day reserve figure that energy advisor Dr. Ruangsak Thitiratsakul said includes oil in transit and under contract but not yet delivered [48]. Kenyan Energy Minister Opiyo Wandayi met with oil importers to develop an emergency supply plan, and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed urged citizens to use fuel sparingly [49]. Canadian Energy Minister Tim Hodgson positioned Canada as a "stable, reliable, predictable, and values-based energy producer" amid the disruption [54].

The Gulf Cooperation Council and Jordan condemned Iranian attacks on civilian infrastructure including water desalination plants and airports, invoking Article 51 self-defense and calling on the UN Security Council to act [29][41]. Geopolitical researcher Mahdi Ghuloom analyzed that Iran deliberately targets smaller Gulf states like Kuwait and Bahrain individually to instill fear without crossing the threshold that would provoke collective Gulf deterrence [35]. Joseph Liow of the National University of Singapore argued that Iran's demonstrated ability to threaten the Strait of Hormuz leaves Gulf states with no substitute for US security guarantees, even as the relationship becomes more transactional [8]. UAE diplomatic advisor Anwar Gargash warned that Gulf states "cannot remain a target for Iran's wavering between escalation and rationality" [42].

BBC Persian reported that both Iran and the US have targeted desalination plants and water facilities, with experts describing water as a tool for pressure signaling [43]. Professor Mark Owen Jones said that if Gulf states conclude their water supply is being deliberately targeted, they are more likely to pressure the US to end the war [43].

Iranian Health Ministry official Hossein Kermanpour reported that US airstrikes since June 27 have killed 55 people and wounded 629, including 46 women and 24 children and adolescents under 18 [4]. Médecins Sans Frontières described Iran's healthcare system under extreme pressure, with hospitals and clinics damaged [46]. Iran Human Rights director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam expressed concern that authorities will exploit the situation to intensify the execution of political prisoners [31]. Iranian Kurdish opposition groups accused Tehran of using white phosphorus munitions in a July 18 attack on bases in Iraqi Kurdistan, calling it a violation of international humanitarian law [20].

The US House of Representatives narrowly passed a nonbinding resolution to halt military action, while the Senate rejected a binding war powers resolution and approved a $95 billion defense budget [13][17][55]. Former Pentagon official Mark Cancian said about half of the seven main weapon types used in Iran are exhausted and require two to five years to replenish [17]. US intelligence sources are investigating whether Russia provided Iran with targeting data or upgraded drone technology [44]. Trump set a new condition for the US-Saudi nuclear deal, insisting it is "totally subject to" Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords and normalizing relations with Israel [30][31]. Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz stated Israel is "prepared for any possibility" [32].

Diplomatic efforts by Qatar, Egypt, and Pakistan to broker a ten-day ceasefire continue, with Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ismail Baghai confirming mediators are actively working [19]. Trita Parsi of the Quincy Institute assessed that Iran is unlikely to return to negotiations while military operations continue [19].