The U.S. military announced Wednesday that it was conducting a 12th night of strikes against Iran, as President Donald Trump threatened to destroy one Iranian bridge or power plant for every ship targeted in the Strait of Hormuz. The escalation follows a collapse of a previous interim peace deal.
The conflict has shifted into a brutal war of attrition over the Strait of Hormuz, a critical energy artery that remains largely closed due to Iranian attacks. While U.S. Central Command maintains the strikes are intended to further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting regional waters
, the strategy has expanded to target civilian infrastructure—a move the United Nations Secretary-General called unacceptable
on Tuesday.
Trump’s Infrastructure Doctrine and the Cost of War
President Donald Trump has introduced a specific, retaliatory formula for the conflict. Writing on social media Wednesday, Trump declared that the U.S. would bomb a bridge or power plant every time Iran uses a missile, rocket, drone, or other weapon against a ship in the strait.
From this point forward, any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, whether it be by Missile, Rocket, Drone, or any other device or weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANTDonald Trump, President of the United States
The financial and human toll is mounting. During a Senate hearing on Tuesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth estimated the U.S. has spent $37.5 billion on the war so far, according to PBS. On Wednesday, Trump traveled to Dover Air Force Base for the arrival of the remains of four U.S. service members.
The total number of U.S. personnel killed during the war has reached 18, Al Jazeera reports. This includes three service members killed in an Iranian attack on an air base in Jordan on Friday and one soldier killed in Erbil, Iraq, on Sunday during a controlled detonation of a drone.
Iranian Retaliation and Regional Spillover
Tehran has rejected the U.S. pressure, with Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi announcing an eye for an eye
defense doctrine. He warned that any aggression against Iranian infrastructure would compel a powerful and decisive response
.
The fighting is no longer confined to Iranian soil. Iran has targeted energy infrastructure and desalination plants in neighboring Gulf countries to create leverage. Recent strikes have hit water and power plants in Kuwait, and Iranian missiles were intercepted over Aqaba, Jordan, with some falling in uninhabited areas
, as reported by the AP.
Iran’s Health Ministry reports that U.S. strikes since late last month have killed 53 people, including three children, and injured 590 others.
Global Energy Shock and the Houthi Blockade
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz—which historically handled a fifth of the world’s traded oil and gas—has triggered a sharp spike in energy costs.
The crisis is expanding to other chokepoints. Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have declared a blockade of Saudi ports in the Red Sea, threatening the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
| Metric | Pre-War / Early Month | Current (July 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Brent Crude Oil | Less than $72/barrel | More than $93/barrel |
| U.S. War Expenditure | – | $37.5 billion |
| U.S. Personnel Deaths | – | 18 |
This economic volatility arrives as the U.S. approaches midterm elections this fall, adding domestic political pressure to an already spiraling military campaign.
The Diplomatic Deadlock
Diplomacy appears stalled. While Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni recently visited Pakistan to seek a revival of talks, the interim peace deal signed last month has effectively crumbled.
The central tension remains the legal and physical control of the strait. Iran claims the right to manage traffic and charge fees, while the U.S. insists the waterway must remain open and toll-free. With both sides now targeting the civilian power grids and water supplies of the region, the conflict has moved beyond a military standoff into a struggle over the basic survival infrastructure of the Gulf.
