US Military Continues Strikes on Iran  07/23 06:09

   The U.S. military announced Wednesday that it was conducting a 12th night of 
strikes against Iran as both sides increasingly targeted civilian 
infrastructure.

   DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- The U.S. military announced Wednesday 
that it was conducting a 12th night of strikes against Iran as both sides 
increasingly targeted civilian infrastructure.

   U.S. Central Command said the attacks were designed to "further degrade 
Iran's ability to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting 
regional waters," as the Americans push to regain control over the Strait of 
Hormuz and restore the flow of international shipping.

   President Donald Trump warned earlier Wednesday that the U.S. would destroy 
one bridge or power plant each time Iran shoots at a ship in the strait.

   "From this point forward, any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a 
ship in the Strait of Hormuz, whether it be by Missile, Rocket, Drone, or any 
other device or weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR 
POWER PLANT," Trump wrote on social media.

   The continued American airstrikes are occurring even as diplomatic efforts 
show little public sign of progress and officials on both sides have dug in on 
the dispute over the crucial waterway for global energy that remains largely 
closed. The unpopular war threatens further worldwide economic disruption and 
is sending fuel prices up ahead of midterm U.S. elections this fall.

   Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Iran's foreign minister, said his country would adopt 
an "eye for an eye" defense doctrine.

   "Any aggression against Iran, including our infrastructure, will compel a 
powerful and decisive response," he posted Wednesday on X.

   Iranian state media reported that U.S. missiles struck locations late 
Wednesday near the cities of Ahvaz, Ramshir and Andimeshk in western Iran. Two 
people were killed in a U.S. missile strike in the town of Shalamcheh on the 
Iraqi boarder, Iranian state media said early Thursday.

   Meanwhile, military officials in Kuwait said on social media that their air 
defenses were "confronting attacks by hostile drones, following the sinful 
Iranian aggression."

   Iran has responded to U.S. attacks by targeting energy infrastructure and 
desalination plants that provide drinking water in parched neighboring Gulf 
countries.

   International law generally prohibits such attacks unless the infrastructure 
is being used for military purposes.

   The costs of war are mounting

   The closure of the strait, through which a fifth of the world's traded oil 
and gas passed during peacetime, has jolted the world economy with effects far 
beyond the Middle East. A new threat by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen to 
target Saudi shipping in the Red Sea puts another trade chokepoint at risk.

   Trump traveled to Dover Air Force Base on Wednesday for the arrival of the 
remains of four U.S. service members. A day earlier Defense Secretary Pete 
Hegseth estimated in a fiery Senate hearing that the U.S. had spent $37.5 
billion on the war so far.

   Benchmark Brent crude oil rose to more than $93 a barrel in trading. That's 
up from less than $72 early this month, which is roughly where it was before 
the war. Gasoline prices are also climbing.

   Iran says it has the right to manage traffic and potentially charge fees in 
the strait, which was open to all and toll-free before the war. It has attacked 
ships using a route through the strait that is overseen by U.S. forces and 
intended to be outside Tehran's control.

   Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, who has led negotiations 
with the U.S., appeared to brush off Trump's threats.

   "We have repeatedly said that the situation of the strait will not return to 
prewar conditions," he wrote on social media..

   Diplomatic efforts show no signs of progress

   Before the latest strikes, Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni visited 
Pakistan, a key mediator in the conflict, seeking to revive diplomacy. But it 
was unclear what new arrangement might be reached to end the war, which lately 
has become a battle for control over the Strait of Hormuz.

   Iran's Interior Ministry spokesman Ali Zeinivand said "diplomacy isn't 
called off" and that messages were still being exchanged, without elaborating, 
according to IRNA.

   An Arab diplomat said Gulf states are increasingly pessimistic about finding 
an off-ramp for escalating hostilities and are particularly concerned about the 
latest round of threats.

   The diplomat said countries in the region, in addition to Pakistan and 
Turkey, are continuing to push for de-escalation. But, he said the chances for 
any improvement currently appear bleak. The diplomat spoke on condition of 
anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation.

   At a regional summit in the Philippines, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio 
denounced Iran's actions in the strait.

   "If we create a precedent in the Middle East where a nation state can decide 
that they are going to control an international waterway, charge a toll and if 
you don't pay them, blow up your ships, we have created a very dangerous 
precedent which will repeat itself in other parts of the world, including in 
this region," he said.

   Rubio said the U.S. remains open to negotiations with Iran, "but right now 
they don't seem to be serious about that" so instead the focus is on protecting 
shipping.

   In response to Iran's attacks, the U.S. re-imposed a blockade on Iranian 
ports.

   Trump signals US may attack underground nuclear site

   Speaking from the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump gave a dim view on possible 
talks, saying the U.S. had "no interest in meeting."

   He signaled that U.S. forces could soon target an under-construction Iranian 
nuclear site buried deep under a mountain.

   The site, known as Pickaxe Mountain, lies on the south side of Iran's Natanz 
nuclear enrichment site, which was bombed by the U.S. during the 12-day war 
between Iran and Israel in 2025. But Pickaxe Mountain has remained untouched as 
Iran continues to dig at the site.

   Iran has always insisted its nuclear program is peaceful, while resuming the 
enrichment of uranium to near weapons-grade levels since Trump scrapped a 2015 
nuclear deal during his first term.