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US President Donald Trump looks on after signing an executive order to drastically shrink two national monuments in Utah, paving the way for fossil fuel extraction and mining, at the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on July 13, 2026. (photo credit: SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images) US President  Donald Trump  said that the United States will target Iranian power plants and bridges next week, during an interview with Fox News's Trey Yingst on Wednesday. "We're going to hit them very hard tonight. We're going to hit them very hard tomorrow night. We're going to hit them very hard the night after," said Trump. "Will save energy targets for last. Next week it gets really bad for them."  Trump added that he "doesn't like the idea" of charging a fee in the Strait of Hormuz, noting that Iran prefers to "spend a lot of money in the United States."

A projectile is fired during what the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said was a third round of strikes this week against Iran, in this screen grab taken from a handout video released on July 11, 2026. (photo credit: U.S. Central Command/Handout via REUTERS) A US projectile reportedly exploded near a water and electricity facility on Iran's Kish Island, Iranian state media claimed on Tuesday.  Additional explosions were heard on Iran's Qeshm Island, according to IRGC-linked  Fars News Agency . Their cause is not yet known. U.S. Sailors conduct flight operations aboard USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77).  pic.twitter.com/WLx1hxvd6l — U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM)  July 14, 2026 Separately, Kuwait’s Armed Forces announced that they were in the process of combatting hostile aerial targets, namely "missile and drone threats," within their airspace.

The IDF killed four terrorists in the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday, including the head of the military security of Hamas's Central Jabaliya Battalion, according to the military. The terrorists killed were named as: Mohammed Mawrwan Mohammed Salem, the aforementioned head of military security; Abd al-Malek Abu al-Jabin, a Nukhba terrorist in Hamas's Central Jabaliya Battalion and head of the investigation department of the Hamas Police; Yaman Mohammed Jibril Ubaid, a terrorist in Hamas's Central Jabaliya Battalion; and Ghassan Akram Salama Dakas, a terrorist in Hamas's Western Battalion and an operative in the Hamas Police. The IDF saw the terrorists as an immediate threat to troops in the Strip, and was struck to "eliminate the threat." Earlier Tuesday, IDF struck in the northern Gaza Strip and eliminated the head of military security and additional Hamas terrorists. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

Damage from interceptions from the latest barrage from Iran, March 19, 2026 (photo credit: Anthony Hershko, TPS) According to INSS Iran expert Ben Sabti, the regime's very survival gives the leadership a sense of victory. The central power mechanisms continue to function.  The US needs to accelerate the pace of military strikes and target additional senior Iranian officials to push towards a resolution of the conflict, Beni Sabti, an Iran researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), said.  In an interview with 103FM, Sabti stated that the escalation in the  Strait of Hormuz  is not bringing Iran closer to surrender. He described a combative leadership, despite severe blows and mounting domestic hardship, and argued that military pressure is pushing Tehran to intensify the confrontation.  "An Iranian member of parliament tweeted, 'We need to immediately obtain a nuclear bomb to protect our assets in the Strait of Hormuz,'" Sabti said. "T...

 - US President Donald Trump speaks during a Rose Garden Club Lunch at the White House in Washington, DC, US, July 6, 2026. (photo credit: REUTERS/Evan Vucci) US President Donald Trump allegedly told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel should remove IDF troops from Syria and Lebanon during a phone call on Thursday, according to a Tuesday  Axios  report citing US and Israeli officials. One US official told  Axios  that Trump claimed that the presence of Israeli military personnel in Syrian territory could create tension and may lead to escalation. “They don’t want you there. You should redeploy,” Trump allegedly told Netanyahu, according to the official.

The United States reinstated its blockade against Iran in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on X/Twitter. CENTCOM added that over 20 US Navy ships and "hundreds of military aircraft" are operating across the Middle East. U.S. forces resumed the naval blockade against vessels transiting to and from Iranian ports and coastal areas today at 4 p.m. ET. There are currently more than 20 U.S. Navy warships and hundreds of military aircraft operating across the Middle East. American forces remain…  pic.twitter.com/ATRJHlLQNo — U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM)  July 14, 2026

Vessels at the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, June 18, 2026 (photo credit: REUTERS/STRINGER) The UAE Defense Ministry said the country retained its full right to respond and take all necessary measures to protect its sovereignty and security. Two national tankers were targeted by two Iranian cruise missiles in the southern lane of the Strait of Hormuz in Omani territorial waters, killing one Indian crew member and wounding eight others, including four seriously, the  UAE 's Defense Ministry said early on Tuesday. Six of the wounded were Indian nationals, and two were  Ukrainian  nationals, the ministry said.