Key development: The US and Iran are now hitting each other’s critical infrastructure—Trump’s blockading Iranian ports and charging transit fees through Hormuz, while Iran’s firing at US bases in the Gulf and commercial ships in the strait.
Military Operations
(Update) Iran hit Kurdish militia bases in Iraqi Kurdistan with heavy air strikes. Tehran’s nervous these groups could go on offense while it’s distracted by the US and Israel. (France24)
Context: Iran targeted Iranian Kurdish militia groups operating from Iraq—groups Tehran views as separatist threats that could exploit the current chaos. These strikes represent an unprecedented escalation against Kurdish dissidents during the broader conflict with the US and Israel.
Sources: France24
(Update) Commercial ships are now getting attacked in the Strait of Hormuz. The conflict just jumped from military targets to hitting civilian vessels in the world’s most important oil chokepoint. (Euronews)
Context: Ships are being directly targeted, which raises the stakes for global energy markets and could pull more Gulf states into the fighting. This marks an escalation from the earlier closure to active targeting of commercial vessels.
Sources: Euronews
(Update) The US hit four locations in Bushehr, the Iranian city that hosts the country’s only nuclear power plant. Iran claims a US strike came near the facility, though the US has released strike details without confirming proximity to the reactor. (Euronews, France24)
Context: Bushehr is an extremely sensitive target—hitting anywhere near a nuclear plant risks catastrophic consequences. The US struck there Tuesday. Iran says at least 14 people have died in two days of American attacks, while both countries offer different accounts of how close strikes came to nuclear infrastructure.
(Update) The US released footage of sea drones hitting an Iranian naval base at Bandar Abbas on July 12. First time the US has used unmanned surface vessels in combat. (Euronews)
Context: The video shows three Corsair drones striking a ship maintenance facility and submarine. The US is now publicly showcasing new weapons tech in this fight, marking a debut for this category of warfare.
Sources: Euronews
(Update) Iran struck Kuwait’s border posts and an offshore oil platform, plus hit two of its own southern islands. The fight’s geographic scope keeps expanding beyond just US-Iran direct hits. (France24)
Context: Kuwait hosts US military installations that Iran’s been targeting. The attacks came hours after conflicting US and Iranian statements about whether the Strait of Hormuz was even open, highlighting the information warfare alongside physical strikes.
Sources: France24
(Update) Yemen’s Houthis hit a Saudi Arabian airport. This happened right after the Saudi-backed Yemeni government struck Sanaa’s airport—the regional proxy war is heating up alongside the US-Iran fight. (France24)
Context: The Houthis are Iran-backed, so this opens another front. If fighting in Yemen expands and the Houthis try blocking Bab al-Mandeb (another key shipping strait), the global energy crisis gets worse.
Sources: France24
Economy & Blockades
(Update) Trump reimposed a full naval blockade on Iranian ports and is charging hefty fees for ships going through Hormuz. Iran mockingly announced it’ll charge lower rates for the same passage. (France24)
Context: This is a major economic escalation. The UN’s shipping agency opposes any country charging fees for international straits. Trump’s essentially trying to control and profit from one of the world’s most critical waterways while physically blockading Iranian ports.
(Update) Iran’s hardline parliament formally tabled a bill to control the Strait of Hormuz. They’re trying to codify their grip on the waterway while the fighting’s still going. (Euronews, Al Jazeera)
Context: This is an institutional move to cement what Iran’s already doing militarily. The bill aims to formalize control and undermine any future negotiations over the strait.
Sources: Euronews | Al Jazeera
US Policy
[UNCONFIRMED] Trump says the US is investigating reports that Iran’s storing drones and missiles in Cuba and will “deal with it” if confirmed. No proof offered yet. (Euronews)
Context: This would be a huge deal—Iranian weapons 90 miles from Florida. Trump warned Washington will act but gave no details about the alleged weapons or what action he’d take. The claim remains unverified.
Sources: Euronews
What to watch: Whether ships actually start paying Trump’s Hormuz transit fees and how Iran responds if they do—plus whether that Cuba weapons claim turns out to be real.