It was a volatile weekend in the Middle East. The escalation between the United States and Iran comes as the two countries near the halfway point of a 60-day period to negotiate the final terms of the deal following their initial agreement in June.
What happened over the weekend:
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi traveled to Muscat to meet with his Omani counterpart as mediators scramble to revive diplomacy. Oman is drafting a preliminary plan to manage traffic in the Strait of Hormuz through two routes that will be managed separately, officials said.
Hours later, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said it had fired warning shots at ships attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz via an unauthorized route and declared the waterway closed.
The US military launched its third attack in less than a week, announcing that the Revolutionary Guards had “blatantly attacked” a Cyprus-flagged container ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Multiple explosions have been reported in southern Iran. In a subsequent update, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that it had struck 140 military targets in Iran.
The Revolutionary Guards announced that it had launched attacks on U.S. military targets across the Gulf. Authorities in Gulf countries, including Qatar, have reported defending against the attack, where three people were injured by falling debris during the interception operation.
Indian authorities say one citizen is missing after an attack on a commercial ship in the Strait of Hormuz. It added that 10 other people were rescued from the ship.
The United States and Iran are at odds over the status of the Strait of Hormuz. US President Donald Trump and Centcom insist the waterway is open, while Iran’s Strait Authority says it is “impossible” for ships to navigate.
The US military announced it had launched a new offensive following one the previous evening, hitting dozens of Iranian military targets. Iran has reported multiple explosions in the country’s south, including one at a water pumping station that killed one person.
Iran announced new missile and drone attacks on U.S. military bases in the region, including Kuwait and Bahrain.
Dalia Abdelwahab, Alina Fayaz, Eyad Kurdi, Mitchell McCluskey, Laura Sherman, Julia Benbrook, Billy Stockwell, Aida Karimi, Mohamed Tawfiq, Zachary Cohen, Piper Hudspeth Blackburn and Rex Harvey contributed reporting.
