The United States bombarded Iran again Monday after announcing the death of another American service member, while Iran retaliated with attacks on U.S. allies Kuwait and Bahrain. Bahrain is home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet. The escalation came as the United States and Iran moved closer to what the report described as all-out war again, although diplomatic activity continued.
Iran’s interior minister traveled to Pakistan for talks. Pakistan has been described as a key mediator in the conflict. The diplomatic effort followed the collapse of an interim deal signed last month that was intended to end the fighting. Meanwhile, shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital supply route for world energy supplies, had largely stalled.
Military escalation and maritime risk
The U.S. military’s Central Command said its ninth straight night of airstrikes targeted “Iranian military command centers, air defense and coastal surveillance sites, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites and communications networks.” The United States had also struck bridges and a tower at an Iranian port the previous week.
Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported that at least one person was killed around Tabriz, a northwestern city about 520 kilometers (325 miles) from Tehran. IRNA also reported that U.S. strikes likely hit Bandar Imam Khomeini in Khuzestan province; Sirik and Jask in Hormozgan province; and Konarak and Chahbahar in Sistan and Baluchistan province. The report did not provide independent confirmation of those accounts.
The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said a second ship had been attacked Monday evening in the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. Earlier, a vessel caught fire after being hit by a projectile near Oman’s coastline. Its crew abandoned the vessel, which remained adrift and ablaze hours later, according to the UKMTO.
The U.S. military said its service member was killed in Iraq Saturday during the “controlled detonation” of a downed Iranian drone. President Donald Trump wrote Monday on social media: “Every time Iran kills an American Soldier they will pay for that killing many times over!” The fighting has also affected energy prices. Benchmark Brent crude traded above $86 a barrel Monday, while regular gasoline in the United States reached an average of $4 a gallon, increasing pressure on consumers ahead of midterm elections this fall.