Overview
- This week attacks on three Qatari and Saudi tankers near the Strait of Hormuz prompted U.S. strikes on Iranian targets and Iranian retaliatory strikes on U.S.-linked sites in Gulf states, reviving violence after the June interim memorandum.
- President Trump posted that the ceasefire is over but said Washington agreed to keep negotiating with Tehran while senior U.S. officials demanded Iran publicly guarantee safe, toll-free passage through all Hormuz lanes within a tight window.
- Trump warned that the U.S. military is prepared to launch large-scale strikes—including what he described as “1,000 missiles locked and loaded”—if Iran attempts to assassinate him, comments that followed U.S. media reports that Israel shared intelligence about a possible plot.
- The U.S. Treasury imposed new sanctions targeting financier Ali Ansari and several exchange houses accused of moving funds for sanctioned Iranian banks as Washington increases pressure on Tehran.
- Qatar, Oman and Pakistan are shuttling between capitals to salvage diplomacy while commercial transits through the strait remain far below pre-war levels, raising the risk of wider energy shocks and further escalation.