The United States launched its 11th consecutive night of strikes on Iran late Tuesday, while President Donald Trump publicly identified an underground nuclear complex near Natanz — known as Pickaxe Mountain — as the next likely target, escalating a conflict that has already cost Washington $37.5bn.
The renewed US-Iran war has effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz to commercial traffic, sent global fuel prices swinging, and drawn in US regional partners including Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan, all of which reported intercepting Iranian drones and missiles overnight.
Centcom Frames Campaign Around Shipping Protection
US Central Command said the latest wave targeted Iranian military operations centres, aircraft hangars, drone storage facilities and maritime capabilities, framing the campaign as a response to more than 30 attacks on commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz over the past three months. “The unwarranted attacks have endangered hundreds of innocent mariners and undermined freedom of navigation,” Centcom said, while insisting the waterway remained open for commercial transit.
Iranian state media reported air defences activated over Tehran, with additional explosions confirmed in Tabriz, the southeastern ports of Chabahar and Konarak, and Bushehr — home to Iran’s only nuclear power plant. The breadth of the strikes signals a shift from narrowly tailored retaliatory raids to broader pressure on Iran’s military infrastructure.
Trump Names Pickaxe Mountain, Daring Tehran
Speaking alongside Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the White House, Trump said US forces would soon strike Pickaxe Mountain “very heavily,” an unusual public disclosure of a target. “I would not normally announce targets but there’s not a thing they can do about it,” he told reporters.
Iran’s Khatam Al-Anbiya military command responded through state broadcaster IRIB, warning that striking the Natanz-area complex would be treated “as an expansion of war in the region” and that reprisals would extend to “all the interests of America, the allies and supporters.” The exchange raises the prospect of direct strikes on US bases and Gulf state infrastructure.
Houthi Threat Opens a Second Maritime Front
Compounding the disruption, Yemen’s Houthi rebels announced a “maritime embargo” on Saudi Arabia, closing the Bab al-Mandab Strait to Saudi vessels. Trump warned he would “take care of” the Iran-backed group if it followed through. British maritime risk firm Vanguard reported two Saudi crude tankers loaded at Yanbu and bound for China and India executed U-turns on Tuesday, diverting toward the Suez Canal.
The Red Sea route had become a lifeline for Saudi oil exports after Hormuz effectively closed. A Houthi blockade would squeeze the last major alternative corridor, tightening global crude supply further.
Costs Climb as Hegseth Warns of Training Cuts
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told the Senate Appropriations Committee the war has cost the US roughly $37.5bn — up nearly $8bn from the May estimate — and that military training would be curtailed unless lawmakers approved an urgent funding boost. The figure underscores how the conflict is now straining the Pentagon’s broader readiness, not just its regional operations.
Diplomatic off-ramps have collapsed twice. An April ceasefire broke down last week, and a June Memorandum of Understanding to halt operations and reopen Hormuz was declared “over” by Trump three weeks later after renewed Iranian attacks on shipping.
What Happens Next
Watch for three indicators in the coming days: whether US strikes actually reach Pickaxe Mountain, how Iran’s Khatam Al-Anbiya command translates its threats into action against Gulf state infrastructure, and whether the Houthis enforce the Bab al-Mandab closure. A confirmed Houthi blockade, combined with a Hormuz shutdown, would mark the first time in decades that both major Gulf oil chokepoints are simultaneously closed — a scenario that would likely force emergency releases from strategic reserves and push the US-Iran war into a sustained, high-cost phase.
— Marcus Okafor, world desk, AXO News